Devlog #2: These Ball Screws are Gonna Haunt Me

Overview

I’ve been working on redesigning the basic frame, and I’ve just about got the Z-axis CAD and ball screw mounting done. I’ve got plans in mind for the rest of the frame, but till then, here’s what I’ve got to show.

What’s New

• Wrapped up the Z-axis CAD, adding the motor and ball screw mounts
• Laid out the aluminum extrusion base

All pretty basic until I got to designing the ball screws for the X and Y axes. A year ago, I foolishly bought the parts for this machine when working with my old design :(. The ball screws were way oversized due to the 3D-printed mount I made (Image attached), and the mount for the screw nut would require me to take apart the whole gantry (screws facing the wrong direction).

Cause I don’t want to order new parts, I’ve made a solution using some offset plates; it took a little playing around (second image).

What’s Next

• I’ll be getting back to documentation on my repo soon!
• Figuring out how to accommodate the ball screw length; they’re still too long for the size of rails I have.