Using TinyG on a small CNC mill

[Steven Leathers]

Hello, I've bought an old but good condition Denford 2000 CNC mill. It has a serial port and outdated control electronics so I'm thinking of replacing the lot with new hardware. I will be running it from the CAM module in SolidWorks via USB.

Is the TinyG suitable for precision CNC in a small work envelope?

Can TinyG interpret all the GCode used for precision control?

Can it drive the steppers and spindle effectively?

If I upgrade the spindle to a high speed type (very probable) can I still drive it at 20-30k rpm?

What happens if the tool breaks – can I start it again from a certain position in the GCode?

What if I experiment with an on-the-fly part dimension and find it needs adjusting – can I adjust the GCode and run that part again?

Is there anything else I should be aware of?

If I didn't choose this, what can I choose as an alternative?

Thanks, Steve

[Carl McGrath]

On Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 1:49:32 PM UTC-4, Steven Leathers wrote:

Hello, I've bought an old but good condition Denford 2000 CNC mill. It has a serial port and outdated control electronics so I'm thinking of replacing the lot with new hardware. I will be running it from the CAM module in SolidWorks via USB.

Is the TinyG suitable for precision CNC in a small work envelope?

That will depend a lot on the drive train (steppers), gearbox, etc.

The ultimate precision will be determined by the distance moved in a mircostep.

What are the parameters of the drivetrain you are contemplating, e.g. what is the linear sdistance moved in one stepper revolution? 

Can TinyG interpret all the GCode used for precision control?

What defines gcode for "precision control" ? Does "precision control" differ from standard gcode?

Can it drive the steppers and spindle effectively?

What size steppers do you envision? NEMA 17, 23 ,32, ?

If I upgrade the spindle to a high speed type (very probable) can I still drive it at 20-30k rpm?

TinyG provides native PWM control of spindles.
With effort, it can interface with VFD controllers.

Do you have a spindle controller in mind?

 

What happens if the tool breaks – can I start it again from a certain position in the GCode?

What if I experiment with an on-the-fly part dimension and find it needs adjusting – can I adjust the GCode and run that part again?

 These are really dependent on the CAM software. 

Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Is the solidWorks CAM via USB compatible with tinyG and the tinyG command language?

I have not seen it discussed, perhaps you should start there.

 

If I didn't choose this, what can I choose as an alternative?

What Motion control systems does SoildWorks CAM claim to interoperate with? 

Thanks, Steve