I am in the design phase for a new CNC, using supported rails with linear ball bearings and Kuroda ground ballscrews. Purpose is mainly milling of wood, plastic and the occasional small aluminum part.
I am a bit concerned about dust in the linear motion parts but I do not want to go with bellows due to cost, design compromises and loss of travel.
I would rather use a guided "curtain" (maybe 0.5mm clear PVC film) that goes all around the gantry box and moves together with the sled where the z-axis is mounted on. It would be quite easy to do with my design but is that a common method and where are the pitfalls, maybe some examples?
Another question is if that will do the job alone or if I should have positive airflow. I could for instance install a small computer fan with HEPA filter to create a flow of clean air from the inside of the box out. That should prevent fine dust from creeping in over time or is that crazy overkill? If I can keep it really clean I hope I might be able to use long-term grease lubrication for the ballnuts instead of frequent oil application.
Sorry if these are dumb questions but I am new in the hobby CNC stuff.
Thanks, JB