I’m still not understanding the need for the 6.5" of travel. Even if the Z-slider is mounted at the highest point, there’s only about 5" below the unit so you can’t cut material thicker than that. For height it doesn’t really seem to have a practical difference vs the Z-16. The only advantage I see is if you wanted it 1" higher for removing the bit. Is that really it?
I’m currently considering an 80mm spindle so this would be the time to decide on this or just the adaptor to my current Z-16. Even at the IPP price there’s near a $200 difference. If the height change is really of no use, the only other real advantage is the Z speed giving faster cuts. I’m a hobbyist, time doesn’t cost money so that’s hard to justify spending money on.
The other difference is wait time for shipping. 3-4 months wait for the Z-20, or I could have the adaptor next week.
Besides what you mention, one other benefit may be clamping height options for spindles. Depending on the safe clamping zone of your 80mm spindle, once clamped you may then have more spindle length below the 80mm mount. The mount would then need to be raised higher in the Z assembly to get the same work piece clearance, and the greater available travel height would therefore allow the spindle/end mill to be raised to the needed height.
I wondered about that but I’ve never come across anything that that said here was a clamping zone. All recommendations I’ve found was to make sure you had it low enough for your shortest bit to be used.
I suppose it depends on the spindle manufacturer. I have an 80mm water cooled ATC spindle, and the manual provides a dimensional drawing indicating the safe range. To be honest I often wondered about how critical this is, but given my investment, I am doing everything according to spec on all my equipment (VFD, spindle, Masso G3. etc…).
Hmm. Can you give me an idea of how much of your spindle is considered the safe zone? Is the safe clamping zone due to the actual pressure put on by the clamp or the torsional force applied by the bit? I.e. the farther the bit tip is from the clamping zone the more force the spindle will experience (simple lever). To me it would seem to be best to keep the clamp as low as possible to avoid that lever action.
So back to the Onefinity z-slider, I’d think you’d want the clamp mounted as low as you can both for the leverage avoidance and to give you max lift. Which still leaves me wondering why the extra 35mm of lift matters. Average spindle is going to have a body of about 8" and a collet, etc adds about 2". Then you’ll have a bit of 1" at least. So you end up with at least 3" below the body of the spindle. Because there’s 4 to 5" below the lowest point on the spindle that puts the clamp starting at about 2" up the body and covering about 2" above that (so sitting roughly in the 25-50% part). From there you’d want to be able to lift at least the 4-5" to get you max clearance below, which I think the Z-16 can do (specs say 5.25").
My situation is different in that with the ATC I am using ISO20 toolholders, and I also need extra clearance for the tool rack/tool change logic I am using (that is why I raised my Y axes as well).
Here is an example of the clamping range for my spindle:
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Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
47
I found it rather disappointing that when they finally released something new now from the Z assembly department, after a long time, in principle they changed nothing. Still you have only one single linear bearing on a rail, just one size bigger. If at least they had two bearings per rail now, like on X and Y axis.
One thing you get now is four possible heights to attach the assembly to the X gantry, instead of three on the old Z assembly. Does this allow you to have your spindle mount point lower, for the case that you want to work on workpieces of low height? I don’t know.
Atroz, I can confirm a clamping zone and also a minimum clamping surface area on my Mechatron spindle. Will report exact numbers when I find the time. It’s mainly because you must not clamp in the area of the bearings, so it’s a little higher.
At the other end, the further away from milling bit you clamp, the more you increase the leverage force (see 5"ish on trim router) and the risk of chattering on high workloads. That’s why usual Z assemblies on CNC machines do look rather different than the one on Onefinity.
Still no 43 mm mount
Unfortunately, while many new things just were released, still no 43 mm mount for serious professional milling motors like AMB (former Kress), Suhner, Mafell. In my opinion they still miss something very important . Unlike the Makita trim router, these milling motors are allowed for use in a CNC. And like the Makita trim router, they just need a normal household socket, no VFD, no custom wiring. And some models even have a speed control interface for control by CNC Controller.
The spindle mount requires 70mm (2 3/4") due to the linear bearing. That, and for me the buffer I wanted at the top and bottom travel of the mount/bearing (due to the added mass of my ATC spindle and acceleration), reduces my Z travel as well.
This may be a very specific question, but I am looking at upgrading to a spindle kit on my Woodworker X-50. I’m trying to see what my mounting options are due to possible enclosure limitations. I have 24" from the bottom of the enclosure/machine to the top. I was looking at the Z-20 slider, but don’t see specs on size. Will my enclosure limit my mounting positions or should I have enough room above the Z for spindle clearance for any mounting position?
I may be able to help, as I have a WW upgraded to X50 and a pre-production Z20 Z axis assembly. I believe this would be identical if not very similar to what you would have.
I took some quick measures, with results as follows:
I have my Z20 on the highest position, and it extends ~2.5 cm (1") below the bottom of the X axis block.
The Z20 is ~ 32 cm (12.5") from the bottom of the assembly to top of motor mount. I have a large braking stepper on top which adds ~ 14 cm (5.5") above the motor mount.
When I measure the distance from the bottom of the Y axis blocks (=table) to the top of the Z20 assembly motor mount it is ~ 44.5 cm (17.5") - then add a motor height to that.
You’ll likely find that 24" is not enough. Unless you can get a right-angled connector for the spindle you’ll find that the standard one adds quite a bit of height and compared to a router, it is much taller. You do have different positions where you can mount the slider but mounting it lower will also reduce your max material thickness.
If you check out his video you see how the cable goes much over the Z-20 and the z-20 is very tall (remember that machine also has the 3rd rail).
With how it’s mounted in the Elite brochure, I wouldn’t assume that I would need too much more clearance above the motor. This appears to be at full Z height. At this mounting position, I of course would be trading any tool length for material thickness, but I think that fits my needs.
@Captain
Have you received your Z-20 yet? I ordered two weeks after you did (12/3/22 for me) and I still haven’t received it. It’ll be 20 weeks come this Saturday…
I just got an email this morning that it was going to ship today.
Richard Walker
President
Richard M. Walker Construction, Inc.
P. O. Box 528
Diamond Springs, CA 95619
Cell 916-801-0784
Office 530-626-0805 rmwconstr@msn.com
