Effect of Forces on Gantry Cross-Sections?

[Jonathan]

I will have a go at the analysis tomorrow evening and report back...approximately what distance do you expect between the tool tip and the bottom of the gantry?

am i reading this right that mounting on steel box section is a no no?? if so how big of a problem are we talking here?

Yes, mounting on opposite sides of steel box section is a no-no since the distance between those sides when the steel is manufactured has a much greater tolerance than for aluminium. This means that there is a high probability of the dimension being sufficiently even for the bearings to run smoothly upon the rails. Profile rails especially tolerate very little misalignment, so it is important to ensure they are mounted accurately to avoid premature failure due high stress.

[WandrinAndy]

...approximately what distance do you expect between the tool tip and the bottom of the gantry?

Could you use some hypothetical distance at this stage... I'm more interested in a general comparison and haven't got to the Z-axis of Mk1 design yet and things may well change if the recent past is a good yardstick... lol

Are you able to volunteer a distance you would like to be used Adil?

[Iwant1]

Are you able to volunteer a distance you would like to be used Adil?

Erm, if I'm understanding it correctly the vertical distance is about 5 inches, but depends on the length of the tool also.