I'm looking for a CNC machine to work 1/4" thick acrylic. Would like to feed it 24" x 12" precut sheets to obtain a finished 22" x 12". What would it take to extend the miCro X axys to avoid having to turn the piece over by hand and taking 2x the time to machine my pattern?

Longer Leadscrews, Longer way rods, longer baseplate. Other than that, it should be no problem.

Yup, Phife's got it.

I would suggest contacting support@lumenlab.com (or use this web form). I'm pretty sure brainchild is cutting the screws himself, so I would bet you can order longer ones. Regarding the ways (and supports): I don't think Lumenlab is cutting those themselves, so it might be slightly more difficult to get ahold of them. If LL cannot supply them you can probably find some of the same diameter on eBay or something. The baseplate might be the hardest thing, I think they're ordering them cut to size then drilling/milling the holes themselves. To get a longer baseplate you'll either have to make one yourself (probably the most likely thing to do) or see if LL will order you an extra long baseplate then custom drill the holes (I would guess this is less likely, as time/manpower seems to be at a premium at Lumenlab).

Thanks to both of you.
I hope they read the posts and send me a price quote or post how much extra??? Hopefully our business will take off and we will be able to afford the Monster unit!

Hi Braineo,
We've tossed the idea back and forth to create a special extra-long version of the micRo.. But the work envelope would probably be around 20" on the X-axis. The idea was that it would be a machine set up to mill 19" rack faces for the DIY audio crowd (having come from this, I know there's a considerable demand). Doing a custom length wouldn't be out of the question though. Version 1.2 will be a bit more accommodating to custom lengths since we're transitioning to un-supported ways and integral bearings... Getting longer ways and leadscrews are not a huge problem, but will cost extra from our suppliers. The base-plates are cut to size before we machine them, we could probably order an extra at your size, but, machining it would require a custom jig and g-code.. So you might be out of luck there.. Though I could give you the specifications so you can drill it yourself (v1.2 bases won't need as many mounting holes, and won't need slotting).

Robin

Robin,

Have you put any further thought into offering the extended version of the Micro? I for one would be very interested in one.

I am currently researching and gathering parts for a smallish CNC mill whose main purpose would be to make circuit boards as well as crank out panels for rack mount cases (not for DIY audio, but the same concept). I previously dismissed the Micro because it isn't quite big enough for my needs. With an extension to the X-Axis however, it would be just about perfect. How far away are you from offering something like that?

Also, care to elaborate on why the switch to unsupported ways? Is it just cheaper, or is there some other reason? What else is changing with v1.2? How far away is it?

great keep it up

There's already an extension to 19"x19" in the works, how big of a circuit board would you possibly be talking about?

This gets my attention, since 19" rackmount is the format that I want to put a lot of stuff into.