Re: Belt tensioners on toothed belts

>In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "caudlet" <thom@...> wrote:
>Since this is the first time I have seen this design in a CNC machine
>(spring loaded idler arm) I didn't know if the designer had discovered
>a new approch or just wanted to avoid having to design a movable motor
>mount. I have seen rigid rollers on belt drives to force a fuller
>wrap around the drive pinion but the tensioning mechanism is at the
>ends of the belt and can be tightened enough to prevent any flex.

Tom,

This added detail makes me wonder about my previous reply...

Where exactly, is the feedback device on this system?

Could the machine designer be using the belt flex to deal with inertia--
as a sort of shock absorber for direction changes?

This would work as long as the feedback device is not within
the "flexing" portion of the belt. (exactly the opposite of my previous
reply where the flexing IS the feedback)

Put another way, does the flexing belt protect something in the motor
drive or feedback device from the "shocks" of axis reversal?

Thank you in advance,

Ballendo

P.S. You started this thread by saying you had just FINISHED working
with this customer: Was the fix to simply realign the bent arm and
tighten its mounting up? IOW, does the system work well as designed,
except that the link arm bent and THEN created problems?