Portalfräsen Upgrade Project 2025 and 2026
Project history for the Portalfräsen rebuild: stronger frame, JMC servos, new electronics, and a new table with replaceable plastic strips and T-tracks. The machine is not yet back in service.
Portalfräsen with table, gantry and wall-mounted dust collection, Oct 2026
13 October 2026. Earlier overview
Before and after
Before | After (result or target) | |
|---|---|---|
Work area | 835 × 885 mm, ~140 mm Z | Target ~900 × 1000 × 200 mm; 1024 mm Y travel measured Jul 2026 |
X/Y speed | 4000 mm/min | 9600 mm/min motion (May 2026) — not a cutting feed |
Acceleration | – | Target > 2000 mm/s² |
Frame | Aluminium gantry | Heavier extrusions + ~200 kg laser-cut steel reinforcement |
Drives | Unknown | JMC servos (660 W design) |
Table | MDF spoilboard with wood screws | Fixed plastic base, replaceable 25 mm strips, aluminium T-tracks, 20 mm bench-dog holes (in progress) |
Accuracy | ~0.1 mm (old spec) | Not yet measured |
Spindle / VFD | 2.2 kW water-cooled, BD600 (since Jan 2025) | Kept |
Control | LinuxCNC, Mesa 7i76E | Same, with rebuilt cabinets and config |
Dust | DC2500, curtain, dust shoe | Collectors, cyclone, curtain and hoses reinstalled (Oct 2026); new dust shoe pending |
MQL | – | Dynacut MDE, plumbed Jul 2026 |
Timeline
2025
Mar: rebuild plan — new extrusions and laser-cut steel, JMC servos, plastic table with T-tracks.
Mar–Apr: steel parts delivered.
Aug: volunteer kickoff (13 Aug) with work groups for mechanics, electronics, software, table, dust, welding, coating and documentation. Old extrusions turned out to be 45 × 90 (not 40 × 80) — new profiles ordered. Parts powder coated.
Sep–Dec: frame assembly. Y servos mounted 28 Dec; frame corners with six screws and an extra bracket each.
Rebuild CAD render | Steel plates delivered | Frame assembly, Sep 2025 |
2026
Jan: powder-coated portal side plates mounted; grease lines rerouted.
Feb: curtain carrier installed.
Feb–Mar: power and Mesa cabinets rebuilt.
Apr–May: VFD cabinet got an interference filter and three-phase input.
May: LinuxCNC installed (24 May); motion working at 9600 mm/min (31 May).
Jun: first chips in wood (7 Jun). Encoder realigned, gantry squared on the Y home switches, Z recalibrated (2.5 mm pitch).
Jul: wood/aluminium base table mounted. Z drive changed to S3M belts. Air and MQL plumbing connected.
Aug: plastic table top mounted.
Sep: T-tracks and strips installed (20 Sep). Material stops and bench-dog clamps delivered.
Oct: servo tuning (4 Oct). Dust collectors, curtain and hoses installed (10–11 Oct). Clamping-bar holes machined (11 Oct); front T-track clearance can't be reached with current Y travel.
Y servo installation | Portal side plates | Mesa cabinet |
T-tracks and strips | Clamping-bar holes | Dust collectors |
Strip curtain installed
Electronics cabinets
Photographed on 13 October 2026. Original photo album.
Mesa 7i76E control cabinet | Spindle VFD cabinet |
|---|---|
Mesa 7i76E control cabinet, 13 October 2026 | Spindle VFD cabinet, 13 October 2026 |
Power cabinet overview | Power cabinet detail |
|---|---|
Power cabinet overview with door-mounted controls, 13 October 2026 | Power cabinet interior detail, 13 October 2026 |
Table notes
Plastic strips are replaceable and can be resurfaced, but the M8 fixing heads limit how thin they can go.
T-tracks for clamps; 20 mm bench-dog holes for stops.
MQL notes
The MQL produces an oil aerosol (15–35 µm droplets, manual p. 7). Disconnect air and power and depressurise before refilling (pp. 5, 12). Adjustment: p. 14.
Remaining work
Table features, front T-track clearance, surfacing; confirm final travel.
Dust shoe, side panels, motor dust covers, guide wipers.
Save servo settings (they didn't persist after power cycle in Sep); check geometry and accuracy.
Software emergency stop; spindle enable/direction.
Tool setter and pendant.
MQL test while cutting.
Operating procedure and access rules.
References
LinuxCNC config: Git repo on the machine computer ("Linux cnc config wood").
Slack: upgrade channel