# RF-30 Z-Axis Motor



## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 14, 2020)

Hey all, just spitballing the idea of adapting the worm gear that moves the head up and down to an electric motor to save my arm some cranking . I was thinking some kind of gear motor with adequate RPM would do the trick. The worm and spur gear that come with the machine have a gear ratio of about 15:1 or 16:1, just eyeballing turns of the input to turns of the output. The main thing I'm having trouble determining is how much motor torque would be adequate for this application. My idea was to attach a torque wrench onto the shaft somehow and use it to measure the breakpoint for rotation in lb-ft. I saw pics of users who have done similar builds but info about the motors themselves seemed sparse in the specifications department.









						Advice for DIY Z Axis Power Drive
					

I’m investigating adding a Z axis power drive to my Precision Matthews PM30-MV mill.   I was looking into motors, and had some questions regarding what type of motor to go with.   Based on people that convert to CNC, it looks like I can get away with a motor rated at 900oz per inch or greater...




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Something like what user TomS did in this thread is what I had envisioned. Just not sure what I need in terms of power to make it move!


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## C-Bag (Sep 14, 2020)

I scrapped a pro gym treadmill that have two of these heavy duty acme threaded cog belt drive screws that were the tilt mechanism. Each one is larger than 1” dia. with ball bearing thrust bearing built in. And a little gear motor that drove it. Really nice heavy duty setup that I’d like to pull the whole lift drive of my RF30 and replace it with this attached to this head guide that gravydog came up with to kill two birds with one mechanism. That way I could auto lift AND not lose register.

But alas, I’ve got too many other projects and have gotten so used to planning ahead i seldom ever change head height. But one day........https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/rf-30-clone-head-alignment-guide.84270/


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## mikesmith (Aug 23, 2022)

I have read the two threads that have been shared as a result of ChandlerJPerry's intention to adapt his *worm gear motor*. Thank you very much, they are very interesting!


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