Sienci Labs LongMill MK2, Assembly Manual

Page 1: ...1 LongMill MK2 Assembly Manual MK2 ...

Page 2: ... of Contents 2 Part 0 Welcome to CNC pg 3 Part 1 X Z Axes pg 7 Part 2 Y Axis Gantries pg 22 Part 3 Axes Completion pg 35 Part 4 Motors Wiring pg 44 Part 5 Checks First Moves pg 62 Part 6 Table Mounting pg 77 ...

Page 3: ...bly manual is laid out in a way that you unbag and grab things as you need them so don t feel the need to take stock of everything right away instead just start off by getting your space organized and getting each initial box opened up Check out the welcome items where you ll find our letter alongside some tools provided for assembly and some fun stickers Also check out the variable box and rail b...

Page 4: ...u need to continue assembly Expect a pile of bolts left over at the end and feel free to set these aside for future machine maintenance We supply extra parts so that If a part doesn t work properly the extra one can be used instead If you lose something especially small things you don t have to search the floor You can more easily upgrade to a larger LongMill model at a later date We reduce the ch...

Page 5: ...ion Our assembly videos can t be updated as often as the online or PDF instructions so if packaging or parts change the written manual will always be able to clarify these changes 3 Remember the language This manual contains some technical language as well as a distinct visual language Keeping these in mind will make the assembly easier for you to understand and ensure that less mistakes happen Se...

Page 6: ...the LongMill post in our forum or Facebook group We have a large and friendly group of CNC enthusiasts who enjoy engaging in conversations and sharing their CNC experiences Final words You ve got this We want you to succeed and have designed this machine to give you a great CNC experience while not requiring much experience or assembly accuracy from you Thousands of people have been in the same sh...

Page 7: ...7 Part 1 X Z Axes ...

Page 8: ...contents out This hardware is most of what s needed for the first half of assembly so you can assume that hardware comes from here unless mentioned otherwise Dumping out the green bag you should see a bag containing some large hex nuts and small set screws These are called locking ACME nuts Loosely thread each set screw into each ACME nut by about 2 turns Prepare 4 pieces and set them aside x4 ...

Page 9: ...to face the round part of the nut downwards for easier installation but these have to actually face upward out of the plastic so that they can be properly bolted on later It may require some force to push the nuts into the cutouts feel free to use pliers one of the steel plates a vise or anything else to get them in place as long as you re careful to take your time You ll need 4 blocks set aside s...

Page 10: ...where it would ve been kept with the rest of the cutting tools and add ons we call this box the variable box It ll be a wrapped aluminum part similar in size to the router mount With this in hand you ll also want to get the bag with bearings in it of which you ll just need two for now Press these into both sides of the bore on the Z axis motor mount You should be able to assemble these easily with...

Page 11: ...t and a coupler from the bag of couplers Grab the ACME nut and thread a couple inches as pictured onto the lead screw Make sure the ACME nut still has its set screw Z axis Mount Sub assembly Next slide the short end of the lead screw through the bearings on the Z axis motor mount This fit may be tight so just do your best to hold everything in place and try to wiggle the lead screw or tap it with ...

Page 12: ...embly If you overtighten the wrong set screw it can deform your coupler and cause assembly issues Now rotate the coupler and ACME nut in opposite directions so that they come together to clamp onto the two bearings Once they re together making a bolted sandwich everything should be touching as pictured Once in this position tighten the set screw on the locking ACME nut If assembled properly this s...

Page 13: ...e Delrin V wheels If the v wheels have an off centered ring in the middle pictured use the small Allen key to move the ring back to the center x12 Using all 12 v wheels put the bolts through each with a washer on the other end Ensure the washer is in the correct place because this keeps the wheel from rubbing against the gantry and provides the correct spacing between the gantry and the lead screw...

Page 14: ...steel gantries This looks like a smaller steel plate Z gantry attached to a larger steel plate X gantry via two sliding rails pictured First check the movement of the Z gantry by moving it up and down with your hand The motion should be smooth and there should not be any binding ...

Page 15: ...Use the included wrench to keep the nuts in place while you use an M5 size 4 Allen key to tighten the v wheels The rounded end of the nylock nuts should face away from the gantry Ensure that the nylock nuts are firmly secured Rails facing down Use Wrench M5 Allen Key Rounded side facing down ...

Page 16: ...centric nuts When placing the eccentric nuts inside the gantry holes ensure the inner holes of the nuts are oriented towards the bottom edge of the gantry pictured Use the included wrench to keep the nuts in place while you use the Allen key to loosely attach the v wheels Use Wrench M5 Allen Key ...

