Hey gang,
I built a prototype gantry robot for precise and fast hot melt adhesive application that was well received on our shop floor and I now have a budget to scale up and build a production machine.
As fortune has it, I had an old folding carton sample maker (tangential controlled oscillating knife and scoring wheel, with no Z-axis) with a robust steel frame fall into my lap for next to nothing. The X-axis (gantry) is ~7' long and the Y-axis (table length) is ~4.5' (ideal for my application). The gantry is rack and pinion driven with slaved servo motors at each end and the carriage is rack and pinion driven with one servo motor.
Attachment 405166
The electronics are circa mid-80s and the servo motors only have 175 oz-in stall torque, making the motion pretty darn slow. The gantry is stoutly made and weighs in at 160 lbs. And I will be adding to that a Z-axis and glue head, approximated at 40 lbs.
I will be replacing the entire electronic package and want to significantly increase the speed and acceleration (hoping for at least 500 ipm). BUT, I am constrained by the existing motor size (NEMA 23), reduction gearing, and rack and pinion.
Can any of you CNC Zoners help me select the appropriate motor type (stepper, servo, brushless servo) to max. out speed and acceleration given the existing gear train?
Also, before I dump a small fortune into the electronics, I need to predict whether this set up will be able to obtain the speeds I'm hoping for.
I've reviewed the Arvid's motor selection guide, but it's not geared (pun intended) for rack and pinion drive trains.
Thanks in advance,
Matt