Driving the gantry on Z axis?

[Boyan Silyavski]

Stainless steel with moving gantry , may be , if the gantry was 2 tons, the spindle 20HP BT50 , ballscrews were 30 size and bearing blocks 35 size roller bearing.


These computers were testing me too. First broke my main one before 3 weeks. Changed disc to SSD. Great upgrade in speed and all. Then the one at the workshop learned and it also broke. Yesterday fitted it also with SSD . Good that my laptop has already SSD. Needless to say that after previous crashes learned my lessons so all CNC drawings are on mirrored discs + cloud storage

[Skipsoaring]

Stainless steel with moving gantry , may be , if the gantry was 2 tons, the spindle 20HP BT50 , ballscrews were 30 size and bearing blocks 35 size........

Okeydokey!! Aluminium it is then!

I'll also be using cloud storage. Just gotta get a new computer

[Skipsoaring]

Just had a read of this thread and found some of the fog lifting: http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/7112-...nium-etc/page1
I will be trying to build an extremely rigid machine, just won't be considering stainless as I feel it would be too restrictive.

[toomast]

Hi,
I had similar "vertical fixy" idea.
http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/7321-...x500x180-RIGID
Did not finished it though :( I also go with Silyavskis design.
Good luck!

[Skipsoaring]

Thanks for that Toomast.
Fixed gantry looks an idea.
When I think of a fixed gantry, I automatically 'see' the gantry fixed across the narrowest axis requiring a very long bed travel, 4m in my case! If built correctly am I right in thinking that there is no reason I can't have the gantry spanning the longest axis? This way my machine would be a smidge over 2x2m allowing for a cutting area of 2x1 or thereabouts with the bed moving across the shorter axis.
It was thinking about the size of the machine which got me thinking about having the gantry move as the z axis (as per the video in your thread).

[Skipsoaring]

...Just gotta get a new computer

Got a new computer today, went out to get a cheapy and came home with a mac, ooopps!

Before I get too carried away thinking about my second machine, I need to start my first machine (hot wire) so that I can get the money for the second machine (and somewhere to build it)