I am going to switch from Vertical (26 deg) and go to a Horizontal layout. I have been dealing with to many things I feel are related to vertical orientation with my space constraints. I have been seeing inaccurate cuts with as big as 20mm waves on straight cuts, M4 base tilting off of the work surface, high motor current warnings, difficulty getting the work piece in and out and tired of climbing up and down to connect/disconnect anchors without worrying about the M4 falling.
My space for a horizontal layout is much larger and on a flat concrete slab. I have been using the excellent frame calculator at Maslow frame and reading the threads related to frame size. The best fit for my space is to go super size. 3937x3937. To do this I would need to add extensions to the belts to get a total safe length of 4557. I will build aluminum extension rods with a clevis on each end that are about 600mm pin to pin. I can also easily set each anchor height to match the arms of the M4 to keep all the belts in plane with spoil board and just use the workthickness variable. (thoughts??) The cutting area this provides according to the frame calculator is 2504x2504 or about 8’x8’ for us old folks. Keeping inside of the 140max/130min angles reduces the area but a full 1220x2440 is possible with only a small trespass beyond the 130min angle (thanks to the work from arjenschoneveld). I mostly cut large theater set pieces and require long straight accurate cuts for many builds.
I welcome feedback/thoughts/etc from everyone. @bar, @dlang do I need to change some yaml settings for the “longer” belts to keep calculations working correctly?
@bar, @dlang do I need to change some yaml settings for the “longer” belts to keep calculations working correctly?
Currently the maslow only supports belt extensions that are rigid (like the belt
end pieces). Ian did extensions with 1" square tubing and it worked well (by
changing the belt-end-extension variable.
since your extensions are going to move in the Z direction, that will add a
slight amount of error. If you can raise the belt anchors so they are close to
horizontal when cutting (each belt at a different height), that will minimize
that error
you may want to look at the bolt down anchors I created at
I broke one and reprinted it, but haven’t had a chance to try the new version
yet.
These have internal structure, so you want them to be solid, 0% infill but lots
of perimeters and top/bottom layers until all walls are solid.
Thanks Dave. I can make the end of the extension rod that connects to the anchor include a bearing and design to minimize any droop in Z and while minimizing resistance in X-Y swing when under load. I planned to make aluminum blocks to attach to the 3/8” floor imbeds. thanks for the CAD files, those look sweet.
Just double checking the .yaml file variable is “max_travel_mm: 4000.000000“.
Any suggestion on the size for the anchor locating grid?
Thanks Dave. I can make the end of the extension rod that connects to the anchor include a bearing and design to minimize any droop in Z and while minimizing resistance in X-Y swing when under load. I planned to make aluminum blocks to attach to the 3/8” floor imbeds. thanks for the CAD files, those look sweet.
Just double checking the .yaml file variable is “max_travel_mm: 4000.000000“.
that is not yet used, and it doesn’t include the belt-end-extension variable
that you will need to set, so you should not need to worry about it.
Any suggestion on the size for the anchor locating grid?
as large as you can make it and not fall off of your material or go into the
corner areas. if you have extra material around the edges to keep the sled from
tilting, go a full 4x8
I would suggest you make the extensions as long as you practically can. With hindsight I wish I had made them 1.5 metres. The rigidity reduces the belt stretch effect, and you don’t have to wind as much belt out when connecting. I also use mine for theatre props and backdrops. I don’t bend as well as I did when younger so prefer to have it at a more manageable height. My anchors are fixed to the walls in an approximate rectangle 4 x 4.5 metres and at the height of the belts when Maslow Z fully down. If it was on the floor it would be possible to put a wheel on the end of the extension to hold it at a constant height.
I drilled a hole in each end of each extension, one end is fixed to the pivot point with a 1/4 in bolt and the other I drilled at 11 mm and drop a bolt through it and through the belt end. So far, working well. I had to change the Z values to 10mm as it appeared there was a divide by 0 error, which may have been fixed in a later release.
Good luck with this.