[rrobb]

Has anyone tried to use a constant force or "clock" spring for a counterweight?

I was thinking about something like this:

https://www.vulcanspring.com/

It seems like you could come up with a pretty good system with a longer life and a more constant lift than a gas spring.

[eldata]

Has anyone tried to use a constant force or "clock" spring for a counterweight?

I was thinking about something like this:

https://www.vulcanspring.com/

It seems like you could come up with a pretty good system with a longer life and a more constant lift than a gas spring.

I'm guessing that one of the biggest issues with gas springs stems from the use of GSs with the incorrect rated force. The rule of thumb seems to be matching the weight to be countered with the rated force of the GS. Big mistake depending on the GS.

When looking for a GS for a X2 mini-mill, I followed advice/suggestions in this thread;

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/bencht...s_springs.html

Went and ordered a spring rated at 40 LBS. It proved to be totally unsuitable after installing. Pressing down on a bathroom scale with the 40 LBS GS could not produce any movement until the scale read a whopping 54 LBS. Based on that, I then ordered one rated at 20 LBS. The scale read 32 LBS when doing the same with the 20 LBS GS and it worked perfectly after installation. I could move the head to any position and it remained motionless. Also, the effort required to move the head felt the same in either direction at any location.

I converted the mill to CNC and that GS allows me to reach 250 IPM rapids on the Z-axis in either direction. Here's a shot of it;

Gas spring (4) photo - Eldata photos at pbase.com

[LUCKY13]

You know now that you meansion it a garage door spring would work quit nice. There even ajustable.


Jess