After much looking, thinking, calculating, etc., I'm currently thinking Dynomotion K-Flop for controller regardless.

Then use the biggest stepper motors from Zapp combined with high voltage drives (£285 for motor+controller) combined with encoders from US Digital (aprox. £120 per axis for E3 or E6 single ended, or £140 for E6 differential). Then close the loop in the K-flop, as that means I can kill the power to the drives, and still have the k-flop/mach know the axis position by having the encoders on a seperate power supply.

Plus at current prices, it works out around £100 an axis cheaper than the Leadshine closed loop option, and gives slightly more power, aswell as having encoder outputs easily accesible.


I do already have one of ArcEuros biggest steppers, a Gecko G203V and all the required power supply bits sitting doing nothing, but I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle of setting up the Gecko and powersupply, as if i upgrade in future, it will all have to be ripped out, whereas a high voltage drive will almost be a swap out replacement for a servo drive.