OK..So I said I would add something to this, so here it is.

First, this won't be like the comprehensive guide that Crash did; I don't think I could compare to that . Then again, this is my first PP and I want to get it running yesterday, lol.

General observations:
No offense, but I don't wanna shake hands with Mark if I get to meet him in person! He must have ALLOT of strength in his hands to push in and twist the "T" nuts. Every single one of mine needed assistance!! (Just Kidding Mark, but BOY! How did you do it with no help?)

The entire build is well thought out. So far I haven't run into any problems, save for needing to turn the 1/4" short shafts down. My pulley fit really tight, but thanks to those who went ahead, I knew what to do. Some emory cloth and a few minutes in my drill press, and they were perfect.

The hardware bags are a nice touch, and make it easy to have just the needed parts on your work surface.
*PRO TIP* I have a couple of 8.5x11" flexible magnet sheets. I laid one of these out on my workbench, and poured the contents of the relevant hardware bag onto it. Anything that wasn't drawn to the magnet sheet was placed back in the bag. This made it easy to insure I always had the right part at the ready.

*PRO TIP* When you do your wood part inventory, that is the time to clean up the parts. A shop vac, and a sanding block are your best friends at this point. For those who aren't aware, MDF makes a fine dust when cut..and it gets everywhere. A quick swipe with the shop vac will remove most of the dust left over from the cutting process. Also, a new Razor knife will be handy to clean up any "flashing" left over in the slots as well. I used the sanding block to knock the flashing off the tabs and outside edges as needed.

The Y/Z gantry took me a couple of evenings, but I wasn't able to work on it steady due to having a 20 month old suffering from a sinus infection. It went together quite well, and despite the amount of parts, wasn't as complicated as I first thought it would be. The key thing to remember is to take your time and dry fit the parts! Since I had watched the build videos ahead of time, I knew what to expect and that made it very easy to follow along and build with Mark. I only paused the videos when I needed to help my Wife with the little one, and of course when I went to sleep.

Here are a few pictures:





At this point, I just had to hook the stepper up the the controller, and jog the axis with everything attached. TOO COOL! I ran it up and down several times, watching to make sure the movement was smooth, and nothing looked out of place. I am happy to report that everything looks fine!!

Tim
AG4RZ Attached files

 

Now for the stand...This went together quick, and it really is a strong structure! You start with the foam collection drawer and proceed from there.



I don't have any large woodworking clamps, but I do have ratchet straps, and plenty of shop towels. These were really handy in this stage. I folded the towels over several times and put them on corners, and under the ratchet assembly, and gently tightened the straps till I had just enough pressure to hold the parts I was working on together. Like Crash, I didn't get allot of pictures during the process, since you build it wet. However, it was an easy stage of the build, and when done, you now have a substantial piece to show off to shop visitors, and you will be able to build the rest of your PP on it!



The finished stand is quite cool, and I am excited to get started on the cabinet next!



More to come!

Tim
AG4RZ Attached files

 

Well...I am at the cabinet now..and I didn't get alot of pictures, because I forgot to take any!! Don't shoot me!!
It went together smooth, like the rest of the machine, though. I tell you, this sure was fun to build!!


Here is what I do have:









Attached files

 

Ok, on to the setup..here are a few shots of getting the software set up, and all the fun stuff leading up to the first cut:







This was a great time!! I enjoyed building the MKII and am looking forward to lots of fun using it!!!

Tim
AG4RZ Attached files

 

Hold #5

 

Hold #6

 

Hold #7

 

Hold #8

 

That is looking Awesome Tim, I cant wait to see it in action!! Its amazing how quick the build really goes, once your into it and get a work flow!!


John

 

Tim,

The build is looking good!! I can't wait til sat. to see it in person.
My hat is off to Mark and Trish, this thing is awesome!!! I have read and heard nothing but great things about them, I hope me and Tim will get to meet them in person one day.

Thanks to Mark & Trish for all their help and support on our purchase for the Phlatprinter MKII, ya'll are awesome!!

