Onefinity CNC construction

Only one thing has slowed the progress of electric vehicle building, and that's the arrival of the Onefinity CNC router. However, for the most part it's done and we can move on. Check out the version below.

What is the Onefinity CNC?

The Onefinity (1F) is a different version of a desktop CNC compared to the guys here. They market this particular machine as "reinventing the CNC experience" and for good reason. The biggest difference between this machine and the others is the fact that they use hardened steel cylindrical shafts on all axes with ball screws to provide the movement. No belts, no wheels, just solid movement on all axes. This system seems very robust and can operate at higher speeds than using wheels and belts. With better accuracy too!

Step 1: The enclosure.

Even before bringing the new 1F carpenter into the workshop, I decided to have an enclosure built. My goal here was to enclose the entire CNC so that I could put in a job and actually hear my own thoughts in the shop. I don't know if you've heard a spindle cutting at high speed, but it can be noisy! The enclosure had to be solid. That's what we got.

Step 2: Attaching the Onefinity

Most installation videos will walk you through attaching the 1F to a wooden base, but I wasn't sold on the idea and had a few lengths of aluminum v-slot lying around. Turns out the mounting holes on the 1F match up well with the slots and I was able to use t-nuts to secure. The Vslot itself is attached to the wooden board using large bolts at each end.

Step 3: Pin

The default 1F version comes with a Makita manual router that mounts in a 65mm spindle holder. They are very noisy routers and decided early on to use a VFD controlled spindle. This type of setup is not supported by Onefinity, but they now sell an 80mm spindle mount that can accommodate most 1.5kW and 2.2kW spindles. I ended up buying a 1.5kW water cooled spindle and HuanYang VFD. The pin comes with a 4-pin "aviation" type connector. These are ok, but I decided to upgrade to a sturdier connector. While I was at it I checked that the pin had pin 4 connected to ground. Often these Chinese pins do not have a ground connected, which can be dangerous in the event of a breakdown.

step 4: Electronics and wiring

I'll try to be brief, but the electronics and wiring can be divided into several areas: (CONSULT AN ELECTRICIAN!)

VFD and spindle: the VFD requires a 240v single phase input, I ran the main input through an RCBO and up to the VFD, this provides some protection for the user, I also made sure that all parts of the spindle, frame and router itself were grounded. From the VFD I wired a shielded control cable through the cable management to the pin. This is a 220V three-phase cable which requires some care when using and connecting.

AC-DC for 12V Components: We also wired up a Mean Well AC-DC power supply to provide 12V DC to the LED lights and spindle cooling pump.

X/Y Servo Extension Cables: The cables supplied by 1F are not long enough to fit through the cable management, so we had to make our own. Pinouts and connector types are readily available in the Onefinity forums. We have manufactured the cables in one piece so that no connections are made inside the drag chains.

1F CNC Controller: This uses a single 240v (or 110v) IEC cable depending on where in the world you are. These are quite common.

Grounding: All grounds, including the VFD, back to a service ground bar.

Step 5: Everything else!

What's left! Spoilboard, some coverings of said spoiler panel, some coverings for the frame. etc., etc. I'll update it when it's finished. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the construction photos.

My failures...