4th Axis Install & Rotary Review // Axiom Precision CNC
Total time: 1hr or less
Cost: Free ~ $999
Difficulty: Easy
TOOLS USED
Spin me right round
It’s finally here! I upgraded my Axiom CNC with the rotary kit and I have some thoughts!
First off, this was super easy to install, but you need to make sure you have an Axiom Pro+ machine. If you have an Axiom Pro (like me) you can still add this but you will need to send in your "controller box“ to Axiom to upgrade it. They were able to turn my box around pretty quickly, around 5 business days.
Once you unpack everything, there will be a cable you can connect to the back of the table. After plugging it in to the back, you will need to set up your DSP to include the A axis. So you will have X, Y, Z and A. The instructions talk about all this as well.
When you setup your 3D design in V-Carve pro, you will need to use the proper post processor. You can find that here. This basically will make the X-axis act as if it was the A-axis. Also note that your x-axis will not be controlled by the gcode, only by your DSP. So if you move it for any reason, it will not move back when you start the job. Don’t ask me how I know :D
Zach's pro tip
Sometimes when you use the rotary, it will cut too much and cause the rotary to skip.. this doesn’t hurt anything and it can be easily fixed by re-homing and resetting your origin. Once centered, you can run the job again! As always, if you run into issues, you can reach out to myself or Axiom.
