Hey guys, just registered on this forum. Looks like a heap of good info to be had here
I have been slowly progressing on my own laser cutter for just over a year now, and have tried a few designs, which I have not been happy with.
I'd like to ask you guys for some recommendations on how I complete my build, namely, the X and Y table configuration.
Firstly, I tried this setup for the Y axis:
It seemed like the best way to do it, however I quickly ran into an issue. The Y support rails I was using were only 10mm diameter. I have now purchased some 20mm diameter rods in the same length, The X axis also uses 20mm rods.
You may thinking wwooaahh!! Way overkill for a laser cutter!! Yep, though I'm trying to make this machine as expandable as possible from the start, so if needed, I could just strap on a Z axis and a router and have a CNC mill. But, just working on laser for now.
So, my questions:
1. Steppers and belt drive. A while ago I purchased some belt for the machine. I was originally going to use leadscrews, but after finding the ones I had were warped, and that they'd probably be too slow, I decided to ditch them for a belt.
As you can see, the belt is being direct driven from the stepper motor. At the moment, there are 2 steppers on each X axis belt, thus 4 steppers to move the X axis. Originally I was only going to drive 2 of them, and the other 2 would just act as idler pulleys. However, these linear bearings require a bit more starting torque to get them moving compared to the V groove bearings I used to have.
So, would you guys recommend some sort of belt/gear reduction on my stepper motors? I believe, due to the weight of all the components, inertia is going to play a big part in the final speed of my machine.
2. The Y axis.
As you can see in the first pic, originally my Y axis was mounted to some vertical pieces of decently thick angle aluminium. The reason I decided to go for a vertical setup was to make mounting the lens holder easier. It would also make attaching a Z axis easier. My question here is, whether angle aluminium would be sufficient for the side supports, or may I have flexing/twisting issues?
So basically what I'm asking is, should I go for gear reduction on my steppers, or save for some bigger steppers? I was looking at these: http://ausxmods.com.au/index.php?mai...roducts_id=199
Seeing as they're fairly pricey, and after just purchasing a DSP, by budget is running a bit low for this, I was considering maybe purchasing 1 sual shaft one for the X axis, and a single shaft one for the Y axis. However, I'm not quite sure how much force 269Oz-in actually is. Do you think 1 of those would have any issues driving my X axis?
And secondly, maybe some design ideas for suing 20mm diameter rods as the linear rail. I notice most laser cutters use some kind of square rail for the Y axis, but I haven't really been able to find that. Also, living in Australia makes shipping a killer sometimes!
Cheers,
Dan