MakerSlide, Max Usable Lengths

Extrusions/Tubing/Hinges/Etc.

Re: MakerSlide, Max Usable Lengths

Postby Patrick34 » Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:21 am

@SSW
Most of the laser frames gain a lot of rigidness when the acrylic sheeting skins are bolted on. The sheeting, if applied carefully will keep much of the structure parallel and square.

Lasers, though similar to routers, are structurally different. The frames are much, much lighter because there is not high torque applied back to the gantry from a router head. And combined with the absence of any major weight like the router motor, the moving mass of the gantry is lighter as well. Lasers are built much more similar to an inkjet printer than a router or mill.

That being said, it's my opinion that the MakerSlide could never be rigid enough to be used on a router unless it used a Dremel rotary or similar small motor as the router head. Even in the case that you add support to the rails, the delrin rollers would wear quickly from the weight, and if you switched the rollers so steel, the MakerSlide itself would wear instead.

Scaling up the machine size on a laser is much easier because it can be scaled without a major weight change in the gantry. Also adding a bigger laser has no effect on the weight either.

I started this post because I was concerned about using the MakerSlide in a laser design in a 2'x4' area. I have found that I must add extra support to the rails, even though I only changed the length of the gantry by about 100mm. The deflection along my other axis would cause poor cutting near the middle of the machine.

I would tread lightly when applying the MakerSlide to a rotary tool design. But small machines for engraving, or making circuit boards are excellent applications for the MakerSlide in a router design.

It may not be impossible, but it is probably more trouble than it's worth. It really depends on what you want to do with your router.
-Patrick-

"Measure twice, cut once."
Patrick34
 
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:10 pm

Re: MakerSlide, Max Usable Lengths

Postby SSW » Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:11 pm

@Patrick34

Thanks for the insight. Makes a lot of sense. Lasers are always in a box enclosure.

I guess I'll stick with the tried and true "steel v-bearing on aluminum angle" method for the heavy router.

-- SSW
-- Bernie
SSW
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:26 am
Location: Michigan

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