hi guys i am the proud new owner of a hobbycnc.com 3 axis router. this router was built by my friend and he decided he did not want it anymore so now it is mine. so overall i am happy with the router but i really dont like the gantry on it. although it is functional for the original purpose i would like to do some 3d carving with the machine so i will need more z travel than the current design allows.

so my plan is to keep the base platform for the gantry and just build a new top for it. so my question is can i use 1/2 inch cell cast acrylic to build the support structure for my new gantry? the original gantry was built with 1/2 inch plywood so i think my new gantry should be just as strong with the acrylic. but since i have never built a machine before i thought i would ask for your opinions.

thanks for you help.