The LongMill Benchtop CNC has finally seen a revitalization in the form of its new MK2 design. In development since late 2020, many aspects of the design were sought to be overhauled in the name of everything the LongMill project stands for – low cost of manufacture, design simplicity, ease of assembly, and rigidity. With the MK2 all these improvements are brought further due to a complete reimagining of what the LongMill could look like with a redesign from the ground up.
MK2 distinguishes itself from the original LongMill project by a couple of key factors. Though many of the common components carry over such as v-wheels, lead screws, motors, anti-backlash nuts, etc. the biggest differentiator is the use of two completely custom-designed extrusions for each X and Y-axes which allow for much higher rigidity, ease of assembly, reduced part count, and more rigid mounting of the Y-rails to the tabletop surface. The MK2 design was also further optimized by the shape of the X, Y, and Z carriage plates to squeeze more travel out of the same length lead screws while also increasing the CNC’s rigidity by how the v-wheels are located. The blank canvas of the MK2 also meant we could ensure that add-ons our customers have been enjoying on their existing LongMills could be made available on the MK2 with much simpler implementation such as dust shields, dust shoe, and limit switches.
With MK2s shipping out our doors starting April 2022 it took a couple of extra months to get our CAD in order for public release but we also pride ourselves in doing as much 3D model clean-up on our end as possible before public release so that the design files are more ‘open-source’, as open sourcing not only comes with making designs available, but the spirit of open-source is also to make resources for replication as accessible as possible to the average person.
Check out and browse through all of the MK2s parts and assemblies here: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/59335d21bb649cd2b941a693/w/290c65d1d584435649b87e46/e/600153589e983bb0a499494f
Read more about our open-source project and other aspects of what you can download here: https://resources.sienci.com/view/lmk2-open-source/