cheap rack and pinion

[redneck79]

can anyone give me a suggestion as to where i can find cheap rack and pinion

[jmgreen]

how cheap?
jmg

[redneck79]

cheaper the better! I mean I dont want something that resembles a rusty wet noodle.

[zoltan]

Hi,

Just my opinion...try TEA Machines. They have an advertisement here on Cnczone.

Zoltan

PS: I have no connection with them.

[redneck79]

thanks for the info, ill check it out

[sanddrag]

What size are you looking for? The ones at McMaster are reasonably priced.

[jcc3inc]

Sir,

A good source of rack and pinion is Standard Steel Specialty Co. They are in Beaver Falls, PA, 724-846-7600. Unless you are running a VERY large machine, I would recommend 20DP, 20 degree pressure angle, 1/2" x 1/2" x 6 feet length. Part #200011 is 6 feet long, #200010 is 4 feet long. Pricing for quantities of 2 - 24 of #200011 is $23.20 each; shipping is extra, but I think UPS will take 6 foot lengths. They are strapped to a 6' board.

As to matching pinions, I think Boston Gear has them. You should try to have more than 18 teeth in the pinion on a 20 degree PA setup to avoid undercutting of the teeth. My notes show a 24 tooth Boston Gear #YA-24 lists for $15.46 each. With 24 teeth the distance per revolution will be
24/20 x PI = 3.7699 inches per revolution. An 18 tooth would yield 2.8274 inches per revolution. Ideally the pinion face width should be greater than or equal to the rack face width.

Regards,
Jack C.

[JerryFlyGuy]

Can you tell us more about your machine and what type of CNC work you plan to do? It matters greatly if you are building a machine to cut stone or to plazma cut 18ga steel. One thing to concider when specing a rack/pinion is how much force/load you plan to put on it. Also what type of speed you need and what resolution, you kinda have to design to match the whole package, not just one part of it.

my 2 cents.
Jerry

[monte55]

I am new to cnc and I have a thousand questions.........first of all, how do I start a new thread on this sight?
I want to build a 4' x 4' plasma/router table. I can weld, do some machining
with my small lathe and mill. I want it to be reasonably accurate. I have no clue about motors....steppers or servo-------
how to drive....belt, rack and pinion, acme thread-------
motors have different number of wires...what's that about?----------
bipolar and some other one I forget------------
I have been reading about different parts,motors, breakout boards,controllers,
etc but it's all Greek to me. I have looked on E-Bay and nobody seems to mention brand of motors.......what is good ?-----------
One guy on e-bay will make a 4x4' plasma/ router table w/xyz less controllers
and power supply for about $2500 plus $950 more for power supply and controllers........Is this a good deal? I don't want a flimsey piece of junk but I also don't want to spend 5-10 thou on it as most of you probably don't.--
Does anyone have a good 3 motor kit with power supplies,controllers, etc
possibly with software ready to connect to a computer less the actual table?
any and all info will be appreciated nick.... Monte55@aol.com

[Weldtutor]

Originally Posted by monte55 I am new to cnc and I have a thousand questions.........first of all, how do I start a new thread on this sight? email]

Hi Monte55,
Welcome to CNC Zone.

To start a new thread it goes something like this.
Go to the FORUMS area.

Then METALWORKING MACHINES.

Then CNC PLASMA, EDM and

Then, about 1 page down, NEW THREADS, above THREADS IN FORUM line.

This should bring up a yellow area in the screen to give your message a title, and the area for the body of your message/questions.

Eventually you will get responses from the many helpful members here.
Good luck with your project.

[txcowdog]

monte 55,
Welcome to a great new world. My best advice to you is just read... everything. I know that the Zone has become very popular and it is very difficult to keep up with all the new postings on a daily basis, but, if you will start reading every day you will build a wealth of knowledge in a very short time (2-3 months). After that you will have enough knowledge under your belt to ask specific questions that will advance your particular project. In the beginning... read.
I am glad to have you here. This is a great hobby.

[redneck79]

Thanks for the info Jack,

I am just in the research stage for a 4x8 plasma table right now, but I do have a design rolling around in the back of my head. I plan on using rack and pinion for the drive, and either v-groove or bearings and maybe some square stalk for the guide rails. I think I can get away with driving the long axis from one side as long as i spread out the guide bearings far enough on the drive side,and make the gantry light enough, there shouldnt be any chatter on the undriven side.I am just trying to get an idea of how much everything is going to cost before I jump into it with both feet.