I designed a new mold the other day, and then turned it into a seven cavity mold. Largest that fit in the work envelope of the Taig. As is often the case I started cutting it as soon as I got things doubled checked as best as I am able. The first cut I had a load unload issue in the spindle motor after about 2-3 hours. (I had vertically crashed it during setup and forgot to run it for a while to let it unload, what can you say for a plastic body router.)
I made a few adjustments inserted a new piece of stock and ran the code. 358,598 lines of it. It cut from start to end without a flaw, and with trany fluid jetting over the cutter and aluminum workpiece from two directions the darn cutter still looked like new. Just over 21 hours total continuous cut time with some pretty aggressive cuts with a 3/32 ball mill.
I tweaked the code and adjusted a couple acceleration and deceleration parameters in the machine profile to reduce load on a plunge cut, and increase cutting speed performance on the horizontal feeds. The plunge no longer loads up the spindle as bad, and the simulation says it should take less than 19 hours. (It took 2 hours just to run the simulation.) Its 14+ hours in right now using the same 3/32 ball mill, and the cuts its making now are as smooth and shiny as the first ones it made almost two days ago.
The new record is 358K+ lines of code executed without a failure and step loss resulting in error far less than that of the machine backlash. I have run programs that took longer to cut with my older slower controller and lighter stepper motors, at much lower rapid and cut speeds, and dramatically lower acceleration rates. I've never run this many lines of code before though.
I'll tell you there isn't much for the price that will beat a Gecko G540 maxed out at 3.5 amps per motor and a decent 48V power supply. Add some relays for automatic spindle power and lubricant pump power and this is pretty cool stuff. Yeah, there is better stuff, but not for the price or even close to the price.
I have everything, but the monitor on an UPS now too. I may want to add a second UPS for the future for the other machine, but for now its OK. I think I am going to upgrade from the 1HP Bosch routers to the 1.75 HP Porter Cable Routers in the future, but I'll need different relays to handle the current when I do, and of course new mounts.
(The PC routers are all metal lower and look turned. I think they will drop in straighter and tram out easier than the composite metal and plastic lower of the Bosch. Also the extra 3/4 HP may allow me to go back to a more aggressive plunge on some cuts. Of course then I get to spend a small fortune on precision collets that will fit them like I did for the Bosch routers.)
P.S. This is on a Windows XP / Mach3 computer.