Hi guys!!!!!
My question i want to get help on may yet be directly related to arduino????..... Sorry...
I am building my own cnc router useing arduino uno and shield and i would like to know from you guys who have some experience with cnc builds, If i go looking for a er11 spindle dc spindle motor "What am i looking to find out how much power it has"????? I can guess it would be "Watts"??????
And, if i would like to engrave regular mild steel, What "Wattage"??? am i looking for?????
What is a "wattage" or power those things have?????
"Ok, i do not mean using a 1/2 in endmill and rip through the steel, what i really want to do is lets say kind of engrave a logo on there or put a .25 in chamfer on a part(multi passes.....?????
I have used a trimmer router (actually have gone thru 3) for over 25 years on my CNC machine.
The current version being used is 5.5A at 120VAC.
Soooooooo what am i looking at with power.... Watts, amps??????
The version shown is 5.5A (maximum) at 120VAC.
5.5A * 120 = 660 Watts
Normal engraving current is about 1 Amp.
Soooooo, do you ever really cut steel (mild)
No.
Mostly plastics, fibreglass, wood, and diamond drag on glass.
I have also done Aluminium.
Seems like you have a pretty nice setup there... which stepper motors are you useing???? Nema 23s?????? Would the 17 or 23s have enough power????
Soo would it have the power to do steel??? if those 3018s can already cut aluminum,,, couldn't a 800-1kw watt motor cut steel??????
No idea 
Aluminum is slow going, spindle speed needs to be just right, Carbide cutters need to be high quality and Some cutting oil is a must.
Do you have machine spray coolant????
If i would buy the drive motors you have,,,, could they hadle the spindle cutting steel????
With 1 amp, what are you routing???? Wood???
“ Do you have machine spray coolant???? “
No.
“ If i would buy the drive motors you have,,,, could they handle the spindle cutting steel???? “
The CNC threaded shafts hugely multiple the power of the motors so the steppers would probably be okay with doing this.
My guess is my machine could handle soft steel but have no desire to do so.
“ With 1 amp, what are you routing???? Wood??? ”
Yes.
The current draw will be effected by the cutting and spindle speed, material type, bit diameter, bit sharpness, cutting depth . . .
There may be some videos on YouTube that are doing what you need.
The Machinery Handbook will give you the exact end mill speed for cutting any metal.
Soo do you think it is necesarry to go from nema 17 to nema 23 or even 32 while cutting steel?????? Would the 17 have enough power???
Not smart enough to say. 
Diameter and pitch of the threaded shafts (lead screws) have a lot to do with the design requirements.
Are you considering a nema sized stepper motor or a regular brushed DC motor that is a nema 17 or 23 mounting?
