It’s been a while since I posted anything because I’ve been waiting for the parts needed to upgrade the X-Carve, but now the re-build is on, and going well.
My plan has been to stiffen the x-axis beyond the 90-minute mod, so I purchased and installed the newer solid extrusion. I then wanted to raise the x-axis to allow more cutting depth. Here is a picture of the newly installed y-rail end plates (they’re a lot taller than the original; also pictured for comparison):
The credit for the end plates goes to Kansas City Kit Company, who posted a very interesting blog and made the dxf design file available for download. I had them water-jet cut from 6mm aluminum by a local engineering company. Here is a link to the blog:
I decided to paint my parts satin black to match the rest of the machine.
To make best use of the additional z-axis height I am installing an Openbuilds linear actuator:
I have replaced the original eccentric nuts with eccentric spacers and the lock nuts with flanged lock nuts. Next I will be replacing the 20t pulleys with 16t pulleys to accommodate new polypropylene belts. The theory is that they will be less susceptible to stretch, and from examining them against the original I can see why some users have recommended them.
Full height side-boards will be installed to eliminate flex in the y-axis extrusions, cut from 3mm aluminum composite.
Once all that is done I have a new vacuum hose setup to install which will have the hose run in a setup similar to a cable tray, along the x-axis and connecting to a similar setup along the y-axis. I came across some strong and very flexible 50mm hose, which has a copper wire coil running through it, making static management nice and easy. I’ll post more pictures once all the mods are complete.