Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

They're not designed with counterbalance for this orientation, so potentially you would need to add that.

Other than that, this is a fairly common configuration with lighter duty machines.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

We have both a ShopBot Buddy 2'x4' router and a Tormach 1100. Both are fantastic tools. If I had to choose one, though, I'd choose the router without a second thought for FRC. With that tool with a 2'x4' build volume you can fabricate an entire FRC robot. Sure, there are 3D things you'd have a hard time doing without the CNC mill but you just design your robot for the tools you have. Being down the road from ShopBot sure doesn't hurt either. Check out the 2016 reveal video of Zuko which was build entirely using the ShopBot buddy, no other CNC tools and no outsourcing.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

The biggest thing holding me back from getting a Velox is the potential noise. Using our chopsaw to cut wood is loud enough to stop all conversation in our shop and I can't get a good feel for how loud the heavy duty 3.5HP router on the Velox's is going to be. Upgrading to a powerful spindle would help, but not at Velox's prices, and I don't know enough about spindles to find a reliable one from China.
Do you have a gauge for the level of noise produced by this machine?

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

Same as you, when the chopsaw whirs, I stop mid-sentence to let it finish. I can now talk over the gantry mill.

For ours, with a 3kW water cooled spindle...The spindle on at cutting speed is just a hum, very quiet. We have a 2HP blower in the room that is a bit louder.

You do get some noise when cutting, especially if you have a poor cut or any chatter/vibrating, but that should be addressed for other reasons than just noise.

When we had a commercial router (air cooled), you had to yell to talk over the gantry. While i wouldn't characterize the new spindle it as "quiet" at least it is fairly consistent so you just adjust your voice over it. Additionally, normal routers force air down towards the bit for cooling, which blows dust everywhere. A water cooled spindle is a lot better for that natively, but you may still want air assist and a vacuum for chip management.

tl:dr;, Our setup isn't quiet by any means, but it isn't deafening, and we can work in the area while the mill is running without difficulty communicating.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

We will all wear either ear plugs or earmuffs in the shop while doing part runs on our router(we do have the 3.5 HP router) and I can carry on a conversation with people in the shop while everyone is wearing plugs. It is loud, sure, but it is not unreasonably so. You will only find yourself close to yelling when right next to the router during heavy cuts, everywhere else you only need to raise your voice to be heard through ear plugs. We have cubicle dividers around our router to help attenuate some of the noise.

If you got the water cooled 220V spindle, they are WAY quieter. I will gladly help you find a source from China for a spindle if you desire as they are WAY cheaper(even if you need a VFD to get the voltage). I want to change out our router for a spindle because it is much nicer to work with because you can control your speed via code.

My offer goes for everyone by the way, machines are one of the biggest things I do on 1678 and I love talking about it and helping others with what I know.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

If you don't mind posting links to spindles, I would certainly appreciate that.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/cnc-spindle-motor
or
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...=2LEHNTN7VNJII

I would suggest a 2.2 kw water cooled one with ER20 collets. If you do not have 220V power you will likely require a VFD as well.
You will also need to make sure that you will have a mount to hold it.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

We've been very happy with our 2.2 kw spindle from keling inc on our router for the last 5 years.

I just purchased an X8 (w/ x6 usb controller) from Omio CNC that came with the same spindle, and happy with it so far.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

Are most any spindles with these specs from ebay or Amazon worth the purchase? I'm not sure if spindles are something where anything you get with these specs will do the job, or if you could be causing yourself serious pain by going with a knock off.
Is there anything aside from those specs that I should keep an eye out for? Good/bad manufacturers?

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

I'm 90% sure you need a VFD to use these spindles in any setup. I've used a couple on different machines and they all have parameters that must be set in the VFD to avoid damaging the spindle from over speed. I don't have much knowledge of AC power systems but I'm fairly sure that if they were hooked up directly to 3 phase power It wouldn't work or spin far too slow for machining. Likewise I've never seen someone hook one up without a VFD.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

My best suggestions would be to not buy the cheapest one and read their product description thoroughly to see if anything is lacking or off, read the reviews. But we are buying these to be run periodically on our machines, we are not running them every day all day to make money with them. So while they might not be on the same level of quality that a true industrial version would be at, that degree of quality would be wasted on our application. And when you think of it, it's just bearings, motor windings, and a water cooling channel in a motor body, stuff that Chinese manufacturers have down well already.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

This style of spindle has become common enough in Chinese CNC machines that (assuming the specs match) they are all basically identical and likely made in the same factory. There is no "knock off" and they are all well made especially considering the price. Chinese VFDs can be a bit more hit and miss. I've had good luck with the ones I've used but if you have the budget I'd definitely recommend getting one from a more reputable manufacturer like these ones from Automation Direct.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

It will depend on your router and how it's electrics are set up, but yes most require a VFD. Check your machine and the spindle you are looking at and find out on the internet how to set your machine up with the correct settings for it to work. Make sure you have your conversion plan ready before you buy anything.

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

We've run this spindle and VFD for 5 years and have been very happy

http://www.automationtechnologiesinc...d-110vac-input

http://www.automationtechnologiesinc...illing-spindle

Re: ShopBot Desktop router up for the challenge?
 

We bought the 3 HP HSD Spindle with VFD when we got our VR 50 X 50 Velox.

We also have an older K2CNC 24 X 36 inch with the 2.25 porter cable router.

We can hold conversations with either machine running, neither are close to a chop saw.

The router on the K2 sounds like a wood router, loud but not horrible. We try to keep the aluminum jobs for the Velox.

The HSD spindle on the Velox is just a light hum, at least 90% of the noise is from the actual cutting of the materiel. When doing air cuts to ensure proper tool paths, the stepper motors make it sound just like our 3D printers.

One perk of getting it all from the manufacture is the awesome customer support, last year on Day 1 of Build Season a student spilled the contents of our coolant container on our control box for the Velox (completely our fault and we told them so). Velox shipped us a replacement control box at no cost, we just covered the overnight shipping and we were back up on running with minimal time lost.

Great Folks at Velox!