High School SHop Teacher needs help! Y axis is acting Goofy

[paoniahighschool]

Hello all from Paonia Colorado.  I teach shop and recently purchased a CNC machine with no idea or experience.  Just thought it was cool and would allow students to get professional quality results.

My Y-axis was sticking in some places, notable when traveling + towards the motor from home position.  So, I greased and lubed, detached the gantry from the collet and slid it along the rails to see if there was any binding.  None.  I ran the collet along the bolt screw independently and it seemed to travel free and uninterrupted.  However I then applied some friction with my rag coated in 3 in 1 and I was able to stop the ball screw from turning while the motor still rotated.   I then tightened a screw attaching the ball screw to the motor and I seem to be cutting alright.  I also slowed my cutting speed, we are ripping a lot of MDF currently.  

Has anyone had this experience?  

Any recommendations in cut speed with MDF?

Outside of lube and grease, are there any other annual maintenance procedures I should be doing...?  Coolant, tightening screws, etc.   

Thanks, I hope to get more active on here as this forum has answered many of my questions to date.  

[gerry]

Which machine? What feeds and speeds for the MDF, Depth of Cut, etc.

[paoniahighschool]

AR6 pro. Been doing a lot of photo carve so speed 2500, I really didn't mess with the speed until I had this problem. The depth of the cut is .08. Since my repair, we have been running well. What would you suggest for deeper pocket and profile cuts with 1/4" endmill?

[mnwoodbee]

I’m usually running 1/4 120-150 inches for feed, 65-80” plunge 18k for the spindle. .250” cutting depth max.

Keeping your tools choked up in your collet to minimize length is important too.

The sound of the tool when cutting can tell you a lot.

[johnb]

Also, depending on the level of use, your "annual maintenance" should probably be much more frequent, as should "daily" maintenance. When each class starts, have them do the wipe down of the screws and tracks with 3-in-1 oil. Keep an eye on the grease situation. You'll be able to eventually gauge how often this should be, since you will know if you're putting in "a lot" or "hardly any" when you do it. Screw tightening is a factor of vibration is a factor of machine time. Check critical ones regularly, and if you find any loose, tighten them all. Check your coolant level regularly. Replacement is generally done when it "turns brown" which is due to algae which is a factor of time, but it can be avoided by putting a "silver coil" in the reservoir (about $10 online). Get in the habit of holding your hand in the outflow air stream of the little radiator. It won't be very warm. Test the spindle temp when the job finishes by putting your palm on the spindle. It shouldn't be very warm either. Consider putting a flow indicator (little twirly wheel thing) in the coolant path so that you can tell immediately if you have coolant flow any time the machine is running.

There's a shop teacher over in one of my FB groups who has 160 students...he produces 165 gallons a DAY in chips & dust. No mention of a CNC in his program. Did you actually mean that you're "ripping down" a lot or mdf or are you "ripping through it"? If you're ripping down mdf on a cnc without working it further at the time, you might consider moving that process back over to the table saw.

[christcrosscrafts]

I've had the same issue. Chad had me switch a couple of the switches in the control board. It has to do with the new steppers and the control boards not set properly. I did mine and it worked great.. for a while. Now it is randomly doing it again. I clean and oil very frequently.

[Kristy]

Dec 4, 2020 17:12:35 GMT -5 paoniahighschool said:

Hello all from Paonia Colorado.  I teach shop and recently purchased a CNC machine with no idea or experience.  Just thought it was cool and would allow students to get professional quality results.

My Y-axis was sticking in some places, notable when traveling + towards the motor from home position.  So, I greased and lubed, detached the gantry from the collet and slid it along the rails to see if there was any binding.  None.  I ran the collet along the bolt screw independently and it seemed to travel free and uninterrupted.  However I then applied some friction with my rag coated in 3 in 1 and I was able to stop the ball screw from turning while the motor still rotated.   I then tightened a screw attaching the ball screw to the motor and I seem to be cutting alright.  I also slowed my cutting speed, we are ripping a lot of MDF currently.  

Has anyone had this experience?  

Any recommendations in cut speed with MDF?

Outside of lube and grease, are there any other annual maintenance procedures I should be doing...?  Coolant, tightening screws, etc.   

Thanks, I hope to get more active on here as this forum has answered many of my questions to date.  


----------------

There are a number of potential causes for motor stalling. Please reach out to our support team for assistance. 

[phone]