We have been working very hard on the CNC machine and it's almost finished. The machine will form a vital part of our arsenal leading up to the competition. We will use it to create our launch/arrestor systems and also the molds for the airframe.It is in working condition at the moment but we just need to clean it up. The spindle needs liquid cooling so we've been busy trying to sort out an adequate pump and reservoir to facilitate that.Another urgent matter is end switches. We had a close call the other day where due to various unforeseen reasons the Y axis slammed itself into the X axis. This was during testing so we weren't actually machining anything but it was very scary nevertheless. I didn't realize how quickly the axes could move if uncontrolled. Owing to this incident, I also ordered a nice perspex shield to place in the gap below the X axis in case we break some milling bits. We are definitely not turning it on until we've got all these precautions in place.In other news. Project Andromeda has its first sponsor! Advanced Circuits from Colorado, USA have generously sponsored us and are going to make the PCBs for our autopilot. We have been with those guys from the beginning and the experience has been great.There is a full article on the CNC machine on the Project Andromeda Blog if anyone is interested in further reading. There are also some more pictures in the gallery.
That is a great looking gantry mill! I just made my first cuts with a ShopTask 3-in-1 that I've converted to CNC capability. I'm dreaming of building or buying a larger gantry system already. I'm using Geckos and Linux EMC. I look forward to reading more on the progress of your project. You guys are ambitious and I like that!
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