Gantry – side plates

Items you need for this step:

 

2gantry side plates
8v wheel shells
8precision shims
16625rs bearings
4smooth idlers
4eccentric spacers (the short ones)
49mm round aluminium spacers
4button head cap screws M5 25mm
8button head cap screws M5 30mm
8socket head cap screws M5 16mm
20nylon insert lock nuts M5
2nylon insert lock nuts M4
2button head cap screw M4 10mm
8M5 washers
1drag chain bracket
2stepper motors

 

Start by assembling 8 V Wheels by combining 2 bearings, a wheel shell and a precision shim:

The precision shim goes in-between the two bearings before you put the second bearing in:

same as x carve instructions

Now, we will attach some wheels to the side plates – starting with the V wheels that we just assembled.

The top two wheels of each plate will be fixed with 25mm M5 button head screws, and the two bottom ones use 30mm M5 button head screws – but for these bottom wheels you will also slide an eccentric spacer over the screw before putting them through the plate:

At the other side, you just put a washer between the plate and the wheel and fixate the wheel with an M5 lock nut:

After that, you will again use 30mm M5 button head screws to attach the smooth idlers – but now you will use a 9mm spacer between the smooth idlers and the side plates instead of a flat washer:

Do these handlings for both side plates – but in a mirrored way.

And for one plate, also add the drag chain bracket with M4 button head screws of 10mm, fastened with nylon insert lock nuts M4 at the other side of the plates that are bolted on each other. Do this at the plate of the side where you want to have the drag chain. Usually, the left side plate is taken (for having the drag chain at the left side later). But if you prefer to have the drag chain at the right side, then you can do it at the right side plate of course

And use M5 16mm socket head screws to attach the motors (and a nylon lock nut at the other side of the metal plate – no need to put a flat washer between the lock nut and the side plate – just the lock nut directly touching the side plate is fine): see picture for the orientation of the motors and their connectors, relative to the plates:

If you bought the optional limit switches, then this is also a good time to attach the Y axis limit switch to one of the gantry plates (the switch for the Y axis). Pictures of this step will follow later, meanwhile use the video or else the instructions on this website can be used for this: http://x-carve-instructions.inventables.com/500mm/step2a/7homeswitch/