I am in the process of building a CNC machine for woodworking and some metal working.
I purchased a Gecko G213V drive, Leadshine unregulated 60vdc PSU and a 3 Nm Nema 23 stepper for initial testing but have not used these yet.
However, things have now changed and my design has become much larger with a 700 mm x 600 mm bed
All axis use THK linear motion slides (Ball screw / linear bearing in one unit) which are very heavy.
The frame and gantry is made from cast 12 mm Aluminum plate.
I need to have access from the under the bed in the center so long pieces of work can clamped from under the CNC.
So I have decided to use two motors / linear slides for the Y axis motors, one on the left side and one on the right.
My question really is this. Would it be far better to use closed loop steppers for the two Y axis motors (Or all axis) so that if steps are lost the gantry will not twist and cause problems?
Hopefully closed loop would also give a better smoother & cooler performance all round.
I am looking at the Leadshine Closed loop ES-D808 Drivers and 3 Nm motors (x 2) for the Y axis.
This really puts up the price compared to a open loop 3 Nm setup.
Is it worth spending extra on branded Leadshine drives and motors or any other brands over lower cost unbranded units from ebay / amazon?
Any info, thoughts or opinions on this would be really good
Hello Paul - The gantry walking is prevented by having a very stiff gantry and connection to the bearings and a large bearing spacing. You are going to have huge power available via ball screws, unlikely you will loss steps. Using closed loop maybe overkill. Why not keep to the plan get it going then change it if needed? Peter
Leadshine or other closed loop steppers
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