Page 17: ...d Delrin anti backlash nut assembly Using two M5 25mm bolts loosely attach one Delrin anti backlash nut to the back of the sliding Z gantry Make sure to use the two holes near the notch on the gantry pictured Remember that blue rotation arrows means a loose connection Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 18: ...18 Using another two bolts loosely attach a second Delrin anti backlash nut to the back of the X gantry Remember that blue rotation arrows means a loose connection Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 19: ...motor mount M5 25mm bolt x2 Rails facing up Slide the Z axis motor mount onto the XZ gantry assembly checking that the orientation is correct pictured Thread the lead screw into the Z gantry anti backlash block between the two steel plates Anti backlash block view from bottom ...

Page 20: ...together you can finish tightening the two bolts holding the Z anti backlash nut Alternate making a couple turns onto one bolt and then the other until they re both tightened down If you twist hard onto just one bolt while the other one is loose it can twist the anti backlash nut and misalign it to the lead screw Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 21: ...nt x6 Grabbing the router mount from the variable box loosely attach the front using two M5 25mm bolts then bolt the mount to the XZ gantry assembly with another four M5 25mm bolts Ensure the bottom of the router mount is flush with the bottom of the Z gantry Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 22: ...22 Part 2 Y Axis Gantries ...

Page 23: ... x4 x2 Y axis gantry M5 nylock nut Eccentric nut V wheel assembly Install two v wheel assemblies to each Y axis gantry using nylock nuts Similar to previous steps use the M5 Allen key and included wrench to firmly secure the nylock nuts Use Wrench M5 Allen Key ...

Page 24: ...install two v wheel assemblies in the upper set of holes on each Y axis gantry using eccentric nuts Orient the inner holes of the eccentric nuts away from the bottom edge of the gantry pictured Use Wrench M5 Allen Key ...

Page 25: ...25mm bolts loosely attach the two Delrin anti backlash nuts to the back of each Y gantry Use M5 Allen Key Y axis Anti backlash Nuts Parts Needed M5 25mm bolt x4 x2 Previously Assembled Delrin anti backlash nut assembly ...

Page 26: ...12x30 LongMills will have shorter Y axis rails than pictured From the yellow sticker bag grab four t nuts For all four middle feet insert M5 25mm bolts through from the underside and turn them 2 turns with an M5 Allen key into the t nut from above The t nuts won t rest naturally yet because they are initially being held up at a particular spot to allow the feet to slide into the rails more easily ...

Page 27: ...ugh the slots of each Y axis Position them about 1 3 from each end then tighten the M5 bolts at the bottom of each foot to secure them into place Tightening the bolts on underside of each foot Sliding the foot onto the rail Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 28: ... the Y axis rail assemblies we will only show the steps for the right Y axis rail While you are assembling the right Y axis rail complete the steps again for the left Y axis rail The following icon will be shown on each page where you should be repeating the steps for the second rail but mirrored Mirror Mode ...

Page 29: ...eft y axis gantry assembly Right y axis gantry assembly x2 mirrored M5 25mm bolt End foot x8 x4 Slide the Y gantry plate onto the Y rail The v wheels should sit on the pointed edges on each side of the Y rail pictured Delrin wheels rolling onto the Y rail ...

Page 30: ...et in a cardboard wrap attach two end feet onto each end of the Y axis rail using two M5 25mm bolts for each foot Remember to be mirroring these steps for the other Y axis rail Foot aligning to the rail Bolting feet into place Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 31: ... both steel end feet If you find that it s difficult to thread on ensure you re bringing in the lead screw from the right direction pictured If you remember the anti backlash nuts have a little arm on them and you can also try reaching between the steel Y gantry and the rail to reach the nut and wiggle this arm to assist in threading the lead screw on Worst case remove an end foot and roll the Y g...

Page 32: ...d try to wiggle the lead screw or tap it with a mallet if needed Back foot Front foot Front foot x2 mirrored Back foot Identifying the back end foot slide the coupler on until it bottoms out on the lead screw Firmly secure the coupler at the set screw using an M3 Allen key Remember to only tighten ONE of the set screws the one on the lead screw side as pictured x2 mirrored Use M3 Allen Key ...

Page 33: ...ing and brings the coupler flush against the back foot flange bearing While holding this tension in place firmly tighten the set screw on the ACME nut This makes another bolted sandwich where everything should be touching bearings as pictured and the lead screw should only be allowed to rotate and not move in and out x2 mirrored Use M3 Allen Key ...

Page 34: ...34 You should now have two Y axis rail assemblies They should be a mirror copy of each other ...

Page 35: ...35 Part 3 Axes Completion ...

