GG Flex V 2.2 kit on ebay

I just saw the kit on ebay and it looks like its using the same or similar spindle setup as the GG? Would this work better than the router method?

The router spindle was chosen (both in testing/beta and for our first public release) because of availability and relative affordability - which are both guiding focuses for the project.

The BLDC head has gone through three different testing versions, but we've finally settled on a decent, mostly printed design to fit NEMA23 brushless motors. The whole setup is around $140 in parts and more closely matches the factory GG2 (and the motor can actually be matched with the factory GRBLDC controller/driver if desired).
Unlike the 2.0/2.1 modular toolhead system, the BLDC is a full parts swap of the toolhead and Z-bearings/carriage (which is honestly about as easy given the install issues that people have had with the modular head and the fact that the Z shafts slide out from the rear of the machine allowing the head to be lifted out).

DD hasn't yet published many projects that use the lower RPM, mild steel milling capability of the BLDC head, so the router spindle will handle about 95% of jobs that are officially published, and the upgrade definitely isn't necessary to general machine functionality.
I do have a few steel milling projects on the horizon and also have some parties interested in using the BLDC for precision grinding work, so there will be more support and use of the feature in the future.

Most of the other 2.2 changes are printed parts changes and can be upgraded by users with minimal swaps. The top bar has been removed and replaced with more constrained X-motor mounts, the 90-degree/5-hole corner plates have been swapped for single-piece printed corners, endstop mount holes attached to the main parts, and the MAX parts have been swapped to being standard (adding about 35mm more Y travel with a given ballscrew length, and allowing the use of 50mm longer X ballscrews in a given envelope).

Is the complete kit not being sold on eBay any longer? I see the basic kit, but I can only find the complete kit on ggflex.com.

bigtex52 wrote:

Is the complete kit not being sold on eBay any longer? I see the basic kit, but I can only find the complete kit on ggflex.com.

Not currently, for a handful of reasons;
1. The printed parts supply chain was a nightmare at scale. The parts were prone to damage, turnaround times were unpredictable and drawn out, and QC often ended up with a lot of wasted parts. Two particular parcels being damaged in shipping on their way to me (one was dropped in handling, the other was stored in a UPS truck warm enough to warp the parts) when I had 60 standing orders last month resulted in a full month delay for around two dozen customers. Obviously not something I can regularly allow to happen, and the issue will only get worse as order volume increases...
2. The FLEX is starting to get modular enough that it's simpler and cheaper from a user perspective to have the different major components offered separately. There's a bit of a learning curve attached, but familiarizing oneself with the components to make the machine is essential to a successful build anyways, so I figured we might as well present the challenge/experience up front... especially if that experience saves people the trouble of ending up with a control board and extra printed parts and a trim router that they paid for but never ended up using for their particular build because it came with the basic kit...
3. The Builder Kits are now being sourced from a single third party (compared to five separate distributors/manufacturers I had to coordinate for the first few rounds of kits), and I am working with them to have complete kits on offer again in the future. We're still working through a lot of the details, but ultimately the timetable of having those complete kits is mostly on their terms.

That said, if their retail version of the 'Complete Kit' isn't shipping within the next month or so I'll probably periodically throw up a number of kits sourced elsewhere. I have two prospective new parties helping out with printing and should be getting a lot of those issues ironed out, but we likely still only have the capacity to turn out about 40-50 kits per month.

There is some talk of a crowdfunded offering once all the advanced features have been implemented (the 4th and 5th axes, BLDC spindle, 32-bit controls, smart material probing, 3D-printing extension, etc.) which would likely be around a $800-1000 machine with features aimed at a wider audience.

FYI, the GGFLEX.com listing is only allowing PayPal checkout currently (the site's other payment options are locked because I'm not actually the admin - he's been MIA for a while), and I've been contacting buyers through there about their orders - basically that there have been around a dozen changes since that listing went up so it has a bunch of inaccurate details, and that the advertised shipping time is also incorrect, currently requiring about 3-4 weeks and shipping as three different parcels from three different locations.

any eta on the NEMA 23 printed parts? I'd love to print it out and get it together with that configuration.

No updates?

I know that the GG2 nor the GG3 are able to do this, but I was just curious as to if you think the updated setup would be able to mill say an ar15 lower, or 1911 frame out of a single Is billet of aluminum? Like would it have the structural integrity and/or power to do so?

now you know how to build one... build a big one.. some people on here you see talking about max spec. there are a couple different max spec parts in the repo.. but honestly you are going to want to print some better components especially if you stick to the plastic on the z-carriage instead of metal fabing up a new something. ill tell everyone in a bit if 2020 extrusion is strong enough..i have one built and i had it running last night until the cheap power supply died. ive a hunch i will wish i had gone with 4040. but that takes cad work to refactor some parts. Ive seen some photos somewhere on here where EEM was milling a complete lower on a max spec.

Milling is also a combination of speed, heat, and amount. A GG3 is designed to be able to handle steel at a reasonable amount of speed. You hear talk all the time about the GG2 being able to do steel but it officially is not supported.

Think about it this way. You can use a hacksaw to cut a large piece of steel but a band saw will cut it much faster and straighter.

well yeah... steel is a different animal... going to have to build it out of steel to handle steel. that said... the 2020 seems to be doing ok at the moment. i should put together a bill of materials for a max spec and make it easy. i did some reinforcing on this one and immediately could see a difference. i wish this makita rt701c would spin just a little faster.. ill have to go back and change my gcode to get the feed rate right