Hello
I am a complete newbie when it comes to 3-axis cnc with Arduino.
I have a home built hobby mill, which I use to mill aluminum.
Now I want to use my Arduino Uno Rev3 board to control the mill for 3-axis cnc.
I have done some research on the net and realised that I would need apart from 3 X NEMA17 stepper motors 3 easy drive stepper driver boards.
Kindly advise if there are other electronics necessary to accomplish my goal.
Regards
Paul Nilanjan
You need to be aware that Nema 17 is just the specification for the dimensions of the front face of the motor. It says nothing about the power of the motor.
You need to choose a motor with sufficient torque for your application. Note that the holding torque which is normally quoted only applies when it is stationary. The running torque will be lower - especially at higher speeds. At max speed it will be zero (hence it can't go any faster).
When you have selected a motor you need to choose a stepper motor driver that can comfortably meet the current required by the motor. An Easydriver can only provide 750mA. A BigEasydriver or Pololu A4988 or Pololu DRV8825 can supply 2 amps.
I am slowly automating a small lathe using these motors and Pololu A4988 drivers. I suspect slightly more powerful motors would be better, but these ones fitted my budget. I am hoping to use my lathe for milling as well as turning.
The main extra things are a power supply with sufficient current - use as high a voltage as possible - and software. A large part of the pleasure for me is writing my own software so I don't have any advice to offer. GRBL may be suitable.
...R