If you're reading this, chances are you're about to design a machine, and then build it, and then 'bring it online', and then do something with it. Exciting! There's a great deal of complexity here! I have done this a few times now<sup>1</sup>, and every time it's a new adventure. This document will serve as a guide for how to make (almost) a fairly standard 3-axis machine. *!ALERT! ~ This is a design process ~ !ALERT!* so please bear with any ambiguities, and the inherent nonlinearities present. For example, I already have a machine in mind, that I want to build (for reasons) - you may have an entirely different type of machine in mind, for different reasons. When possible, I will take asides to explain my reasoning, but overall, I intend this to be (1) a guide - for how to build this machine or slight deviations thereof, and (2) an exposition on (almost) how I go about considering machine design. Mostly, I hope to demystify CNC D&B<sup>2</sup>
If you're reading this, chances are you're about to design a machine, and then build it, and then 'bring it online', and then do something with it. Exciting! There's a great deal of complexity here! I have done this a few times now<sup>1</sup>, and every time it's a new adventure.
This document will serve as a guide for how to make (almost) a fairly standard 3-axis machine. *!ALERT! ~ This is a design process ~ !ALERT!* so please bear with any ambiguities, and the inherent nonlinearities present. For example, I already have a machine in mind, that I want to build (for reasons) - you may have an entirely different type of machine in mind, for different reasons. When possible, I will take asides to explain my reasoning, but overall, I intend this to be (1) a guide - for how to build this machine or slight deviations thereof, and (2) an exposition on (almost) how I go about considering machine design. Mostly, I hope to demystify CNC D&B<sup>2</sup>
### In this order, we will do:
#### Design:
- Draw a Layout (Rhino Suggested)
- Detail the Axis
- Detail Interconnects
#### Manufacturing:
- Do Material Layout in Rhino
- Program CAM in Fusion
- Do the Milling
#### Assembly:
- Put it together!
- Alignment, alignment, alignment!
#### Electronics Assembly:
- Plugs, Switches, Power, oh my!
#### Motion Control
- TinyG with a Big Heart (and minimum acceleration!)
