Linear Rail Orientation?

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  1. #1
    yoobsterlol's Avatar
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    Default Linear Rail Orientation?

    So I've been looking around at other people's designs for a cnc, and I have been seeing a lot of rails mounted on the side of the machine, rather than mounted on top. If that's confusing, what I mean by that is the 2 rails for an axis would have the faces of the carriages < > rather than ^ ^. Is there a reason for this? Am I missing something, and is this the best way to orient Hiwin style rails?



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    Member ger21's Avatar
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    Default Re: Linear Rail Orientation?

    While there are some types of rails that have different load ratings dependent on orientation, generally, it doesn't really matter.
    Also consider that linear rails can typically handle 10x (or more) the loads that a DIY CNC machine will subject them to.

    Gerry

    UCCNC 2017 Screenset
    [URL]http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2017.html[/URL]

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    JointCAM - CNC Dovetails & Box Joints
    [URL]http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html[/URL]

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)


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    Default Re: Linear Rail Orientation?

    Quote Originally Posted by yoobsterlol View Post
    what I mean by that is the 2 rails for an axis would have the faces of the carriages < > rather than ^ ^.
    If you align the rails using the methods the manufacturer recommends having them in the same plane ^ ^ makes things simpler.
    Same plane, not < >.
    I think most people are letting the rails self-align and feel for binding and it seems to work fine in either orientation.
    If your machine is extremely rigid the manufacturer method is the way to go.

    Anyone who says "It only goes together one way" has no imagination.


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    Default Re: Linear Rail Orientation?

    The rails are much easier to align if you place them on the top surface but having said that, I mounted mine on the side as I could tuck them out of the way. I did give a fair bit of thought on how to align them vertically. IN this orientation, the torque handling is a bit less according to Hiwin but as has been said, its not significant enough to worry about.

    Rod Webster
    www.vmn.com.au


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Linear Rail Orientation?

Linear Rail Orientation?