Linear actuators: integrated linear bearings and ball screws, useful for heavy duty mill?

John_Bump
Tue, 04 Feb 2020 03:52:31 +0000
CNC Routers

I have a sherline cnc mill. I’d like something with more travel and a LOT more rigidity. The Sherline lacks in two areas: the Z axis is just a single unsupported steel beam that serves as both the dovetail way and the motor support, and the headstock is cantilevered off it on a fairly short dovetailed slide.
I’m looking at some way to massively increase the stiffness of both of these.
One thing I’m considering is an integrated linear actuator, that has two linear ways with a ball screw between them, giving way better side to side stiffness and some increase in bending stiffness (that I’ll increase a bunch more by bolting it to a steel tube.)

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is the kind of thing I’m looking at.
Has anyone ever used one of these? Do you have any thoughts about how it would stand up to the kind of shock loading you get from milling?

8 posts - 3 participants