Hi Guys,
Has anyone tried using a jack screw mechanism for the z axis ?
Wondering if its an experiment worth considering.
Regards,
Hussain
Jack screws as in the types used to change your car tire? [edit] post a pic of the type your referring to.
@MidnightVisions Yes the one that changes a car tyre.
It looks like it would make for a more stable z axis instead of the cantilever set up. Mounting the motor would be the hard part.
missing/deleted image from Google+
You add more moving points with the screw jack, so more points means more points of error in the printed object. This screw jack is designed for lifting weight, by dividing the lifting forces with the split design, whereas z axis (or any axis on a computer controlled machine) is designed for precision movement.
That, and the jack screw is a non-linear actuator - complicates the math, and precision of Z changes as it expands
If you can precision machine parts and have a boatload of bearings for each rotating joint then you can have a jack-screw or sarrus z-axis but you can still drive it with a loadscrew or ballscrew like this rPrint does 