Chris"Lucky"Carnes

 

Brother Chris,

Glad you joined us here!! I am looking forward to you Getting here Saturday to see the machine as well...it is awesome!!! We should be able to cut some foam and have some fun, maybe even fly something we cut if the weather holds!!

Tim
AG4RZ

 

Maybe fly something.....you know me better than that The weather never stop us before
Looking forward to it brother!!

Chris

 

OK...6:08pm, Aug 1, 2009 we made our first cut. After setup, dinner, and entertaining Eli for a while, we got a chance to CUT some FOAM!!



WOO HOO!!!!!

We are gonna make some tables now, and work on a few other things!!!!

GURU Aviation, "Pushing the Limits of Foam," Is now in BUSINESS!


Tim & Lucky Attached files

 

Hey! Guys!! That's great... Really pleased to see this Tim. I know how you struggled to get this done what with your child's illness as well. Well done Tim and Lucky.

Thanks! It just makes me want to get on and get my machine running.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

 

Awesome Tim, one more in the books!!!! Its great that we can re live the memory of our first cut through every new phlatprinter born!! Please keep the pics coming!!

take care
John

 

Lucky just left to head home, so I though I would recap the day. We learned allot, had some fun, and cut some foam. We still have some adjusting to do, both to the machine and to the way we draw, but we are too happy!!

Man, this is so incredible...I never imagined I would be able to get something from idea to something I can hold in my hands so quickly...I still can't get over it!!!!

A couple more pictures of some art the Wives did for us on their "dueling" Cricut machines today:





Yea..My Wife and Lucky's both had their Cricut's running full bore upstairs, while we were cutting in the shop. Imagine that...3 CNC machines in my house at once, LOL!!

It's off to bed for now, and Family time tomorrow..but after that..it's back to the FOAM!

Tim
AG4RZ Attached files

 

It was awesome to finally to get to see it in person... what a wonderful day! Got to spend a day with Tim and family(always a treat) and cut some foam We got home about 1:30am, and after taken care of dogs we finally got to bed around 3. I'm just amazed how the MKII went together, how it works, etc.. and product support..it can't be beat!! Thanks Mark & Trish!!

Tim where is the pic of Eli and I hard at work!

 

Well, I haven't updated my build log yet because I am still working on my machine. The first cuts have been done and of course I am impressed! Right now I am fine tuning the whole system.

I have one last issue to resolve, and it is kicking my butt, LOL. Mark and Trish are going out of their way to help me resolve it, and I cannot thank them enough! They truly are amazing people!!

Anyway, my issue is pretty simple...my Z axis is gaining steps. I have a Axis test file I created (at work now, I will upload it later..) and every time I run it, when my bit returns home, it is 1/8th of an inch above the surface. As you can imagine, this results in the bit cutting foam during rapids. the more Z axis movement in a file, the higher above the deck the bit is at the end of the file. It is repeatable...I have run the axis test file more than 40 times with the same result..1/8th of an inch every time.

I have the stock EasyCNC package, and I have bumped the VREF up to 2.0volts, I have also played with the PFD. So far nothing has made any difference. I have verified that the pulley is not slipping on the Z stepper, and the YZ gantry is built solid..I cannot find anything there I did wrong. I have gone thru the Mach setup 3 times, to verify that I didn't miss something there.

I don't think I have missed anything, but it is possible. At this point, I am open to any suggestions anyone might have. Z and Y run great with no noticable error, so I am bumfuzzeled...

Tim
AG4RZ

 

Randy,

The belt drive connects to the gantry with a 2 piece clamp. It is toothed to match the belt, and I did double check to be sure it is secure.

The machine is a dual core 64 bit AMD running 32bit XP. The processors are running at 2.1Ghz. I am running an nVidia 5200FX video card (not on-board..) and have 2 gigs of ram in the machine. I would think it's fast enough, but that may be the problem. At this point, I will consider anything.

I will go back and add a dimple to the flat I filed on the stepper, just to be sure it isn't slipping at all. I also debated taking the stepper out and making a degree wheel to put on the shaft, and checking just the stepper without the gantry attached...You know, now that I type it out, that sounds like a decent idea...

Tim
AG4RZ