Page 36: ...two t nuts Note if you want your control box on the right side rather than the left then most of the remaining steps should be flipped including drag chain mount subassembly steps X axis lead screw and motor and drag chains Leave a gap between the T nut and mount Drag chain mount X rail Right Y rail assembly T nut M5 25mm bolt M5 10mm bolt x4 x2 x2 If you want your control box on the right side th...

Page 37: ...ount through the left side of the X axis rail by sliding two t nuts onto the top slot of the rail Before fastening the drag chain mount ensure that it is offset from the edge of the rail by about 6mm or pictured Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 38: ...il up to meet with the matching holes on the right Y axis gantry plate to assemble them together Bolt these together using four M5 25mm bolts Positioning is easy since the shape of the rail matches the shape of the plate top Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 39: ...eded 39 Previously Assembled Slide the XZ gantry onto the X axis rail The v wheels should sit on the pointed edges on each side of the X axis rail pictured Delrin wheels rolling onto the X rail M5 25mm bolt XZ gantry assembly Left Y rail assembly x4 ...

Page 40: ...l up to meet the left Y gantry assembly The drag chain mount is there to assist you with positioning by acting as a rest against the top of the plate while you bolt the plate to the rail Fully fasten using four M5 25mm bolts Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 41: ...sh nut assembly M5 25mm bolt x2 x2 6 35mm to 8mm coupler 608ZZ flange bearing Previously Assembled Thread the final lead screw through the anti backlash block behind the XZ gantry The ends of the lead screw should be able to rest in the big holes on both steel Y gantries ...

Page 42: ...42 Insert one flange bearing onto each Y gantry from the outside making sure the lead screw goes through the bearing Left side Right side ...

Page 43: ...e to thread a locking ACME nut into the lead screw so that it pulls it flush to the flange bearing and brings the coupler flush against the other bearing While holding this tension in place firmly tighten the set screw on the ACME nut This makes another bolted sandwich where everything should be touching bearings as pictured and the lead screw should only be allowed to rotate and not move side to ...

Page 44: ...44 Part 4 Motors Wiring ...

Page 45: ...hers and also grab the NEMA 23 stepper motors out of the motor box You ll be inserting four M5 50mm bolts into the four holes on each motor alongside an aluminum spacer and a nylon washer These assemblies will attach to each axis of the machine Parts Needed NEMA 23 motor 35mm aluminum spacer 10 nylon washer M5 50mm bolt x16 x16 x16 x4 Stepper Motor Mounting x4 ...

Page 46: ...otor shaft doesn t fit into the coupler it s likely that you tightened the motor side set screw earlier on and have now deformed it There is a chance for fixing this take the motor side set screw out of the coupler and insert anything thin like a box knife putty knife or paint scraper into the vertical slot of the coupler Then screw in the set screw from the opposite side until it hits the inserte...

Page 47: ...faces back and upwards pictured Slide the motor shaft into the coupler then tighten the four M5 50mm bolts into the gantry At the coupler tighten the set screw at the motor side and ensure the lead screw can spin without excessive force Wires facing back and up Use M5 M3 Allen Key ...

Page 48: ...tor wire faces backwards Slide the motor shaft into the coupler then tighten the four M5 50mm bolts into the motor mount At the coupler tighten the set screw at the motor side and ensure the lead screw can spin without excessive force Wires facing to the back Use M5 M3 Allen Key ...

Page 49: ...t are designed to open or be completely removed giving flexibility to add or remove wires on your machine when needed Most chain clips are designed to be easy enough to remove with a flat head screwdriver or anything else sharp like a wood screw underneath the clip tabs but if you re struggling with this the LongMill wrench also has a taper that can assist you with popping these open If you plan o...

Page 50: ...twist and pull to disconnect it For the hole type end link right picture pull on one side of the link then twist it away to separate it A flat head screwdriver or thin shim can also be handy for this just be careful not to cut yourself Do this for all four end pieces two hole types and two pin types and set them aside ...

Page 51: ...t Y axis Slide a t nut onto the Y axis rail through the hole in the front foot You ll want to position it a little further back than halfway on the rail for both machine models 30x30 pictured Once in position use an M5 10mm bolt to fasten a hole type end link in place with the M5 Allen key pictured Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 52: ...ted chain aligner from the yellow hardware bag to mount the other end of the drag chain The printed aligner has a nub that will align to a hole in the end link pictured Use M5 Allen Key These will attach to the drag chain mount from the underside with another bolt ...

