[tkms002]

And if you want Hiwins, automation4less.com has from what I can see pretty good prices on them.

Well that is almost twice the price of automation overstock so I can't afford that but thanks.

[tkms002]

2) Having someone here in the states that stands behind their products is worth something. If you have problems, it's worth a lot.

3) I still spent $1500. They were more expensive than the Chinese versions they sell now.

Well I spent some time on the phone with Kent from Automation Overstock and I have to say he is a wealth of knowledge and a real talker.
Super nice and informative guy.

[ger21]

Never spoken with him, but have exchanged email several times. Excellent service when I had a minor issue with an order.

[minichopper6hp]

I guess i dont understand with the price of profile rails and ballscrews so low why people keep messing around with other options...

Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using Tapatalk

[wizard]

I guess i dont understand with the price of profile rails and ballscrews so low why people keep messing around with other options...

Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using Tapatalk

It is the difference between a business expense and a hobby expense. I know personally the funds simply are not there for an extravagant build so I've held off because I know I would not be happy with a flimsy machine. However I'm not an absolutist with respect to bearing selection, a lot of round rail problems would diminish if large sizes where selected. Of course that ups expense and pushes one towards profile rails. Round rails are often associated with unsupported rail systems which is clearly a bad idea on long spans.

I have to agree though that sometimes the decisions people make end up not making sense to me. Saving money by buying round rails and then making the entire machine frame out of extruded aluminum for example does seem like putting money into the wrong area. So yea the cash allocations on some builds don't make sense to me but those are not my machines nor my pocketbook.

The other positive for round rials is their freedom to rotate a bit on the linear rails. This can be a positive on wood framed machines that might not be perfectly flat with respect to to the rail mounting surfaces. Sometimes the project simply doesn't permit building good enough to justify profile rails.

[Black Forest]

One option that hasn't been mentioned is Alu extrusion with the insert that holds round rods. The bearings that ride on these rods are substantial. In my comparisons between the supported round rails with the flimsy wagons and the Item brand round rails and bearings they are miles apart in quality. But they are not inexpensive either. I like them for the ease of use.

[tkms002]

One option that hasn't been mentioned is Alu extrusion with the insert that holds round rods. The bearings that ride on these rods are substantial. In my comparisons between the supported round rails with the flimsy wagons and the Item brand round rails and bearings they are miles apart in quality. But they are not inexpensive either. I like them for the ease of use.

that is a new one
Where do you get that stuff?

[ger21]

Here's something similar.

Speed Demon OSG linear bearings and rails from LM76

[tkms002]

Hey Ger21, your PM box is full.

[ger21]

Try again.

[tkms002]

Here's something similar.

Speed Demon OSG linear bearings and rails from LM76

Ya I saw those but have never seen anyone on these boards using them for CNC.

[wizard]

One option that hasn't been mentioned is Alu extrusion with the insert that holds round rods. The bearings that ride on these rods are substantial. In my comparisons between the supported round rails with the flimsy wagons and the Item brand round rails and bearings they are miles apart in quality. But they are not inexpensive either. I like them for the ease of use.

There are actually a number of linear motion solutions out there that don't exactly fit into the profile rail category nor the round rail category. At work we have a large number of plastic injection molding machines that have various extractors attached. Some manufactures use the same old profile rails we see here while others have systems somewhat like you posted here. One could spend hours reviewing all the solutions out there, some have more potential than others in a router type machine.