Any idea how to design a 5th axis around a 4th one such that Z travel and the length of cylindrical parts are not extremely limited?
Maybe tilting the tool is a good way to go while retaining the ability to work on larger parts.
But I can only come up with ways to tilt the tool left and right (on the portal) but not back and forth (away from the portal) without loosing all rigidity.
Ok, I’m not clear which axis is which, but the design I saw that I liked the most was:
The entire X=axis (ie the part of the gantry that goes across) was mounted on a plate that could tilt. It didn’t look like the plate could go very far though. I guess it only had 45 degrees of total movement(ie 20 degrees on either side of vertical), but the plate is gonna be pretty rigid.
The z axis was mounted on a vertically oriented spining table, with probably 120 degrees of range.
Hope that makes sense.
Let’s set some defined axis names to be able to discuss:
Z=height
mounted to X stage
wich in turn moves along the Y stage.
A turns around the X axis
B around Y
X around Z (e.g. vector knife)
Y is the longest axis here.
B exists and is mounted to the bed
I’m looking for a way to do A.
_
I could mount my B as an A on the bed.
Then an A axis by tilting the Z stage left and right would be easy but that severely limits the maximum length of part I can mount to the (short) length of my X portal instead of the Y bed length.
I think I’m not understanding something the same way as you. You have a bed, with a gantry over it. The gantry moves in the Y axis… The tool head from left to right along the gantry, that’s X. The Z axis moves the tool nearer and farther from the bed.
I think that’s what you’re saying too…
Tilting the tool left-to-right, I would say that’s a rotation around the Y axis, right? So that’s B. A is a rotation around the X axis. That would tilt the tool forward/back. that’s the one that I think you could do with minimal impact to build volume. I need to make a drawing.
Yes, rotation the tool around A around the X axis (back+forth) is the one that gives the most build volume.
However I have no idea how to do that.
http://joannaland.ca/Images/marcusX
look at the image above. Imagine replacing the X span of the gantry with this object, and mounting your z to the rails. X and Z function unchanged, but you could install a motor that rotates the whole thing in the A axis. The A motor mounts on the side of the gantry opposite X.