Page 53: ...l the way to the left side next to the drag chain mount where you ll bolt in a pin type end link Ensure the end link is snug up against the drag chain mount pictured Lastly attach the final end link onto the Z axis motor mount using one last bolt to the inner hole Note the direction the link is facing Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 54: ...d add 3 links back onto the X axis chain In the case of a 30 30 machine remove 13 links off of the Y axis drag chain and add 3 links back onto the X axis drag chain This will make it so the chains are the correct length to travel the whole range of motion of the machine while also staying as short as possible to maximize the wire length going to the controller For the remaining assembly you won t ...

Page 55: ...side pictured and rotated slightly backward to provide good space for the cable and since the dust shoe requires some space on the right side Check this angle by turning the Z axis lead screw by hand till it s upper limit the blue part of the router body shouldn t collide with the Z axis motor mount at any point To mount your router simply loosen off the two front bolts on the router mount until y...

Page 56: ...during operation To set it up right move the Z axis all the way down and then zip it on with some extra slack still available pictured Now onto the remaining wiring Grab a motor cable and connect it to the Z axis NEMA 23 motor The connector can only go in one way so find the orientation where the connector attaches with ease ...

Page 57: ... correct end of the drag chain so it ll attach onto the end link and bend in the right direction against the X axis You can reattach it onto the end link and start to re clip the clips into place Note if you purchased the limit switch add on kit you ll want to leave enough clips open that running the wires for the switches later on will be easier to do ...

Page 58: ... other end of the drag chain around and attach it onto the other end link on the X axis rail Pull the wires through and around the drag chain mount and finish closing the remaining clips Attach a motor cable onto the X axis NEMA 23 stepper motor ...

Page 59: ...xis and Z axis NEMA 23 stepper motors as well as the router cable and insert it into the Y axis drag chain Again keep in mind to use the right end of the drag chain then attach the chain on and clip the clips in to secure the wires ...

Page 60: ...60 Bring the other end of the drag chain around and attach it onto the other end link on the Y axis rail Pull the wires through and off to the left side of the rail and close the remaining clips ...

Page 61: ...the two Y axis NEMA 23 stepper motors Bring the cables around to the left of the machine so they re now all bundled together pictured You ll be plugging the motors cables into the control box shortly but otherwise the machine wiring is now complete ...

Page 62: ...62 Part 5 Checks First Moves ...

Page 63: ...nector from the power supply and the green connector coming from the e stop button Secure them using the screw terminals and a flat head screwdriver if they re loose or the wires come out entirely Second confirm the wire order for the power supply and motors It s important that the DC power brick has a white or red wire on the left side and a black one on the right when the screw terminal is facin...

Page 64: ...e checks done start connecting the motors Track each cable from each motor to its corresponding green connector and connect it to the board The fit of these connectors is tight but you need to be sure to push them ALL THE WAY IN so that there is good contact between the plug and the connector Each plug on the board is labelled on the top note that there isn t a difference between the Y1 and Y2 plu...

Page 65: ...pictured on the right in a bubble wrapped bag in the variable box Unclick the e stop by rotating it then look for the red light at the top of the control box to light up to confirm that all the power wiring is coming through correctly Next plug the connector coming from the power brick into the rear of the LongMill s control box pictured wait until after it s plugged in before plugging the AC cabl...

Page 66: ...s hobby use though there are other options you can see in our Software resources We ll be using gSender as the interface for the remaining assembly You can download gSender here https sienci com gsender and choose for Windows PC Mac Linux and others If you re not sure which type of Windows you are using you are most likely using 64 bit If you get stuck at any point or want to learn more about gSen...

Page 67: ...67 Once you have gSender installed go ahead and run it on your computer One way is to double click the shortcut on your desktop You should be greeted with a screen that looks like this ...

Page 68: ...and thump noise from the machine Note Sometimes it can take a moment for your computer to automatically install the drivers for the box if they re needed If you try to connect your machine but you cannot you may need to manually install the drivers You can do this by installing the Arduino IDE or you can follow the instructions on doing them manually for Windows With Connect to Machine changed to ...

Page 69: ... instead of millimeters you can switch over using the gear icon on the top right of the gSender window In these settings you ll see a toggle to switch your units Things will still be a bit loose right now since we haven t yet tuned up the movement of the machine but tuning will be the next step and knowing how to move the machine around will be important for when we mount it to a table While we re...

Page 70: ...tted with one set of firmly bolted v wheels and another set of loosely attached wheels with eccentric nuts these loosely bolted ones are the ones we ll be returning to to finish tightening them up For the Y axis these are the top v wheels pictured and for the X axis these are the bottom We ll work on these one plate at a time Eccentric nuts are eccentric or off center nuts and this means that by t...

