What is the best linear ways

[MBG]

Okay for the x axis (the longest axis) what do you guys suggest is the best linear way?


And slide from nippon thomson? A grounded rod? Or needle bearing cam followers on a ground flat stock. Or even neddle bearing cam followers on just cold roll steel


Please let me know your thoughts on all of these types of ways..

[DSL PWR]

Cam followers on crs is the best, and cheapest for a plasma table. Plasma cutting is a dirty operation, no matter what kind of table you have (water, air evac, or just open), and the super precision rails hate dirt. The plasma process can't hold any super good tolerances, so why spent the money ground rail? On my x axis I have 1 eccentric cam follower to snug the carrage up to the rail. I made 2 6" wheels with a 6202 bearing in the center, these carry the carrage on the top of the rail. Then to control the side movment I put 2 6202's on spindles and used 1 cam follower on the opposite side of the rail to pull the 6202's into the rail. The outboard leg only has a single wheel to hold it up. The reason I made 6" wheels is so if some slag, by chance, gets on the rail the large wheels can just roll over it, and not get hung up. Also, if a little red booger of slag does weld it's self on the rail, no real harm is done. You just scrape it off with a flat blade, and if it's really bad, touch it up with a piece of sand paper. Try that with a thomson, or ground rod.

Just remember the process you are dealing with. With most plasma ops you can get away with probably .05" and still have a decent product, as long as everything is square (x, y, and z axis)

Good luck.

[SNERLAND]

What about those cast iron V-groove wheels made to run on angle iron?
Wouldn't they run on CRS straight without having to have cam followers for alignment?

[MBG]

Cam followers on crs is the best, and cheapest for a plasma table. Plasma cutting is a dirty operation, no matter what kind of table you have (water, air evac, or just open), and the super precision rails hate dirt. The plasma process can't hold any super good tolerances, so why spent the money ground rail? On my x axis I have 1 eccentric cam follower to snug the carrage up to the rail. I made 2 6" wheels with a 6202 bearing in the center, these carry the carrage on the top of the rail. Then to control the side movment I put 2 6202's on spindles and used 1 cam follower on the opposite side of the rail to pull the 6202's into the rail. The outboard leg only has a single wheel to hold it up. The reason I made 6" wheels is so if some slag, by chance, gets on the rail the large wheels can just roll over it, and not get hung up. Also, if a little red booger of slag does weld it's self on the rail, no real harm is done. You just scrape it off with a flat blade, and if it's really bad, touch it up with a piece of sand paper. Try that with a thomson, or ground rod.

Just remember the process you are dealing with. With most plasma ops you can get away with probably .05" and still have a decent product, as long as everything is square (x, y, and z axis)

Good luck.

Would you have any pictures of this set up?

[MBG]

[MBG]

So anybody know how I can mount cam followers on this machine?

[millman52]

For best table accuracy I'd bolt down CR Strap along the top of your X axis. That way you can adjust the CR strap exactly parallel with each other.

The strap will also need to be wider than your box tube if you are wanting to run cam followers beneath the rail to keep the gantry held down.

[millman52]

What about those cast iron V-groove wheels made to run on angle iron?
Wouldn't they run on CRS straight without having to have cam followers for alignment?

I think the "V" groove rollers would track very well along CRR.

[MBG]

For best table accuracy I'd bolt down CR Strap along the top of your X axis. That way you can adjust the CR strap exactly parallel with each other.

The strap will also need to be wider than your box tube if you are wanting to run cam followers beneath the rail to keep the gantry held down.

I priced cam followers out. I would need 16 of them and they are about 60 each. That is about 1000 dollars worth of bearings.

[MBG]

Anybody? I need some help. I need to make the next step here on the build process..

1000 for 16 cam followers is a lot of money. Is this what everybody does?

[DRL]

A lot of people are using skate board wheel bearings instead of cam followers. You could buy 100 for $60. Just have to be a little more creative designing for them.
Check out a couple.
My Skateboard Bearings system design
Skateboard Bearings

Good luck
DRL

[MBG]

A lot of people are using skate board wheel bearings instead of cam followers. You could buy 100 for $60. Just have to be a little more creative designing for them.
Check out a couple.
My Skateboard Bearings system design
Skateboard Bearings

Good luck
DRL

Thanks, I found a place to get 1" cam followers for 16 each. I need about 16 of them