Author Topic: Not Cutting Square  (Read 29830 times)

Offline swilhelm

Re: Not Cutting Square
« Reply #15 on: February 23, 2023, 09:03:14 AM »
Ok, just did this 2 times.

The first time, I dropped the stepper motor/gear down (there's a fair amount of vertical play) and then reset it by driving up where it attaches to the gantry and tightening everything up.  Ran some rectangles- no change.  I think I just reset the pinion back in the rack at the same position. 

The second time, I gave the gantry a 1/4" shove before I drove the motor up and tightened it.  Thinking this may help it reset correctly.  Didn't work. It is still the same as it was. 

 


Offline swilhelm

Re: Not Cutting Square
« Reply #16 on: February 23, 2023, 09:23:13 AM »
Guessing what you are going to say next, i put a pc of 1/4" tool steel in the collet and ran it down into one of the grooves of the vac table. Did this close to the left side (X-) and on the right side (X+).   There is 1.7mm difference. 76.3mm on the left/ 78mm on the right.

Offline drew

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Re: Not Cutting Square
« Reply #17 on: February 23, 2023, 01:48:37 PM »
Guessing what you are going to say next, i put a pc of 1/4" tool steel in the collet and ran it down into one of the grooves of the vac table. Did this close to the left side (X-) and on the right side (X+).   There is 1.7mm difference. 76.3mm on the left/ 78mm on the right.

you've got the idea...

brace one side where it can't move, loosen the stepper/gear box- adjust- tighten.  poof- square.

Offline swilhelm

Re: Not Cutting Square
« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2023, 02:23:44 PM »
One last question (maybe)…

Am I trying to rotate the stepper motor or move it over a tooth? Or am I overthinking this? Maybe it doesn’t matter.

Offline drew

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Re: Not Cutting Square
« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2023, 03:01:32 PM »
One last question (maybe)…

Am I trying to rotate the stepper motor or move it over a tooth? Or am I overthinking this? Maybe it doesn’t matter.

the hope is the cog will seat into the rack as it is supposed to by 'it' turning a little (the cog/stator thingy) under the 'encouraging' pressure applied and will be in step/alignment with the other side, if that makes sense.  so long as the power is off you can turn those cogs freely... they don't know where they're at, geometrically, until they reach the limit switch during homing and the controller computer says "stop -you're at mechanical zero"... as it is, one side could be a tooth ahead or behind the other side, which is the misalignment.

 

Offline swilhelm

Re: Not Cutting Square
« Reply #20 on: February 24, 2023, 07:25:35 AM »
First off, Thanks for your help on this.  I have learned a lot about my machine and just general operation through your posts. 

In the end, I was able to get about 1mm out by adjusting the stepper motor but just couldn't get it all the way square.  I ended up loosening the gantry beam and tapped it the final 1 mm.  Seems to be all good now.

I don't love having issues but as long as it doesn't happen when I am in crunch time then it does provide a good opportunity to learn about my machines.   

Offline drew

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Re: Not Cutting Square
« Reply #21 on: February 24, 2023, 09:12:09 AM »
great!!

these things can take a beating over the road... they're exposed to forces they'll never encounter in operation.  i'm actually writing up a 'receiving' document and stuff like this will be covered- test runs, ect- to ensure all is well. 

it may have been your gantry the whole time, but, i'd hate to have offered that up and it been the alignment all the while- and because that compounds problems with variables that can throw folks for a loop when trying to diagnose an issue later on...

when it's all said and done, these machines are simple.  they're built like dang tanks and perform as well as any anywhere on the market regardless of cost, but they're simple.  simple is better, by my reckoning.