Just like the title states, I'd like to have a discussion in regards to bed size limitations. For the printer I'm designing, the bed size is roughly 400 mm by either 400 or 600mm with the bed being a 6mm cast aluminum plate fixed directly to the cantilever. The lifting mechanism will be a 16mm ballscrew and either 20mm smooth rods or liner guides. Does this seem reasonable, or am I being a bit optimistic?
My main concern is how much sag I'll get and how that will affect print quality. Lateral stability is also of concern.
I'm open to other Z solutions, but as I'm not using Chinese junk components, price is a factor to be considered. As an aside, I'm very opposed to the idea of more than one stepper for the Z-axis.
Any insight would be much appreciated.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2016 03:33PM by The Mechanic.