Category:DriveTrains

Drive trains are ways to transform mechanical motion from the stepper motors or DC motors into a precise movement of the desired part of the RepRap.

Some of the articles in this category focus on one specific part of a drive train -- an improved gear, pulley, or rack-and-pinion.

rotary to linear motion conversion

Most drive trains convert the rotary motion of the motor into linear motion. There are 2 popular techniques used by most RepRaps and RepStraps so far:

• belt drive
• threaded rod (very popular for CNC mills): Screw-drivenLinearAxis

Other promising techniques currently under development that may turn out better than both include:

• rack and pinion: RBS/Rack; RepRap forums: "rack and pinion versus belt?"; "A printable, high speed alternative to belts?"
• "linear actuator" has a motor that spins a nut around a fixed, threaded rod.

overall layout

Other articles in this category describe the overall layout of a complete drive train, of which there are currently 3 major categories being developed by RepRap developers:

• serial Cartesian drive train (the first ones to successfully RepRap)
• serial polar drive train
• parallel drive train

(This is far from exhausting the theoretical space of all possible drive trains -- for example, there has been a brief discussion[1] of a parallel Cartesian drive train.[2], and the Columbus design has a partially parallel Cartesian drive train).

Have all possible ways to connect X, Y, and Z in series already been explored?:

• up-and-down axis supports one horizontal axis: Mendel, Doboz.
• one horizontal axis supports one up-and-down axis: WolfStrap
• up-and-down axis neither supporting nor supported by a horizontal axis: Darwin, Development:McWire
• ... is there some other series arrangement I'm missing?
• Is there any significant advantage or disadvantage of one series arrangement over another?
• Which (if any) parallel or partially-parallel drive train is better than the best series drive train?