Absolutely, Alex! I did give that post a <3 yesterday. I caught myself going down a rabbit hole this morning looking at 20mm linear bearings & housings on Misumi. The Onefinity machine is SO worthy of this milling motor. I already bought a 43mm mount and made a mounting plate for my previous machine, but did not end up going that route, as that machine was not exactly worthy of that level of spindle. The mount was only like $12 (and really nice), so I am that far with it. 
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BIG Bump for the 43mm milling motor! Would be an awesome product that Onefinity could easily sell, support and integrate without the liability of VFDs. Also opens up some ATC options!
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Could essentially change the one piece design on the z slider motor point to easily accept a bolt on spindle/router holder and then offer different versions for that. I think the rotary is also a good product and I would think about potentially an 8â machine but not sure if the current design could sustain the 8â span or if thatâs a different market all together.
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Tool CHANGER!!! and tool holder for spindle
Vectric software will import bitmaps and then help you create curves. My other process for taking digitized points and converting them into curves was to import them into an on-line CAD software called OnShape. Once I create the geometry in OnShape I export a drawing in DXF format which can then be imported into Vectric as well.
Rotary for Elite would be a great addition.
I think it is important to support open source software as well as hardware. Thus, rotary support for the BB controller. May be, official suggestions for open source design-production pipeline.
+1 for rotary on elite machines
Bill Iâm totally on board with a one piece design change that would allow much more flexibility for a variety of spindle choices.
At the very least Iâd be elated even if it were to be offered by a third party manufacturer rather than just 1F for our machines!
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You can get the pendant directly from Masso. Itâs easy to install and even better to use. I wouldnât be without it.
A rotary would be nice for the older BB models. But 1F has posted link to what to buy. What I would like to see is a switch to change which stepper motor is driven along with a way to jog the machine to where it needs to be.
Since the BB controller only has 4 outputs and they are all in use you need to move the axis that is going to be switched to the rotary to a specific position so itâs centered over the rotary. It would be great if they had a touch plate just for that one axis. You could use the automated zero button for the rotary, it would zero off the touch plate, apply the offset, and go to that axisâs zero. Then you could switch to the rotaryâs stepper.
What would be really great is if they sold a table that allowed a rotary to be installed and removed as needed. When not needed a blankoff could be put in place in the table. Possibly it could drop down below the table when not needed and to raise it up when you want to use it. That would eliminate it not being parallel when installed and the touch plate could be fixed to the rotary.
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Hey Alex,
that is what I meant when I wrote:
My main motivation for a U-shaped base is to have a rotary axis there (lower than the wasteboard position, and in combination with a Universal Z assembly that lets the spindle protrude lower).
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Yes, agreed Bill.
I do wish Onefinity would step up and at least look into some sort of universal mounting plate that could utilize a standard 43mm spindle mount. They have provided us with the best machine in its market segment, but the fact that the recommended âspindleâ is a weak router that is not supported by the manufacturer for use in a CNC router does not reflect well on them.
My automotive analogy would be a Challenger Hellcat (or similar) that was sold without tires but fitted with trailer tire wheels, with the recommendation of using Walmart trailer tires.
I have looked at and pondered designing a mount for the Onefinity, but the top-view geometry shown here makes it painfully obvious that a Onefinity-designed universal mount would be far superior to any DIY solution. The DIY shown below doesnât even address how you would attach the ball nut, if thereâs even room for it.
@Temo came up with a very unique design that seems workable for the current 80mm mount. This is a very interesting thread with multiple designs discussed.
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Although I prefer the idea of a more universal mounting system, I do not think it will happen.
From a business perspective it probably makes more sense for Onefinity to make a 43mm mount based on their design - they would generate more revenue this way I think.
I feel they did a very good job to create a design that kept the tool as close to the X axis as possible - all my own designs, even those that replace the entire Z assembly (which I plan to do) have a slightly greater distance.
Maybe with enough interest a 43mm mount will be offered - they have a reputation for responding to customer need/feedback.
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Agreed, Tom. I would also highly doubt weâd see a universal mount. However, if they worked their magic with a dedicated 43mm design, it would definitely tuck the spindle up closer to the X axis. Since the 43mm spindle requires a clearance area of approx. 80mm dia, I would expect the geometry of spindle centerline to be approximately that of the current 80mm spindle.
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I am curious as to their mount supplierâs MOQ. It would take mere minutes to alter the CAD file for a 43 mm mount, but the deal breaker may be whether they need to order 50 vs 500 units.
It might help with the European market, perhaps even being a more enticing Stepcraft alternative.
Speaking of Stepcraft, I notice they have a Z axis mounting system that is more universal, which allows them to advertise 4 different options.
Also, I didnât realize that they use driven ballscrews on their M series - you do not see that often on a hobby machine. They have some other great features and components as well. But, I still feel Onefinity has a more robust machine design overall.
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Another feature that would be nice is an automated retractable dust boot. Iâm not a fan of the oversized boots to begin with. Often they donât work well because a part of the suction area is not on the work piece. I like one thatâs not much bigger than the diameter of the largest bit I use, about 4" in diameter with a 4" dust hose connection. It would be nice if there was an option to raise and lower it via gcode command (maybe tied into the command to turn on the spindle). That way when the carve starts it would lower. When it came time to change bits the spindle move up to allow a bit change and dust boot would raise even further so wrenches could be used to swap bits.
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I agree with you, but do not think it will happen through Onefinity, at least not any time soon.
I am currently testing a design similar to Datronâs, which is a very small form factor. My goal is to have it made out of aluminum - right now I am still experimenting with the 3D prints.
I also wanted my dust shoe to move with the machining operation. I actually designed a moveable dust shoe that worked quite well. I added a stepper motor to raise and lower it on a lead screw. The driver used a split signal from the Z axis of the Masso. The challenge was to get it to work with my ATC. I used a sensor to cut the Step signal when the spindle lowered to drop/load a tool, then reconnect when the gantry was out of the tool change area.
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I was thinking something simple like the dust boot being spring loaded with an electromagnet to raise it up. Cheap and only two wires needed.
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So many solutions!
I am still evaluating the most effective and appropriate options.
For aluminum, I liked the functionality of a dust âshieldâ that just kept the chips from flying, well, everywhere. My designs for this solution allowed my chip air blast to evacuate the chips from the part, and I had no trouble with chip weld etc. I just collected the chips at the end of machining the part.
Although I enjoyed the challenge of designed the âfloatingâ version ( I also made a retracting pneumatic shield), I do not think it will be practical for my use cases. For example, with the 2 sided 3D bird carves I am doing, the end mills go fairly deep (~25-30 mm), and if the dust shoe lowered if would crash into the block of stock wood. The best use would be when facing large sheets of wood, but I do not do that often (at least not for now).