High speed spindle for the BF20L

Some pictures from last nights project. I have to mill some carbon fibre parts next week, and the 3000 rpm I got on the BF20 is way to slow for the small endmills I plan to use. The Kress 1050-1 has 5000-25000 rpm and I think it will be a valuable addition to my machine. I’m looking forward to explore engraving and some fine detail 3D aluminium work as well.   

BF20 Machine Enclosure

I have finally started to build the enclosure for my BF20L mill. The BF20 is the same mill as the Grizzly G0704. There are some small differences, but they come from the same factory.

I am going to keep the original Optimum base as is, and modify a lathe stand from an old Boxford for the enclosure. Dimensions will be W:150 x D:80 cm and the top will be open.

4th axis for the BF20 Mill

I have ordered a 4th axis from Steve Simpson. I first became aware of the product when I saw it in a forum post at www.machsupport.com It’s a versatile unit that can be both 4th axis and lathe. Mine is ready in a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to test it.

The product have gone through several design changes since I first saw it on YouTube. It has been a fun process to follow, and the result of the evolution is amazing. I went for a heavy duty version with 2 step belt reduction and pneumatic brake. Max RPM in lathe mode will be around 3500 with 1:1 ratio in 2nd gear. I have decided to use a Yaskawa 750W AC servo in the Sigma II range. The servo setup seems easy enough, but I have only tested it with the RS232 interface. As a 4th axis it will be controlled with Mach3 and position control with step and direction signals from a computer.

These machines are hand made in batches, so you have to contact Steve for details. His website is: www.thecubestudio.com You can also check out his YouTube channel for more videos.

Expect a follow up when my 4th axis arrives!

Amazing video shot with AP multicopter in Spain

I found this great video on the homepage of Photoship One. Juan Jesus Fernandez of www.helifilm.es has made an amazing video with a mkTR camera gimbal on an Oktokopter. Enjoy!

New frames for the MK Okto

I have recently been trying to find a suitable frame for our new AP platform. I still use the Joker for AP work, but that era is coming to an end, and I will use multicopters in the future. Multicopters have less moving mass, advanced sensor technology and little vibrations, which all are good things.

The variety of frames is huge. Different configurations ranges from simple 2 and 3 motors with servo tilt, to quadro, hexa, octo and variations like my current favourite the X8. X8 uses a frame with 4 arms. Each arm is equipped with 2 counter rotating motors and the front of the craft is in the center between to arms. This setup also gives me the safety of motor, propeller and controller redundancy.

My current favourite is the 600 Bagherra from 1001copters.com in France. It’s designed by Cédric Bourgoin and consist of high grade aluminium frames. The weight is just below 500g. Best of all it has the option to fold the arms for easy transportation.

Welcome to my international blog at WordPress

This is a great day for www.ttek.no and the new blog at https://ttek.wordpress.com

In a few weeks I will start posting pictures and product developments in this blog. Stay tuned 🙂