Hi All. I have a friend who could use some openrail that's a bit beefier than the standard 20mm, so I've come up with a concept that I'm thinking about putting up on Kickstarter or Indigiogo. It's basically a beefed-up 30mm version of the 20mm openrail V-slot. The bigger section has a few advantages: - stiffer, particularly over longer runs (e.g >3m) - wider slot means that 6mm belts can be run in the slot without fraying - inter wheel distance is 80.5mm (20.5 + n*30, where n is the number of cell widths) - 8mm belt can be run in the slot with a new wheel design. There are also some disadvantages: - more expensive - wider slot is not compatible with existing wheels. The design is compatible with Bosch T-slot rail and components. If I can get this up, I'd like to make it available through the part store. Thoughts? Tony
I think a range of 30mm wide V slot would be very useful for cnc machines, 20mm is too light in weight in my opinion.
I've just finished my first Shapoko 2 build (1 meter by 1 meter) and while I think it's viable for lots of folks, I'm not sure it's strong enough for me and my needs. I do have a 1.5kw spindle on the machine after a DW660 proved to be a bit light for my taste and the weight of the spindle stresses the doubled 20mm V rail even with a 1/4"x 1 1/2" sandwiched in the middle. To solve this issue I'm planning a rebuild of the mill that will include gantry plates made from 1/2" aluminum plate, 15 series 8020 3"x 6" main cross beam, Z axis made from 1545 (1 1/2" x 4.5") moved by 3/4" acme threaded rod and 20mm linear bearings and supported rails. I'm using the Shapeoko to cut all my plates - cut very slowly, unless I can find somebody to cut them for me on a better mill. As you may guess, the only thing I'm keeping is the spindle and the bench it's built on. I will be posting everything in the builds area.
