Hello, I am totally new to all this but excited to get started, in an effort to familiarize myself with some of this stuff, I ordered "V-Slot NEMA 17 Linear Actuator Bundle (Belt & Screw Driven)" kits. So far, I have been very happy with the product and support from OpenBuilds. That being said, I am curious about how this “V-Slot” stuff works, in particular I have the following questions: V-Slot Profiles Questions: Is the “V-Slot” technology exclusive to OpenBuilds? If not, do other companies sell the “V-Slot” technology? If yes, is there a standard? In other words, can I buy a “V-Slot” profile from OpenBuild and a “V-Slot” profile from some other company and expect them to be 100% compatible / identical? What about compatibility with other vendors such as 8020.net? They don’t sell V-Slot profiles but they do sell aluminum profiles, do those profiles play well with the V-Slots that OpenBuilds sells? V-Slot Wheels Questions: What about the V-Slot wheels? Are those exclusive to OpenBuilds? If not, is there a standard? Are all V-Slot wheels compatible? I am mostly curious because a couple of weeks ago I stopped over my local Micro Center store (pretty much the last truly computer shop in existence in Dallas TX) and noticed that the Creality 3d printers they sell they all use this V-Slot technology, do they use profiles from OpenBuild? Thank you.
V-Slot was created by OpenBuilds owner Mark Carew a little over 10 years ago and brought to life through a KickStarter campaign. As a firm believer in the open-source concept, V-Slot is an open-source design and others are allowed to make it. While there is a standard, it is hard to say how closely others follow the standard so compatibility across manufacturers is not guaranteed. The main point behind V-slot is how accurately the beveled wheels track in the beveled grooves of the rail. This is something that was not possible with the 80/20 rail. While wheels are available, they tend to wander in the track. As far as other manufacturers using V-slot, yes there are plenty of them and they most likely manufacture their own extrusion. There are also plenty of vendors of alternate sourced V-slot, we hope you will consider getting it from the original source as the business side of OpenBuilds is what makes this forum possible and you will find this forum one of the most helpful forums on the planet. Quality is also guaranteed when purchasing from the OpenBuilds Parts Store as it is something taken very seriously.
