by TLHarrell » Wed May 09, 2012 4:06 pm
I don't see any major issue with running a tube on the gantry. You will need to account for not only power supply, but also cooling. This design greatly reduces the complexity of the optics, as you are running the laser in a single plane. The tube will need to be extremely well supported. Having a single set of mounts at each end, then trying high acceleration/deceleration will definitely break the tube. Also, I'd recommend having switches for both ends of travel on the gantry as you don't want to hit a hard stop and cause a shock load to the tube. You could run the power supply in the gantry, but will need a separate path of travel for the motor wiring/power wiring to prevent induction and noise. Good plan so far.
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