Ready Steady Eddy

[EddyCurrent]

Bearings till look too close together on Z axis.?

Bearings now 150mm spacing, drawings show Z axis at extremes of travel.

I'd also re-think having the profile for gantry bearing plates it's just not flat enough or strong enough. Profiled linear bearings won't tolerate much error so these areas are important, the profile will bend and impart twist on the bearings making them bind. To give an idea of how little just the thickness of piece of paper can be the difference between binding and smooth running much more and easily locked up.!!

Gantry rails are not on a profile it is steel box section to be bolted onto a base so it can be shimmed level. I've also read all about the epoxy leveling idea.

Listening to what silyavski is saying I've done an alternative for the Y rails, one pic shows the original position, the other shows the rail moved forward but is mounted over the inside vertical edge of the middle 80x40 extrusion instead of down the centre of it. I'm thinking the original is strongest.



Questions
1. I mentioned earlier that due to the standard ball nut I need 4mm shims under 15mm bearing carriages on Z axis so should I fit 20mm bearings instead without shims?
2. Steel or aluminium for gantry ?
3. Anything else to amend ?

One I get the gantry finalised I can try to estimated the centre of gravity and get the X axis bearings better placed.