I have a 4040ex foxalien. I am wanting to change the x to a cbeam like this, C-Beam® Linear Actuator Bundle. I needing the Y axis plates to mount the new Cbeam to the the inside of my Y plates on my 4040EX machine. Having a hard time finding something that would work? Any help would be appreciated.
That looks rather like the Workbee design in principle. I don't know where you would buy those plates, but the design is freely available in various formats. OpenBuilds Workbee 1010 (40" x 40") Alex.
This connection doesn't provide sufficient rigidity for the X-axis. Connect the X-axis plates directly to the Y-axis gantry plates for a more rigid connection. Due to the narrow vertical spacing of the wheels on this plate you won't have much rotational rigidity on the Z-axis. Use the C-Beam® XLarge Linear Actuator Bundle - OpenBuilds Part Store instead. The XLarge C-Beam Gantry Plate - OpenBuilds Part Store in this kit offers much greater rigidity for the Z-axis.
Like this? That was what I was thinking also, I am a newbie when it comes to this. So I really dont know how to make these plates, or what can be used? I also like you idea of the X-Large C-beam….
Would like the plates that are in red, that would attach the X which would be a C-beam to Y of my 4040XE Foxalien. By adding this to the inside would be able to also raise the height of the Z… I really dont know what all would need to be machined or what might already be available? Or what all extra parts would need to be added to make this work?
If you're not in a position to mill them just order the plates cut to size. (You won't find the plates you seek on a ready-made on a shelf though as this is a mod not many people are making.) You can use your existing plates and the new end plates as templates to mark and drill holes for the new plates you are creating. One of the aluminum resources I've had success with is Cast Aluminum Tool & Jig Plate | Midwest Steel & Aluminum (midweststeelsupply.com). 1/4" plate is probably the thinnest you should work with for this. And be careful not to make the plates any taller than necessary. The taller they get, the more side-to-side sway the frame will have and this is bad for the quality of the cut. As an option you could also mount 20x80 extrusions vertically to the inside Y-axis gantry plates and use these instead of cut plates. There are plenty of examples of how to attach the C-Beam to the 20x80 risers in the forum using Cast Corner Bracket - OpenBuilds Part Store. (Check CNC Mills/Routers) This would offer substantial rigidity over 1/4" plates.
I did see that using the 20x80 extrusions. How would the 20x80 be mounted to my Y axis plate? Using the 20x80 would be the best option.
Drill some holes in the existing plates (4 would be sufficient) and run some screws from the inside out into tee nuts embedded in the slots of the V-slot. Not fully sure how this will interface with your system as all I can get are vague images of the Y-axis carriage plates. I can see there are bolt heads sticking out but I can't tell the spacing or the size on them.
Gotcha, the inside plate already has four holes in that plate. So it sounds like this might be simpler? Might be able to drill holes in the 20x80 and that go all the way thru to the y axis holes in that plate. Thanks for your help….
