i am planning a rack and pinion. it seems most cost effective - unless i find some 1 or 2tpi ballscrews on ebay right around when i am gonna order the rack, pinion, friction belts, and reducer pulleys.
yep.. for most practical purposes you will find yourself still needing toothed belts and pulleys. pulleys are shockingly priced - $30-$50 each. belts are like $10-15 for the 12" loops i want.
so, really its just that precise linear motion requires money. repeatability and real accuracy are difficult to achieve on a budget.. thats why i expect to spend $300-500 on just belts, pulleys, rack, pinions.
for a 3ftx3ftx10" table designed mostly to cut high density modeling foam, REnshape, and other fairly easily machines materials.. the parts this machine is going to cut are going to be mostly complex 3d shapes though, so i need speed and repeatability..
plan on at leat $1500 for a decent table...unless you have access to cheap or free components...
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