[Weldtutor]

Thanks for the kind comment & your interest.

The roller (skate) bearings move very smoothly on the pipe axis rails. This was one of the pleasant rewards I experienced when the X & Y axis were first assembled. I probably rolled the gantry back & forth, by hand, for an hour or more. It seemed like it was "floating." :banana:

The Z axis has a 3/4" 6 TPI Acme threaded lead screw with a matching brass nut. This is from a satellite dish control arm as shown earlier, in post # 17 of this thread.

Currently the X & Y drives are being fabricated & assembled. These are #40 roller chains. A jack shaft will provide drive force to both sides of the X axis. More on these drives to follow, in future posts. The photo shows some of the hardware for the drives & their sub-assemblies currently completed.

[KSKID]

curious to know, what the determining factors were for you to decide on the drive system that you have selected for the X and Y axis, still trying to decide which way i should go, i like the direct drive blelt setup, less moving parts but would like to weigh all my options before deciding on one in particular.

[Weldtutor]

what the determining factors were for you to decide on the drive system for the X and Y axis,

Availability from stock, standard components, and 2 local suppliers were the main factors for me.

I also find chain & sprocket drive systems easy to work with & modify speeds.
These drives will provide the necessary power transmission & accuracy for this application.

Cable drives were first selected, but various pulley sizes, bore sizes & bearing types were difficult to source after a few initial purchases.

Ball screws & rack/pinion drives usually got responses like "we could order them for you."

Your mention of timing belts (with cog pulleys) certainly is worth consideration especially if suitable "surplus" items can be located. Again, suitable off the shelf items were not found by my searchs.