LaserCutXAxis
General
This page and its peers should guide you through assembling a RepRap Lasercut Mendel from the TechZone kit, or from parts you have laser cut which are the same as the TechZone parts. It is a work in progress, and needs some help, feel free to edit this document to add comments of you your own, or contact us [here] and send us messages asking us for better clarification or details.
I am starting by posting the pictures I have, and over the next few days, I will fill in the instructions and detials (6 April 2011)
Thanks,
Lambert (TechZone R&D/Support/Documenter)
You can access this page and it's peers (for the other parts of the Lasercut Mendel assembly from the TechZone Lasercut Mendel Page
Contents
Whene assembling the X Axis, assemble the parts just finger tight, and into aproximate areas. When it is all together, we will fix things by measurements, and tighten them up.
X Carriage
On the left is a picture of the parts used to make the X axis carriage (some people call it a shuttle) It is shown assembled on the right:
The Image here shows the 180 Degree bearing piece already installed to the Carriage, use (2) 30mm bolts with nuts and washer to do this, the head of the bolt goes to the bottom and the nut goes on top of the carriage (top of the carriage is the smooth side). These two bolts should allow you to adjust the tension with which the bearings ride on the smooth bar, but it is easiest to make this adjustment after the axis is all assembled, so leave them fairly loose for now.
Z180 and Z360 Degree X Axis Idler and Motor Mount
We use the parts shown on the left to make the assembly shown on the right. The parts are:
To assemble them, place the X Axis smooth bar clamp onto the same side of the Idler as where the belt idler bearings are sitting. This clamp is not symetrical and will fit differently if turned aroud 180 degrees. I cannot tell that it makes any structural difference which way you put it, but in one directions it seems to fit in a more asthetic manner. Then place one of the Z 180 parts on each side and use the three 3mm X 30mm bolts to hold them together. Do not tighten them yet, you will need space to fit the smooth bars under the clamp.
Your assembly should now look like the photo at the top right of this section.
Z360 Degree portion
On the left is a photo of the parts used to build the Z 360 portion of the X Carriage, an assembled shot is on the right. The parts used in this are:- (2) Z 360 - printed parts
- (2) Z Nut Retainers - printed parts -Make sure you have prepared them for use with the steps above
- (6) 623zz ball bearings
- (8) 3mmX20mm bolts
- (8) 3mmX30mm bolts
- (16) 3mm Nyloc nuts
- (30) 3mm washers
- (1) 6mm nut
Do this to both of the Z 360 printed parts.
Finally, bolt the two parts together, using two 30mm bolts, and 4 20mm bolts. The finished product should look like the unit in the photo above right. Don't tighten these bolts yet, we need to slide smooth bar into them in a few minutes. (leave them REALLY loose).
Below are a few extra photos I had, which may help make the assembly more clear - or not...
X Axis Motor Mount
The X Axis Motor Mount is assembled as shown on the right, from the parts shown on the left.Parts used to assemble this are:
- (1) X Axis Motor Mount - printed parts
- (1) X Axis Bar Clamp, motor end - printed parts
- (4) MudGuard/Fender washers
- (2) 623zz bearings
- (4) 3mmX20mm bolts
- (4) 3mm nyloc nuts
- (18) 3mm washers
--NOTE-- the bar clamp looks very similar to the idler end bar clamp, but, the motor end has a recess in it for a bolt head, so that the bolt will reach far enough in to connect to the motor when we mount the motor.
I needed two washers on one side and three washers on the other side of the bearing, in order for the belt to fit correctly. You may need a different number of washers than I needed. The way to test it is to make your stack, and then see how your belt fits. The belt should fit, with just a little extra room.
Put them together
We use the parts we assembled above (shown on left) to complete the unit as shown on the right.The list of parts used is:
- (1) X Axis Motor Mount - assembled above
- (1) X Axis Z 360 portion - assembled above
- (1) X Carriage - assembled above
- (1) Z Nut Retainer set - assembled above
- (1) X Axis Idler assembly - assembled above
- (2) X Bar Spacers - printed parts
- (2) X Axis Belt Clamps - printed parts
- (4) 3mmX30mm bolts
- (4) 3mm nyloc nuts
- (4) 3mm washers
- (2) X Axis Smooth bars - these are the longest smooth bars in the set, aprx 295mm (11-5/8") long
Squaring, and truing the size/shape
The squaring and truing of this axis is fairly simple. We want to make sure that the X Carriage 180 side has good contact between the bearings and the smooth bar. We want to make sure that the Z smooth bar will fit and ride in the 360 and the 180 sides without too much tension.
The X Carriage 180 is adjusted by means of the two bolts that hold the bottom bearing portion onto the main carriage. Simply loosen or tighten them as needed. There should be just enough tension for the bearings to make contact with the bar.
The Z 180 side is the easiest of the three, we don't check to make sure there is enough tension at this time, but we want to make sure ther is not TOO MUCH tension. The bar should fit between the bearings on the 180 end and should not rub on the plastic parts when it is "nearly" centered in the bearings.
The Z 360 side is the most temperamental. I often have to trim the shoulder between the straight bearing and the angled bearings. I trim it with a knife. The amount I have had to trim is very small when I have everything else adjusted well. The bar should go down through both sets of bearings and not rub on anything. If it is rubbing, I would first check to see that the parts are all fitting together as they should and the two 360 bearing clamps are parallel to each other. A common mistake here is to have the nut end of the bolts holding the 360 bearing and the Z nut retainer turned towards each other, rather than the heads of the bolts (take a close look at the pictures above, the nuts are on the outsides of the assembly, not the inside).
I have not posted pictures with this explainations, since I am not sure what to take pictures of to better describe the adjustments (other than the pictures in the steps above). If you have some please add them to this gallery... or send them to me and I will add them (see how to contact me above, I will send you my email address).