One piece at a time
reprap #reprapproject
Quite impressive. Make sure you have room for adjustment for square, parallelism and twist.
The z axis leadscrew should not be constrained on both ends either, the straightness of leadscrews isn’t as good as a linear rod or rail.
Thanks for the pointers. I wasn’t sure if the leadscrews could be constrained on both ends or not. I was going to put bearings on the top to hold them, but I will see how straight they are when I cut them. I can straighten if I need to. We’ll see when I get there. I’m just playing it by ear, one part at a time, after I design it in Solidworks.
I’ve seen an arrow straightener to correct bad linear rods, you could do the same method. However it’s unnecessary. Think of the leadscrew no different than a belt. Flexible but conveys linear motion. The differences on the z axis caused by an open ended leadscrew from the leadscrew tilting are so negligible that you won’t be able to measure it. However the force from them laterally on a constrained leadscrew are quite apparent.
I also notice a flaw where the z axis shouldn’t be exactly in the middle of the y axis. The nozzle will most likely be offset from the axis. Calculate that, and adjust your z axis position so your nozzle is centered on the y.