We've all seen countless designs for the Z axis of our machines, and they all seem to work quite well. Stepper motors driving it, usually with screw drives, just like X and Y.
My question is simple -- is there any other way to design it, that makes sense?
I've had, stuck in my head, the idea of a cam...attached to a servo or a stepper. Considering the relatively short range of travel (1-2 inches from what I've seen on this forum) that's required, there are a number of ways to design this thing.
You can control the height with a cam, and have the simplest possible mechanism, as I see it. Just turn the cam until the router is at the desired height -- springs on either side could negate its weight, and make everything easier to turn.
Is there any reason why a cam is not used in this application? It seems the simplest solution, unless there is a limitation of some sort, that I've not yet spotted.
-- Chuck Knight