Title says what I am trying to attempt. I am really tight for money and I really wanna test cut (lightly) some aluminum. I have done a lot of reading on the forums so I know about the whole z axis being short idea. I will definitely do that. But what I am trying to attempt is to instead of using a router like the dewalt 660, use a hobby brushless motor. This motor will be powered with a big 12v server power supply capable of about 100amps or more.
You may at first think, probably not enough power. I am using a castle mm2 esc, and a TP Power 3650 motor. To put the specs in perspective, the ESC is capable of 6s lipo (about 25v) and 90A continuous w/ cooling. The motor is a 36mm can 84mm long brushless motor. This may seem small at first, but this motor is a machine, a very power dense beast, known to be one of the best hobby brushless motors you can buy due to its quality of windings, stator, etc. It has a peak output of 4500w, continuous of 2300w, much much more than a dewalt. The motor is 3080kv, it does 3080rpm (no load) per volt. I was thinking w/ a 12v power supply, this would be about 38000rpm which is a little on the high side so I will use a single flute carbide to help reduce the load.
Compared to a dewalt, it is pretty much all positive except for cost but I already own this for something else. It is more powerful and due to the nature of brushless, it can maintain it’s RPM a bit better under load, but probably not as good as a proper (but way more expensive VFD). It is much quieter, it is actually almost completely silent except for the bearings spinning. It is about 3.5x lighter, and smaller. It probably has comparable runout I would imagine? The only thing I can see maybe an issue is maybe the bearings decaying from the axial load overtime since they’re not that beefy.
So the power is there, and it turns out there are 5mm shaft to er11 collet adapters. I will make my own mount.
I will mount the ESC near the ramps and provide it ample cooling. I will extend the 3 phase wires all the way to the motor. I am down sizing the machine and I will be using 10awg silicone wire to extend the motor phase wires to the ESC. To power this, I will be using like I said a 12v server power supply capable of about 100amps. I think 1200w is enough, but these motors can burst a decent amperage so I will overkill it a little.
So would this in general be a viable option? I haven’t measured, but I could imagine the brushless motor I am using has somewhat comparable runout with a router? It is a little bit more “fancy” in its design but not as rugged. It is also MUCH quieter, it is quieter than most 12v fans.