Betongsuggan Commissioning Project 2025 and 2026
Project history for Betongsuggan. The machine was bought as an unfinished concrete-frame CNC mill (~90% complete) and commissioned in 2025–2026. For current use, see the main page.
Betongsuggan with enclosure and printed covers
August 2026.
Before and after
Bought | Now | |
|---|---|---|
Stand | Too wide for the doors | Narrowed ~20 cm, wheels and feet, rubber supports |
Axes | Servos, rails, ballscrews (partly removed for transport) | Reassembled; all axes running since Oct 2025 |
Spindle | Seller kept the ATC spindle | 3.7 kW, 800 Hz, ER20, water-cooled; no tool changer |
Electrics | Mesa 7i76E, Delta servo drives, VFD; messy wiring | Rebuilt cabinet, front controls, emergency stop |
Lubrication | Central oil present but stuck | Central oil working; Dynacut MDE MQL for the tool |
Enclosure | None | Aluminium frame, composite panels, polycarbonate doors, PETG covers |
Workholding | Steel table, few fixing points | Small vise; better hole pattern proposed |
Chips | No drawer | Still no drawer |
Timeline
2025
Mar: stand cut and welded ~20 cm narrower; table, X motor and Z plate removed to save weight. Replacement spindle ordered and delivered. CAD corrected against a 3D scan (errors from cm to mm).
May: moved into the basement.
Aug: wheels and feet on the base. Work moved to
#metal-cnc.Sep: rubber supports fitted; moved into place with ~1 mm doorway clearance. Base plate and rubber cover belt refitted.
Oct: homing fixed (limit switches needed power); all axes moving.
Nov: spindle installed.
Lifted off the original stand | Cutting the stand | Stand in two halves |
CAD of the narrowed stand | Base plate attached, Sep 2025 | Back on the narrowed stand, Nov 2025 |
Spindle installed, Nov 2025
2026
Jan: spindle water cooling working. Central oil distributors freed (dried oil). Electrical system drawn in QElectroTech.
Feb: first plastic parts (PE, then Delrin). Delayed-stop controller ordered. LinuxCNC with QtDragon HD tested on new Dell P2424HT touchscreens.
Mar: emergency stop working.
Apr: rewiring and reassembly. 23 Apr: VFD smoked after a guessed brake-resistor connection to P+/P−; movement restored 28 Apr.
Jul: composite enclosure panels mounted.
Aug: polycarbonate doors finished (5 Aug); MQL installed and tested; ~1.6 kg of PETG covers printed and fitted (18 Aug); foam strip between the doors.
First plastic test piece, Feb 2026
Electrical rebuild, Apr 2026
Doors | Rear cover | Foam strip | MQL |
|---|---|---|---|
Finished doors | PETG rear cover and cable guide | Foam strip between doors | MQL and front controls |
MQL notes
Runs on 24 V with a manual switch. Flow kept low; members must not turn up the regulators.
The solenoids didn't close fully at first; whether that was fixed isn't recorded.
The MQL produces an oil aerosol (15–35 µm droplets, manual p. 7). Disconnect air and power and depressurise before refilling (pp. 5, 12).
Remaining work
Servo tuning (possible overshoot).
Axis accuracy test; recalibrate the servo drives if needed.
Maximum speeds and accelerations in LinuxCNC.
Spindle speed calibration and reverse.
VFD configuration, including the brake resistor.
Tool-length probe.
Mini-PC (Topton N150) setup.
MQL solenoid shutoff.
CAM parameters.
Chip drawer.
Better workholding — proposed: offset M12 grids with 12 mm locating counterbores, possibly SMW Modvise.
Up-to-date electrical drawings.
Magnets to keep the electronics cabinet door shut.
Magnet or similar to stop the door wobbling while the machine moves.