So I got my DIY MDF machine put together about a year ago and I've been cutting with it for a while now. I've done a few projects, but I have this issue with the x-axis "stalling" from time to time.
I got tired of it today and really started to try and figure out what was going on. Watching the split in the screw clamp I'm using I can see that it always stalls in the same spot. So I went and checked to see if I had any rubbing anywhere on the ACME screw or any of the other hardware on the x-axis. Nope a good 1/8" clearance between anything that moves and anything that is fixed.
So I tried loosening up the motor mount to see if I could detect any wobbling that might indicate that the stepper motor shaft and the x-axis acme screw were not correctly aligned. I don't notice any wobble, but loosening up the motor mount seemed to help with the stalling issue. I ran fine all afternoon and I even did a little bit of cutting.
I went back to it tonight to do a little more cutting and I'm getting the stalling behavior again. Out of frustration I tried stopping the x-axis acme screw by hand. I seriously expected it to just twist out of my hand. To my surprise I was able to stop it pretty easily.
I've got a 400oz/in stepper from probotix on the x-axis, does it seem right that I should be able to stop it with my hand? My machine has a 2'x4' usable cutting area and while I "might" understand that my gantry "may" be a bit large for 1 400oz/in motor to sling around. I find it hard to believe as when I take the motor off I can slide the gantry easily back and forth with light pressure (1 or 2 fingers) and the acme screw turns smooth as silk. And when the x-axis isn't stalling I can get it to slew back and forth on that axis at 300in/min. I've been cutting at 100in/min, but when it starts stalling I can't even "rapid" at 50in/min without a stall messing things up.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
MunchyMonster
I got tired of it today and really started to try and figure out what was going on. Watching the split in the screw clamp I'm using I can see that it always stalls in the same spot. So I went and checked to see if I had any rubbing anywhere on the ACME screw or any of the other hardware on the x-axis. Nope a good 1/8" clearance between anything that moves and anything that is fixed.
So I tried loosening up the motor mount to see if I could detect any wobbling that might indicate that the stepper motor shaft and the x-axis acme screw were not correctly aligned. I don't notice any wobble, but loosening up the motor mount seemed to help with the stalling issue. I ran fine all afternoon and I even did a little bit of cutting.
I went back to it tonight to do a little more cutting and I'm getting the stalling behavior again. Out of frustration I tried stopping the x-axis acme screw by hand. I seriously expected it to just twist out of my hand. To my surprise I was able to stop it pretty easily.
I've got a 400oz/in stepper from probotix on the x-axis, does it seem right that I should be able to stop it with my hand? My machine has a 2'x4' usable cutting area and while I "might" understand that my gantry "may" be a bit large for 1 400oz/in motor to sling around. I find it hard to believe as when I take the motor off I can slide the gantry easily back and forth with light pressure (1 or 2 fingers) and the acme screw turns smooth as silk. And when the x-axis isn't stalling I can get it to slew back and forth on that axis at 300in/min. I've been cutting at 100in/min, but when it starts stalling I can't even "rapid" at 50in/min without a stall messing things up.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
MunchyMonster