EMC2 or Mach3?

[KHK]

Have you looked into a timing belt drive?

[brucer]

i have looked at belt drive setups, i'm not sure how to base the design of a belt setup.. i dont know but a belt setup seems a bit more complicated. to me....

i've been kind of leaning towards a rack drive setup myself....

if i go leadscrew the acme lead screw thread i was considering was a 1/2-10 5 start, how would i even begin to figure out what kind of rapid speeds i would have using a lead screw with whichever motors i purchase?

[Gadget]

I have Nema 23 305in steppers and 5TPI 3 start acme screws on mine and can't get more than 90IPM. There is no set formula that I know that will tell you how fast your rapid speeds will be with different setups. It's really a trial and error. Ask others what they have and their speeds to get an idea is the only suggestion I can give. One thing I can say, the higher the rpm of the steppers the more likely they are to drop steps. If you gear it too high to get fast speeds with low motor rpm you may not have the power to push a router through material.

[brucer]

Have you looked into a timing belt drive?

keith,

i come across a belt drive build, it has me thinking now, seems simpler than i first suspected.... seems like it would be a bit cheaper as you stated.. what type of belts are you running? where did you purchase your belting,i'm guessing msc or mcmaster carr or carr lane?

my frame dimensions are going to be 54"x 40. my frame will be made of a mix of 80/20, aluminum and steel corner brackets. the gantry will be made out of mostly aluminum the main beam will be 80/20 maybe 2 offset beams of 80/20 and aluminum skates and brackets... do you think 3/8 belt would be stout enough?