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Kimmy Armstrong
02-22-2012, 8:22 PM
Anyone have a rough idea of the going price for a Epilog Mini rotary attachment?

Rangarajan Saravana kumar
02-22-2012, 8:40 PM
roughly between 1000USD TO 1100 USD

Regards,
Saravanakumar

Kimmy Armstrong
02-23-2012, 8:41 AM
UGH! Thanks!

Glen Monaghan
02-23-2012, 10:46 AM
UGH! yeah, that's why the subject of building your own comes up every now and then. If you don't really like tinkering, and/or you value every minute of your time as high-end billable, you would be far better off just paying the freight and being done with it. If, however, you have need for features that the only available roller-type rotary from Epilog can't provide, then you have no choice but to go with a custom approach.

My own customized project has been on hold due to higher priorities, but I have the parts to assemble a rotary using a micro chuck for objects that are too narrow diameter and/or too light weight for rollers, but with the option of removing the chuck and using rollers for larger and heavier objects. Most people who have been down this road seem to find the biggest problem is obtaining a suitable stepper motor because Epilog uses simple 48V drivers that don't modulate or limit the current. There don't appear to be any suitable stock 48V stepper motors, but some people have substituted common 12V steppers. The problem is that the drivers will overdrive these steppers and they can get scorching hot, not to mention stressing the drivers with low impedance/high wattage loads. At least one "creeker" purchased a replacement parts motor from Epilog for his custom rotary, but IIRC their motors are actually rated 24V also and so have been reported by some to get uncomfortably warm in use. Epilog's stepper is physically and power/torque-wise much larger than needed, probably to help handle the overdriving.

I wanted to use a smaller stepper and finally got a custom wound 48V stepper designed and built that is about 1 5/8" square and less than 2.5" long. Only took about four-five months (!) to get two of them made (I decided to buy an extra in case I somehow screwed one up) because they are made overseas and have custom rotors to hold all the copper needed for the 48V coils. They finally arrived a while ago, delivered for about $150 apiece which I thought was a pretty good price for onsie-twosie quantities of such a small .09 degree stepper motor, custom matched to the 48V drivers. Wish the bearings and shafts were as easy (maybe they are to some, but I'm not a mechanical kind of guy)...

-Glen

Edi Royer
02-27-2012, 1:53 AM
The initial cost might seem scary, but mine was paid for after just a couple of months. It has really expanded my business.
Great investment IMO.

loren hoselton
06-13-2012, 3:52 PM
There are several threads about a DIY attachment. But I haven't seen any instructions.. has anyone on here actually built one for themselves? I can see spending $1000 dollars on what is essentially a $25 stepper motor, and some spare change worth of wires. Could probably get away with actually using the laser itself to fab the carriage out of acrylic. I've been looking for some DIY instructions, but have not been very successful. Has anyone come across a good source?