steel tube build concept - 1500y,1000x,250z

[outtastep]

thanks Jazz,
appreciate the advice re. plasma
with the high Z, I know what you mean it is a real weak point- ill reduce this
I would however, like to keep the option of having large material fit under the gantry, (300mm)

if i reduce z travel by 100 mm and bring material up with a raised bed do you think the machine is more solid or still compromised by gantry height?

cheers ben

[JAZZCNC]

if i reduce z travel by 100 mm and bring material up with a raised bed do you think the machine is more solid or still compromised by gantry height?

Yes provided you keep the Distance or Z axis extension short then you won't have a problem. But this is still a slight compromise on overall machine stiffness because you still need to create that height in the first place which weakens the machine to some degree compared to short stubby design but it is the lesser of two evils I suppose.!

For machines like what you want then having a moving bed is best option because it gives the best of both worlds but keeps the machine stiff compared to just packing the Bed up.