IndusMart

QueenBee PRO to ULTIMATE Bee Upgrade Mechanical Kit    

The BULK-MAN 3D ULTIMATE Bee is a solid and reliable CNC Machine. Featured by HGR Rails and Quiet Transmission Ball Screws! The ULTIMATE Bee CNC excels at cutting through plastics, foam, softwood, hardwood and even soft metal such as aluminium and brass.

The ULTIMATE Bee is our second CNC Machine based on the initial WorkBee design lineage, which is characterised by the use of C-Beam Extrusions and the rectangular-shaped Y-Plates. It is 100% fully self-developed, designed by BulkMan3D International R&D Team and copyrighted by BulkMan3D.

This is an Upgrade Kit including all parts available to convert your QueenBee Pro to Ball Screw ULTIMATE Bee

It requires you to disassemble your QueenBee Pro first, then rebuild it to ULTIMATE Bee with the disassembled parts and Upgrade Kit.

--------------------------------------- This Upgrade Kit Includes --------------------------------------

• Extra Aluminum Extrusion Profiles
• Linear Rails&Linear Blocks
• Quiet Transmission Precise SFS1210 Ball Screw
• ULTIMATE Bee Aluminum Plate Set
• Upgrade Hardware Kit
• New Design Drag Chain System
• All Extrusions are M5 Threaded Tapped for your convenience!
  

Attention:

• The Ball screw nut fixing and dismounting requires professional tools or done by professional stuffs!

• Never rotate the ball screw nut over the ball screw end! This is very important as if the ball bearings come off the ball nut the ball screw will not work properly and you will void any warranty!

-------------------- ULTIMATE Bee Brief Introduction ---------------------

Bulk-Man 3D is the largest wholesaler of Open Source CNC parts worldwide. By producing or sourcing parts directly from the factory, we eliminate the “middle man”, and in doing so, we can provide the best wholesale price direct to the public!

After many CNC owners and members of the community approached us requesting a linear rail solution for their machine at an affordable price, our technicians worked hard researching different options available and ways we can improve on existing designs. The result of the project was the QueenBee Pro CNC Machine.

Carrying on the tradition of community engagement, CNC owners and members wanted more, our technicians went back to the drawing board researching more improvements based on community input, the resulting machine is the ULTIMATE Bee CNC Machine.

The ULTIMATE Bee mainly distinguishes itself from the first design, the QueenBee PRO, by having Ball Screws as a transmission system instead of the traditional ACME Lead Screw. The Ball Screw has high-efficiency levels, delivering more torque to the motor when compared to an ACME Lead Screw used in the QueenBee PRO.

------------------------------ Machine Capability ----------------------------

The ULTIMATE Bee is not only a machine capable of cutting through a wide diversity of materials. The ULTIMATE Bee CNC excels at Cutting and 3D Carving through plastics, foam, softwood, hardwood and even soft metal such as aluminium and brass.

Compatible Material for Cutting/Milling/Engraving: Aluminium / Hard Wood / Soft Wood / Oak / Plexi Glass / Delrin / HDPE / Foam and so on.

By using different Drill Bits & Milling Cutters: The ULTIMATE Bee can create intricate 3D carvings like wood artware, inlays, adverting logo, plaques, furniture, amazing art works and so much more. All the widely used applications can be achived here!

----------------------- ULTIMATE Bee Comparison -------------------------

The ULTIMATE Bee was designed by our team of engineers with a great amount of thought into each aspect of the machine. Each of the components used on our machine are designed to be paired with each other in order to create a perfect ecosystem which results in the ULTIMATE Bee CNC Machine.

Don’t be tricked by other companies who claim a larger ball screw, more rails/ bearings, or different rail positioning will make their machine better than the ULTIMATE Bee. These are presumptions made with no engineering reason or facts by salesmen, not engineers. By researching the specifications of the components, you can conclude that in fact larger ball screws, more rails/bearings, different rail positioning all reduce a machine’s performance.

------------------- Ball Screw Size Engineered For Our Machines ------------------

• Diameter

The ULTIMATE Bee features a 12mm Diameter Ball Screw. The 12mm Diameter Ball Screw was carefully selected by our engineers to make the most of a NEMA 23 stepper motor.

Just by having this smaller diameter than a 16mm Ball Screw, it reduces the load on the motor by 25%. In other words, when the NEMA 23 Stepper motor is paired with the 12mm Ball Screw the motion motors drive through tougher materials with up to 25% more torque than the same motors paired with a 16mm Ball Screw.

----------- Why Do You Get More Torque Out of a 12mm Ball Screw? -----------

The reason is very simple: the further you apply the force to the pivot point, the more impact this force will have on the pivot object. On a CNC, the stepper motor shaft is the pivot point, and the distance where the force is applied to the shaft is determined by the diameter of the Ball Screw.

The analogy in the image below helps explain why a smaller diameter Ball Screw can be more effective.

