CNC location in shop

[Jon Snider]

I’m building a new workshop for boatbuilding, guitar and mandolin lutherie, and general woodworking. Right now in planning phase with drawings etc moving paper templates of all my tools around to see what works best.

A CNC is in the plan for the future (absolutely no CNC experience) and I’d like to reserve a spot and plan what needs to be in the area.

For a 4x4 or maybe 4x8 table how much space should be left around it?

Other than dust collection, lighting, and 230 power what else needs to planned in advance? Does the computer need to be right in the same area (or built into a machine or can you put a desktop or even laptop remote from table (and dust)?

Are these things directly electronically wired or can they be wireless? Need some Cat 5 or something else drops?

thanks much for your help.

Jon

[Jim Becker]

I can speak to the 4x4 CNC space requirements since that's what will soon be in my shop. For the particular machine I ordered (Camaster Stinger II SR-44 with the standard width gantry ... no 4th axis prep), the overall foot print is about 5.5 feet by 7'...here's a link to a diagram of my specific machine http://www.camaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SR-44-Layout-2017.pdf . I suspect 4x4 machines from other vendors may be similar in size in many cases. Similar information should be availabel from any vendor on any machine you're considering. It's "recommended" that there be in the neighborhood of 30+" of access room on at least the front and two sides for material handling--and more from where you actually plan on loading from, although many folks compromise on that in some ways. Additional space needs to be available, even if temporarily, if one needs to tile something that's longer than the physical cut area of the machine. (like doing something 6-8' long with a 4 foot machine) It's all about workflow.

Be careful about pre-installing your electrical. Putting in conduit is fine (and I suggest you do something easy to pull like 1" PVC) but the actual electrical requirements for your machine are going to vary based on what you buy and how it's equipped. In particular, the spindle will set the bar for the circuit size. The 1.7kw spindle that will be on my machine requires a 30 amp 240v/120v 4-wire circuit. Bumping up to the next larger spindle raises the amperage requirement to 40amps. Etc. My point is do not make any assumptions about the power requirements for your future CNC machine. That's my electrical advise for the actual machine. Assuming what you buy has a separate control PC, you'll want a 120v circuit for that. I put in a separate circuit specifically for that and will also have a UPS on it. For network, you can generally do wired or wireless. I have both available in my shop and plan on using wired for the control PC. Depending on the machine you buy, you may or may not be able to locate the control PC away from the tool. My machine has a 10' connection limit on the control cable between the PC and the controller box on the machine. I'm putting my control PC on a mobile, stand-up computer stand, at least initially. I may or may not adopt a smaller touch screen mounted directly on the CNC later.

Lighting is what it is...good lighting is always important. Dust collection is typically handled with an overhead drop for the CNC machine. Some machines also require a compressed air source...mine does to charge the counterbalance cylinder on the Z-axis which takes load off the Z-axis motors when lifting the spindle. It's not a constant user of air so it doesn't need to be a big air source but can be a simple drop off of the rest of the shop system which I suspect you already have. Even if the machine itself doesn't require air--it depends upon what you buy, having a port nearby can be helpful for blowing off the machine, etc.

Here's a photo of the area where my machine will be living once it's done being "born" and arrives...hopefully soon now. Pardon the cabinets partially in the way; I'm finishing up a job (literally), but you can see the outline of the machine on the floor and the space it takes up.

383094

[Jon Snider]

Thank you Jim. Very helpful info.

Is it okay to push one side of the table back close to a wall, or clearance on all four sides?

[Mike Heidrick]

Your machine will determine what access you need and which sides. I have my controllers on one side and my vacuum clamping manifold on the other. I also have open in and out so if i need to run an index a 4x8 on my 4x4 i can. So i really prefer access on all 4 sides for my router.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Mike...the specific machine will influence what side(s) need to be "more clear" than others. In my case, I'm perfectly comfortable with the back end being close to the wall shown in the photo I provided. It will be offset about 8" from the wall "under normal circumstances" That gives me three side access with a ton of available space in the front since my workbench is now easily mobile. The machine layout for the Stinger II SR-44 lends itself to this arrangement...some other machine might not. I did buy some heavy casters for my machine (particularly to help with initially moving the 900+ lb machine into my shop since I have to uncrate it outside) and while they will not be in play normally, they will allow me to move the machine forward if I want/need to tile something longer at some point similar to what Mike mentions. I don't have the space he has available to make four side access possible without seriously compromising my ability to assemble and finish projects, unfortunately.


