Originally Posted by
Falcon69
I believe it will cut aluminum without a problem.
It's not really a belt drive. It uses the belt to do a 2:1 ratio step down. But I'm going to be using a rack and pinion design. The belt is only for the Drive assembly. The Belt will be under tention and there will be a heavy duty spring keeping the drive assembly meshed together with the Rack. This is a great way of making sure that the pinion has contact with the rack and all times, plus, as an added bonus, you don't really have to have the rack perfectly parallel with the pinion because of the spring keeping the tight tolerance between the rack and pinion. I got the drive assembly parts through CNCRouterParts.com. Ahren is nice guy and happy to answer your questions.
The z-axis is the most complicated design, yes. But, I believe the way I have it design is probably the most ridgid. The ridgidity of it should be strong enough for cutting aluminum. I'll be using a 3-1/4 HP Porter-Cable router.
One thing you have to keep in mind also, and what was I told, is that once you get your pieces welded up, anywhere you have a bearing block or rail mounted, you need to get it machined flat. That's what I will be doing to all my axis' once I get it welded up. Just like where I live, I'm sure there's many shops around you that can do the job. If you want an accurate machine, And you plan on putting some money into your machine, the extra amount it costs to get the parts machined flat will go along way in how your machine operates.