-------------- Where Should Bigger Balls Screws Be Used Them? ----------------

Bigger Ball Screws are recommended when they are designed to work with larger motors such as NEMA 34, or AC Servo motors for the transmission system to compensate for the extra torque required. Machines of this caliber would also use cast and milled steel frames rather than aluminum profiles. A Ball Screw larger than 12mm should not be used in a design where the motors are NEMA 23.

-------- What About The Vibration On a Smaller Diameter Ball Screw? ---------

Keeping low-vibration levels in the transmission system is extremely important for a CNC Machine. Due to this, we have paired the ULTIMATE Bee with a 10mm pitch Ball Screw instead of a usual 4mm pitch for the X and Y-Axis. This change has significant results, making the CNC travel more with smaller Ball Screw rotations, thus, reducing the Ball Screw vibration at fast feed rates.

Our engineering tests conclude: A 12mm ball screw has the perfect balance of torque and vibration when paired with a NEMA 23 motor in a CNC Machine size 1500x1500mm or less. Larger Ball Screws are an incorrect design for NEMA 23 Motors. That is why the ULTIMATE Bee is the best design of its kind!

------------------------------- 2 Rails Is Better Than 4 --------------------------------------

• Simpler Design, Better Results!

The correct number of linear rails and bearings were selected by our engineers to increase performance. The HGH15CA bearings used on the X and Y-Axis were designed to have the correct spacing between them when mounted to a 20 series profile. The Y-Axis each utilise a single HGR15 linear rail with 2 x HGH15CA bearing carriages on the gantry plates. By using 2 HGR15 linear rails, one on the Y and one on the A-side(Y-Axis Slave), and not 4, the weight, friction and complexity are all reduced while maintaining enough load capacity with the 4 x HGH15CA bearing carriages for a dynamic load rating of approximately 14kN (or approx.1,400kg). In other words the dynamic load rating of our ULTIMATE Bee Y-Axis when using 1 rail per side is approximately 1,400kg!

In a system where only the friction caused by bearings is considered, having double rails and bearings on the Y-Axis as per the image below will add an additional +100% of the amount of friction, therefore, more motor power will be required. If you pair this with any minute misalignment of a bearing or rail during installation, the force required by the same motor to move 4 bearings will result in loss of motor power which is translated to a loss in performance of a machine that uses 2 rails (4 bearings) on one actuator.

Because the X-Axis gantry carries the Z assembly the moment loads (MR in particular) are distributed by using 4 x HGH15CA bearing carriages and 2 x HGR rails.

The Z-Axis uses 2 x MGN15 Linear Rails and 4 x MGN15C carriages spaced to obtain maximum possible resistance to the operational moment loads (MP in particular).

In other words, we reverse engineered the forces that the Z-Axis is subjected to during a cutting operation, and then, calculated the necessary spacing between MGN bearings for the Z-Axis.

NOTE: The position of the Ball Screws, Linear Rails and Bearing Carriage are designed for optimal positioning on all axis (Y, A, X and Z) – another example of Bulk Man 3D engineering innovation.

---------------------------------- Parallel Bearing Design -----------------------------------

• Opposite bearing designs are a flaw

The opposite bearing design implemented by other competitors is an inferior and incorrect engineering design for the X-Axis. The correct design is where the rails and bearings are on the same face because the bearings are less susceptible to twisting from moment forces when paired with another set of bearings
.

The opposite bearing design is more susceptible to twisting especially when paired with heavy spindles such as the 2.2kW. The moment force subjected to the bearings in this configuration will induce more runout, meaning worse tolerances compared to a stronger and correctly engineered design that has bearings on the same face.

-------------------- Correct Couplers Used In ULTIMATE Bee Design ---------------------

• Coupler Comparison

Double diaphragm couplings are designed for ball screws while jaw couplings are not designed for ball screws. Double Diaphragm couplings are more efficient than Jaw Couplings when paired with ball screws as they are designed for zero backlash. The diaphragm coupling design uses metal plates rather than plastic, making them more reliable and yield a longer service life. The double diaphragm coupling allows for higher speed and vibration dampening in the system which is essential for high performance and smooth running of the CNC. Smooth operation with little to no vibration will mean smoother and high-quality cuts. A design which uses a Jaw Coupling with a Ball Screw is an incorrect engineering design and will produce poor finish on the work piece.

-------------------- Ball Nut Gaskets Reduce Vibration and Binding ----------------------

Giving the ball nut a vibrational buffer in the form of a rubber gasket, the ball screw remains centered by damping the vibrational forces acting on the metal parts. This provides precision results and prevents the axis from binding up.

This small addition make the ULTIMATE Bee a far more effective system, in order to get the most out of your machine without the worry of damage or chatter on your workpiece.

----------------- Upgradeable Motors Achieve Commercial Speeds ----------------------

Our ULTIMATE Bee CNC has options to have its motors upgraded to achieve high-speed operation similar to industrial machines. Very few machines can match the rapids speeds of up to 30,000mm/min like the ULTIMATE Bee can with servos. This means much faster workflow and more jobs done. Competitor machines offer a maximum of 5000-6000mm/min.

