Central carriage in one single block: possible?

Mostly Printed CNC - MPCNC Hardware Development
1

Hi guys,

I was wondering, according to you, if there is any potential issue you can think of about making the central carriage of the MPCNC in one single piece, instead of 4?

IMO, the biggest advantage would be rigidity, and potentially the possibility to attach different guiding systems for the Z axis. For instance, normal tubes when it comes to 3D printing, vs linear rails bearing when it comes to CNC milling, for precision and speed.

I’ve got this idea in my head for a while now and I would like to give it a try, but I’d like to hear some other people’s input to make sure I didn’t forget something important, or maybe to integrate some cool suggestions before I start the design.

Hope to hear from you!

2

Strength, 3D prints are really strong in the xy directions, not in the Z.

I am working on a different idea though…

3

I plan to print it with a 1.2mm nozzle, prints usually come out super strong with this diameter.
But that is indeed a thing to consider, I didn’t know that, thanks

4

That would be a crapton of plastic too!

5

I don’t have a 1.2mm nozzle, so my biggest problem would be the failure in the 23rd hour of printing.

Also, won’t you have trouble with overhangs/support? Certainly an expert print.

But it’s only a few dollars in plastic. Give it a try! You’ve got a printer big enough for it.

6

The platform mod seems like quite an interesting idea, and could probably have the amount of individual parts reduced.

I’ve not tried it, though.