Originally Posted by
jcc3inc
Sirs,
Why not use rack and pinion as the long axis drive? Use (2) gear racks, one each side!
At one time we made a small plasma machine (3 and 4 feet wide) where we used a single cross shaft having drive pinions on each end; these pinions were engaged into gear racks set onto the table with the teeth pointing UP on left and right sides. The drive motor was attached to one end of the cross shaft, and the cross shaft stiffness was increased via a tube (driveshaft approach).
It worked well; both sides of the carriage obviously moved in sync. The disadvantage was that the rack teeth pointing up tended to collect dirt.
There's a good simple solution.
Regards,
Jack C.