Page 71: ...ever direction you choose to close it slightly picture 2 and re tighten the M5 bolt with the Allen key picture 3 At this point you ll want to check both the wheel you just tightened as well as its static wheel on the opposite side of the rail Whichever wheel is on top will always be harder to spin but ideal tensioning is when the lower wheel is able to barely turn when you use your fingers to rota...

Page 72: ...your time since it s better to slowly approach the right point than to over rotate the eccentric nut and put too much force on the wheels When you get to the other Y axis fit the Allen key under the drag chain or move the machine to a different location to make adjustments If you need more help visualizing how to do this you can watch our video https www youtube com watch v Z7WLmOk90V4 ...

Page 73: ...tuning With the v wheels tightened down go around and finish bolting down the remaining anti backlash nuts there s one on each Y axis and another on the X axis Recall the method for doing this when you did it for the Z axis where you alternate making a couple turns onto one bolt and then the other until they re both tightened down fully If you twist hard onto just one bolt while the other one is l...

Page 74: ...at trying to wiggle each plate along its rail should have no looseness As you use your machine the nuts will wear out and develop a looser fit with their lead screws something you ll feel as a jiggling looseness on that axis This is why each nut is secretly two nuts with a bolt between them This allows the anti backlash nuts to compensate for backlash due to wear and keep your machine accurate for...

Page 75: ...red for the X Y and Z axes For now just turn them until they cross the gap and make contact with the other side With time come back to them and give the bolt a 1 4 turn if it s feeling like the plate is getting loose side to side Use M5 Allen Key ...

Page 76: ...also consider checking out the movement tuning feature built in to the calibration section of gSender https resources sienci com view gs additional features movement tuning To keep your clothes from potentially snagging in the next section clip on the 3D printed ACME nut covers to both front feet pictured These act to cover over the bolts and are an extra safety precaution ...

Page 77: ...77 Part 6 Table Mounting ...

Page 78: ...be relatively flat to properly mount the machine to and it should be relatively sturdy as well 2 The wasteboard this is the cutting area of the machine that you place material within and will get worn out over time This will get flattened and occasionally re flattened by your LongMill to ensure any material you cut is parallel to the machine Ideally this should be removable If you want to pass lar...

Page 79: ...n see some examples of this above one with a spare piece of MDF as the wasteboard and another with added foot risers to maintain the LongMill s tall cutting height These sorts of setups can sometimes be made out of a single sheet of 4 x8 MDF as shown below Feel free to see more inspirational example setups by our community members here https resources sienci com view lm2 community table builds ...

Page 80: ...ams below show a more detailed view for each model where the red represents the travel cutting area and the blue shows the hanging features outside the foot base The control box is also something you should plan for It has buttons on its top to Play Pause and Stop the machine which some users prefer having access to though these are also accessible via gSender It also has a USB input on the left s...

Page 81: ...y where you want it Usually you ll want to have a reference straight edge on the right and front of your surface to align the machine to whatever best suits your setup In this case we re using a 4 x4 MDF sheet as a combination mounting surface and wasteboard which we had cut to 42 inches to better fit in a car We ll be mounting it in the middle offset from the factory edges and have the electronic...

Page 82: ...ow you to make adjustments in case you find that you made a mistake later on Start with the steel end feet using 2 screws per foot and ensuring they re aligned to where you want your machine to be If you d like to pre drill the holes to avoid shifting around that s an option as well Next screw in the middle feet on the right side Don t ream down as hard on the plastic feet as you did on the steel ...

Page 83: ...eft side to reference using a straight edge and a carpenter s square If you have a friend to help you the steel end feet also have a small notch built in that can allow you to run a measuring tape under the X rail from the top left to bottom right foot and top right to bottom left foot Adjust the left side until these two measurements are equal and that ll ensure your machine is mounted square A t...

Page 84: ...ack left foot Now double check that everything is looking correctly aligned before completing the mounting At this point if there seems to be an issue don t sweat it the second set of holes on the steel end feet will allow you to make small changes in how the machine is mounted Once you re happy jog the CNC roughly to the middle and finish securing the remaining foot holes ...

Page 85: ...t to be your oops button so place it somewhere that will always be easy to access in an instant whenever something goes wrong If you undo the 4 screws holding the e stop body together you ll see that there are holes to attach wood screws through the black bottom so you can mount it to any surface and reassemble the e stop once you re done If you wish to place it further from the machine extending ...

Page 86: ...m view lm2 add ons 3 Finally with the first project out of the way and all the remaining assembly complete you ll reach the LongMill Handbook This section will become your bible on the LongMill outlining all the daily operational details on how it runs operation feeds and speeds maintenance surfacing project ideas and where to find them troubleshooting common CNC terms and more https resources sie...