3-axis CNC router

The CNC router was my first real large scale project. A friend of mine, Rickard, and I decided to build a CNC router that was large enough to cut MDF (medium-density fiberboard) without having to cut the board into smaller pieces first. I.e. a cutting size of 2.40 x 1.20 meters was needed.

What we came up with was a router built partly out of aluminum from junk yards and HDF (high-density fiberboard) which was laminated with aluminum to minimize creep. All other parts were bought on Ebay, and the control software was Mach3.

The CNC was designed to fit bellows for maximum protection of the linear bearings and ball screw. We found a method of creating our own bellows by folding paper in an accordion style and then spraying it with water resistant rubber paint.

Paper bellow

Y-axis bellow fabrication

Half of a y-axis bellow

Unfolded with spray-on rubber

Bellow before mounting onto the CNC

We originally posted the project on a Swedish forum, elektronikforumet.com. The original thread contains more details about the build, including pictures.