I'm in the middle of a redesign, replacing some plywood sections with 1/2" aluminum and generally stiffening things up.
My previous design had the motors in line with the screws, using flexible shaft couplers. I've had issues with the couplers "stretching" leading to significant inaccuracy in the machine.
I'd like to mount the motors for my Y and Z axes next to the lead screws and drive them with a short belt, sort of like this:
Attachment 383054
I'm a little lost on where to source short belts - the stepper shaft and lead screws are only a few inches apart, though I have some flexibility here as I haven't yet mounted the motors.
My motors are dual-shaft NEMA23s with 1/4" shafts, using 8mm lead screws. I've found lengths of GT2 belt that are open-ended, but that won't work for this.
Suggestions?