by cvoinescu » Mon May 05, 2014 1:44 pm
It's not the belts that are the problem -- the Shapeoko, a CNC milling machine based on MakerSlide, uses MXL or GT2 belts too, and they're not the limiting factor. The most trouble I expect you'll have with the bed being able to twist slightly around the Y axis. In other words, if you press down on the left or right side of the bed, it'll give a little. It is much more rigid around the X axis. That said, if you tighten the V-wheels a little more than you would for 3D printing, I don't see why you would not be able to mill PCBs or really soft materials (foam, machinable wax). The easiest way, IMO, would be to buy a Chinese 300 W DC spindle and attach it to the X carriage instead of the extruder. You can even buy one with a power supply and a holder, but since you already have a 3D printer, you could print the holder instead.