Im in the parts collecting stage of building a cnc router for panel making in my upholstery business, So far I have hgr20 2200mm rails for the Y axis, 1500mm for the x axis, An openbuilds complete electronics bundle with the ht nema23s, My next big decision is what to use to move it, Id like to build a pretty rigid machine thats capable of cutting up to 3/4 plywood at a decent speed, maybe occasional aluminum sheet, Im thinking ill build the frame for the machine out of steel 2x3 1/8 wall square tubing, maybe the gantry also, Ive looked at everything from chain drive to rack and pinion, I dont need .0001 accuracy, I just need it to be maybe.01 But i just dont know enough to know whats right for this build, Anybody care to chime in and shed some light on this subject?
Rack and pinion is probably your best bet for the 2200mm axis. Another thought may be a dual belted system but with much heavier grade belts. You could use a lead screw with the tensioning system for the 1500 mm axis and z axis.
Chain drives have been known to have wear issues which leads to accuracy issues. Doable if you keep ahead of it but the main problem you'll have is getting a small enough drive gear to where you have any power and any level of precision.
I have been searching post and ran across several where you had recommended 15mm gt2 timing belt with a 20t gear, Do you think that would be a decent option for this machine?
If I was building such a system I would probably go with an HTD (3mm) x 15mm belt as it nests better within itself in a dual belt configuration. A 20 tooth pulley should provide the proper amount of grip. Just don’t expect miracles with a belted system. It’ll take more passes than a r&p system.
I ordered some 15mm belt and 20t pulleys along with some idlers, I'll give it a try and see how it does, if it's not up to par I'll switch over to rack and pinion or ball screw, I want to cut at a decent rate but I don't need an industrial grade machine, just a decent functional machine for cutting plywood, mdf and acrylic
