I am working on modifying the current CoreXZ design to use bent sheetmetal for the frame rather than lasercut MDF, and I have some questions about other design changes I am contemplating.
How sensitive is the XZ pulley system to weight? I am thinking of using U-bolts to secure the linear bearings because my current experience with zip-tied linear bearings is that they will eventually loosen and introduce slop/vibration into your motion system. I think that a properly sized u-bolt will be far more secure even if they are more costly. My main concern is with the weight sensitivity of the gantry when there is no power to the motors. Would using a bowden extruder be enough to offset the extra weight from a few small u-bolts?
Does the size or depth of the groove on the pulley bearings matter? I found some v-groove bearings on amazon with a much deeper groove than the 625VV bearings in the model. I can't see any reason why this would matter as long as the pulleys are all coplanar, but is there something else I'm missing that would be affected by the groove depth?
Lastly, I am thinking of making the design more compact. Is there anything about the pulley spacing that I shouldn't change, or pulleys that need to stay proportional distances to each other?
Thanks