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ESS with C25 and cheap BOB

Smoothstepper series: Mounting

As users of the Smoothstepper in our machine, we thought it would be good to share our findings and some tips.

First and foremost let's debunk a myth that has been going round the various CNC communities saying that Smoothsteppers have bad support from the manufacturer. This is drummed on about on a number of fora/forums but it is not exactly the case. There has always been a forum on Warp9's website to assist people and the designers of the board have actively been trying to keep up with the demands and needs of their customers. It is true however that some of the responses have been slow in the past, thankfully the organisation of the company has changed and they are now up to speed. The Smoothstepper is by a long shot the best value for money feature packed motion control board on the market and that is why here at Emvio use it.

So with that out of the way lets get to some tips

Have you seen the new Smoothstepper Configuration Utility? If not then head on over to Warp9TD.com to find out more on this amazing development!

ESS with C25 and cheap BOB
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Relays and connector block on DIN rail

Mounting

Both the Ethernet and the USB Smoothsteppers share the same mounting hole pattern. The hole pattern and dimensions are both available in the user manuals. What if you just want to hold it done on a plate without drilling and tapping? As part of our series of tips, we will show you what we do on semipermanent installations!

Industrial cabinets have long used the DIN rail to mount all sorts of automation and safety component.

Luckily some lovely person has also made models for 3D  printing of brackets specifically to be used with the Smoothstepper.

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Relays and connector block on DIN rail
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ESS Smooth stepper DIN rail mounting clip
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Ethernet Smooth Stepper Enclosure

The Gallery below details a quick method with which we have mounted the Smoothstepper in the first photograph of the post.

We are sure you will come up with your own methods of mounting. If you would like us to include photos in this section to show them off, we would love to hear from you.
Stay tuned for more tips!

Close up of titanium part

Titanium: Milling, drilling and tapping

This month we were approached by Eagleisystems Ltd of Dundee to assist in the design and prototyping of brackets that would go into a bespoke fixed wing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). More info on the UAS can also be found at: www.raptoruas.com/ In order to achieve minimum footprint and optimise the strength weight ratio, the designers at Eagleisystems requested that the brackets be made from titanium alloy. Titanium needs little introduction since it is used in nearly every high end application or industry. Examples of course are the medical implants through to acidic environment machinery. The one thing most machinist know but design engineers sources necessarily, is that it is a interesting material to work with. From its self igniting dusts to the propensity to gall to other metals and even to the fact that it springs back. We have had the opportunity to experience these challenges first hand and would like to share some tips with you.
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Emvio is now a SmoothStepper distributor

We use Mach 3 by Newfangled Solution LLC as the control software on our CNC machine tools. The flexibility and customisability of this package combined with the fact that it runs on Windows (XP, Vista, 7 and 8) makes for a very good solution despite the limitations imposed by being tied to a PC.

As time has progressed, the parallel port originally used for the control of the cnc machines through Mach3, has just about faded away. Software and hardware limitations have crept up on it and although the golden standard for many, including the Linux community, it now is not as common as it once was.

The SmoothStepper in action on our KRV2000

Thankfully vendors of solutions to the issue have emerged to ensure we are still able to use our beloved machines with newer operating systems and hardware.

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