Ouch my eye!

Finally the X axis movement.

The X axis movement is constructed of a light-weight thin-walled extruded aluminum [or some other lightweight alloy] channel. It needs to be lightweight in order to minimize the mass, allowing for higher movement speeds without overshoot. On it, rides the lens and focusing carriage. There is a belt that runs along the front, and then returns inside the channel to the stepper motor on the truck/carriage of the right-hand Y axis rail that moves the cutting head. The laser beam comes in from the left, via a mirror that sits on the truck of the left hand Y axis rail.

Unfortunately, because it is so light weight, this axis suffered the most damage in the fire. It is completely unusable as it is. The rail itself is warped into an arc, the belt is all but gone, and the head is encased in the molten glass from the viewing window. [I found out the top window was indeed glass, and not acrylic as I had surmised in an earlier post] I am hoping to get a replacement rail from ULS, but this may not be possible. If I can’t I will likely use some stock aluminum extrusions one can find at the local hardware store. This solution will be slightly heavier, but should still work fine.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.