A 'work in progress' v-rail option

[tulsaturbo]

So I have been listening to people who have contacted me concerned with having to rely on expensive specialty v-rails for their cnc projects. So I have started tinkering for the past couple of months on a new design which would eliminate the expensive v-rail and make building a cnc machine more affordable with locally purchased items from their local hardware stores such as Lowes, Home Depot and Ace.

The concept model that I built is called the 'MiniBot Fabricator' utilizing a square 3/4" tube rail, Superstrut framework with a 2' x 2' footprint and so far has exceeded all my expectations. This concept model has opened the door to another design that I call the 'EZ Rail Guides' that would handle larger cnc machines such as 4' x 4' or longer footprint. I designed it for both gear rack and belt drive. I'm currently waiting on the gear rack to arrive to set it in motion in the meantime I will go ahead and start fabricating the parts needed for the belt drive to see how that concept works out...

I also designed new carriages called 'EZ Rail Carriages' designed specifically for the 'EZ Rail Guides' for those not wanting to go through the hassle of engineering their own carriages and motion control. Looking at future possible issues with the design on longer rail machines such as sagging under a heavy gantry I have incorporated into the design with, what I believe to be a simple solution, of a anti-sag roller bearing to eliminate this potential issue.

For those interested in the all steel constructed 'MiniBot Fabricator', if I receive enough feedback I will consider producing this machine as a carriage kit as well.













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[tulsaturbo]

Although I'm really more in favor of a gear rack drive setup for my machines I went ahead and finished up today the optional belt drive setup as it would be a shame not to since it was designed for both...