I will mention that I originally was considering an arrangement where I would essentially have two-side access rather than three. It would have provided less intrusion in overall shop space, but wasn't best arrangement for the CNC if I wanted to do bigger things. Given the required electrical, DC and air infrastructure, the better decision was to put it where I am doing so, even though I had to re-think some other shop aspects and be more flexible/mobile relative to my bench.

[Jerome Stanek]

There is no one best solution for this you have to set it the way you think it will work and adjust from there. I have moved mine about 3 times since I got it back it 07 most where just a few inches

[Mike Heidrick]

Another thought - CNC for me is only about 20% of the work. Do not sacrifice all your space for the CNC machine. If you do not have the area to do the other work you will most likely not be able to do the larger CNC jobs anyway.

[Keith Outten]

I use screws the majority of the time to fasten material to my spoilboard. Should you ever need to do this you need to have access to your project material on all four sides. If the table is small you can lean over from one side to the other but for a large table it can be impossible. In the past I have used lots of 4 by 8 material and 30" by 96" solid surface sheets and I often used clamps to hold down material on a ShopBot. Again you have to have access to install clamps the same as you would with screws if your machine has a table that clamps will work.

My current CNC machine is a CAMaster Stinger II with a 36" by 48" table. I had CAMaster provide enough cable length so I could put my control box at the back of the machine so it would not be in the way of my legs and knees in the front where I am working most of the time. I extended and mounted the kill button from the box to the front so it would be easily accessible.
.

[Jim Becker]

My current CNC machine is a CAMaster Stinger II with a 36" by 48" table. I had CAMaster provide enough cable length so I could put my control box at the back of the machine so it would not be in the way of my legs and knees in the front where I am working most of the time. I extended and mounted the kill button from the box to the front so it would be easily accessible.
.

Hmm....I wish I would have thought of it when I ordered mine. What a great idea! In fact, I think they have made this change standard on some of the bigger machines, but I could be mistaken on that.

[Peter Christensen]

Just note that on CNC machines that are beyond bench use, putting them on castors may twist the machine out of flatness when moved. The twist will be built into whatever you cut. You may need to re-level the machine when you move it. If the machine sits on 3 points it wouldn't matter but it does when 4 or more feet are involved.

[Jim Becker]

Just note that on CNC machines that are beyond bench use, putting them on castors may twist the machine out of flatness when moved. The twist will be built into whatever you cut. You may need to re-level the machine when you move it. If the machine sits on 3 points it wouldn't matter but it does when 4 or more feet are involved.
Peter, that's important advise. For me, I don't plan on leaving the casters on my machine under normal circumstances...or if I'm not uncomfortable with the height that they add, I may create sturdy blocks for the four corners of the frame that keep the casters just off the floor. I haven't decided yet outside of not having the round things, despite being fully double locking, from being in contact with the floor when the machine is running.

[Keith Outten]

Jim,

It might not be to late to ask about changing the location of your control box call them and ask as its a minor change for CAMaster.

[Jim Becker]

It might not be to late to ask about changing the location of your control box call them and ask as its a minor change for CAMaster.
Well...since I'm going into the 9th week of a 6-8 week lead time...I'm a little uncomfortable about making any changes that would cause further delay, but I'll think about it over tonight. I'm just "super itchy" to get my yellow monster at this point.

[Keith Outten]

Jim,

No worries, the cables will most likely be long enough to reach the back of your machine and you can run your own line from the control box to the front of your machine for the kill button. Mount a plastic box behind the front sheet metal cover, drill a hole and move the existing button from the control box to the front panel. Its worth a hour or so to get the control box out of your way since its right where you will be working on almost every project.

I have been meaning to mount my control box on the wall behind my router but haven't taken the time. This is how my old ShopBot was setup and I liked having the box at waist level to get it off the floor and make it easy to turn the machine on and off without bending over. The ShopBot kill button was connected to a long cable that I could move anywhere on the machine or hold in my hand. I used ShoeGoo adhesive to adhere a large magnet to the back of the kill button box so I could snap it to the frame anywhere. You could do the same thing if you decide not to mount the kill button permanently.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for those tips, Keith. I'll certainly check that out...once I actually have my machine... ;)