Our Servos offer higher levels of accuracy and can be programmed to get the most performance out of your CNC, so you will not need to upgrade for a faster machine in the future.

------------------- Extra Z-Axis Height Increases Work Possibilities ---------------------

Our machines offer 180mm of Z-axis workspace to maximize the working potential. It is easy to mill out large cuts of wood, plastic or aluminium or add a rotary axis.

When our engineers designed the ULTIMATE Bee we took our customer’s feedback on wanting extra workable height as a main consideration. In this way, there will be no need to make upgrades or additions later to achieve more cutting depth, or space to add a new rotary axis.

------------------- The ULTIMATE Bee, The Best and Last of its Kind! --------------------

Coming from the WorkBee lineage, the ULTIMATE Bee was thoroughly designed to be the best and last of its kind. No need for versions 2, 3 and etc. We said NO to upgrades as everything was carefully designed to provide the best possible machine design and performance. As we scoped and advertised, this is the truly ULTIMATE Bee.

--------------- ‘ULTIMATE Bee’ Frame Design Features -------------------

After many hours of research and prototyping and also getting feedback from the community, we worked on creating the ULTIMATE Bee. The ULTIMATE Bee has many features over previous CNC designs and our team has once again brought an innovating machine to overperform others.

----------------- Some upgrades from the QueenBee PRO to the ULTIMATE Bee Include ----------------------

• Ball Nut Bracket Gaskets

Precision laser cut 1.5mm rubber gaskets are used on all Ball Nut mounting brackets to allow for easy alignment while maintaining a ridged and secure join to the gantry plates.

The Gasket aids in the building by compensating for any minor misalignment as well as acting to absorb vibrations during operation (essential in a more ridged drive system).

• Quiet Transmission SFS Series Ball Screw Drive System

There are many benefits in using Ball Screws, such as high efficiency and reversibility, backlash elimination, high stiffness, high lead accuracy, and many other advantages. Compared with the contact thread lead screws, a Ball Screw adds balls between the nut and screw. The sliding friction of the conventional screw is thus replaced by the rolling motion of the balls.

The ULTIMATE Bee drive system has been upgraded to SFS1210 and SFU1204 ball screws and ball nuts. The 10mm pitch SFS1210 is used on all axis giving a noticeable increase in speed while maintaining the ability to be accurate and with measurable repeatability greater than or equal to 0.01mm. Using the Spark-Concepts xPRO V5 the calculated resolution of the Y, A and X-axis of the ULTIMATE Bee is 0.00625mm at 1/8th micro-stepping.

The Z-axis SFU1204 Ball Screws have a 4mm pitch so the Z calculated resolution is 0.0025mm.

Thicker and bigger ball screws do not always mean a better drive system. After rigorous testing, it was found that ball screws larger than 12mm diameter will demand more torque from the motor to drive the system therefore decreasing machine performance. Ball screws with a 12mm diameter are the best choice for machine sizes within a 2000mm footprint and using a NEMA23 based drive system. Any concerns welcome to contact [email protected]

By using an SFU1204 with 4mm pitch on the Z-Axis the system is able to maintain its position even while the motors are not energized – even with heavier 2.2kW water-cooled spindles! This simple choice means no more broken bits or spindles falling into stock when powering off.

• X-Axis Extrusion Revision

• Diaphragm Couplers

• Plate Design

All plates have been completely redesigned to incorporate better cable management, mounting sensors and switches, and allowing for more adaptive integrated applications.

All of the main plates are made with thick 10mm aluminium produced by High Precise CNC Laser cutting processing.

All surfaces where bearing carriages are mounted have been machined flat to provide a smooth surface for easy and accurate alignment.

• HGR Linear Rails

The Y and A Axis each utilise a single HGR15 linear rail with 2 x HGH15CA bearing carriages on the gantry plates. By using 2x HGR15 linear rails, one on the Y and one on the A-side, instead of 4, this reduces the complexity of assembly and rail alignments without compromise on the performance.

Each HGR bearing has a dynamic load rating of approximately 14kN (or approx. 1,400kg).

• What are Linear Rails and Bearings?

Linear Rails consists of two parts, the rail and the bearing.

The Rail is a precision machined strengthened steel assembly that has twin parallel tracks to guide a bearing (also know as roller) along.

When combining the rail with the bearing you achieve low friction and high stiffness linear motion for loads ranging from 1kg to thousands of kilograms.

• Why use Linear Rails?

There are many applications for using linear rails including; industry, medical, science, defence, mining, construction, transportation. The benefit of linear rails over other types of linear guides are the rigidity, accuracy and load capacity. Linear rails are designed to withstand force applied from loads in all directions, unlike other guides that are only designed to withstand a load in one direction.

Linear bearings use recirculating balls held in place under tensions for movement. The high strength construction of the bearings make them superior to previous wheel motion in respect to load capacity, displacement accuracy and rigidity.

---------------------------------- Credits --------------------------------------

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