tof1, As a end user, I like the miniture air cylinders for several reasons. For one the pinion gear preload is infinitely adjustable to your what ever you like just by turning a knob on the air pressure regulator. Should I desire to move the gantry or Y axis by hand I just turn off the air and pull the pinion away from the rack. They are very durable yet simple requiring only a small air regulator and some plastic tubing to complete a system. I don't recall seeing any other cnc plasma machines using them other than Dynatorch?
If I were a machine builder I would be attracted to their ability to push or pull in a confined space such as in the picture I posted of the Y axis carriage. From what I have seen in the catalogs they cost little money and there is an array of mounting brackets and styles of cylinders offered.
Since I build custom parts for street rods, I am on a daily basis modifying, upgrading and redesigning things to make them look and perform better even if it is only a small amount. I look at my CNC plasma in the same way. When I think of springs versus pneumatic cylinders for my plasma its a no brainer. And since Dynatorch offers all these parts as a bolt on it was an easy install at the time.
Last edited by magma-joe; 08-01-2009 at 08:18 AM.
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