Now VFD Chillin !! #125 - Mt Clemens, MI

[ChuckS]

Parts are arriving!

Once I had what seemed like a critical mass of pcs in my shop-

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/P1040222.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/P1040222.jpg.html)
Antec 50v 1000w (Too big- I got a deal on it. For now, I'm just using one primary. Output measures 48.7v)
(4) KL34H280-45-8A steppers, wired half coil
PMDX 126 & 134
(4) Gecko 203

It seemed like time to graduate to the kitchen table. It seems like the shop table might work better, but hey- the kitchen table comes highly recommended. :p:p

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/P1040223.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/P1040223.jpg.html)

I didn't have much time before I had to take my girlfriend to the airport, so I graduated to her coffee table. (There is MUCH CHAOS here, this is the best workspace I could get while she packed).

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/untitled-20.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/untitled-20.jpg.html)

Once I figured out the settings of the DIP switches to select which drive I was testing, everything was a breeze and made all the proper whirring sounds at the right times. The motors all moved as hoped and all the magic smoke stayed inside. Of course, I didn't have resistors even close to what I needed for limiting the current of the Geckos, so I got to give RadioShack a few dollars. It's amazing that I can have so many parts and still not have the RIGHT little bit when I need it.

The wire nuts are just for this test, and only on the AC side. All the unused wire ends are taped to avoid surprises. I'll order some pin terminals for the low voltage stuff before it's time to build the control box.

My control box kit is ordered from Mike. Once that appears, I'll do a full kitchen table project with the contactor, switches, and other goodies.

I'll start on my table (maybe tomorrow), and I'll order the laser parts kit once I can get to the bank to replenish my available funding.

[MetalHead]

Great progress!! Your Control Box will be on its way shortly.

[ChuckS]

Thanks! (Actually, no real hurry on the control box. I have PLENTY to keep me busy.)

[ChuckS]

Progress update-

2 GIANT boxes of goodies arrived from MetalHead- the control box & innards and the laser kit & belt drive plates.

Surprisingly, wiring up most of the control box was pretty straight forward. 2 hours of wiring and about 20 minutes of troubleshooting and all the lights, switches, and the contactor were working properly. I connected my drives and everything seems to work in test mode. I still need to wire in the Estop circuit and router control, but I understand how it should all work. I think.

It's not pretty, but it works. About half the wires are labelled- I seem to have a short attention span while running a label maker.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/20141202_101919.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/20141202_101919.jpg.html)

More boxes have been coming in from McMaster and others, and an ESS is on the way.

Many people at TechShop have been offering help, including some builders and designers of various CNC machines. I'm trying to soak up all I can. There are also a fair number of people asking what speakers I'm going to be running with the amp I'm building :D

It turns out the steel I bought for the main beams is far too light, so I'll use it for some other project. It was cheap. Next week I'll make the rounds of the local salvage yards and hopefully find something suitable and within budget.

Next up- label the remaining control box wires and transfer the control box parts into the actual control box, which means I need to think about the actual positions of the switches and indicator lights. Hmmmm. It's also time to start welding the Y-car, and start building the Z slide.

[darren salyer]

Fun Times!!

[ChuckS]

Update-

Still pressing on, it's just been hard to find time around the holidays, especially with phone calls like "Merry Christmas Mr Landlord, your roof is leaking." Fun stuff!

It took me a bit to find a config file for Mach3. I used the one from CNCRouterParts, here: http://www.cncrouterparts.com/mach-3-xml-files-p-161.html Everything seems to be working fine. I still have to set the steps/inch & lots of other parameters, but so far all the magic smoke is still inside.

I also cut my Z slide today, assembled the skate (I still need the eccentric bearings- lots more $$ to spend)

[ChuckS]

Another update-

I'm making progress. My Y car and gantry are welded & painted, Z-slid is done, my belt drive parts are here & the belt drive plates are welded up. Of course, I forgot to allow for the flange on the small drive belt pulley, so I ordered belts a wee bit too short. Thankfully, it's one (well, 4) of the cheapest parts so far.

I'm running out of small pieces & assemblies to make. I think my next projects are to put my kitchen table project into the control box and paint/assemble my belt drives. Then it's onto grinding rails & building the table. And making a place to put the MM... I'll worry about that later....

I'm really impressed with the plans and the level of detail in the forum here. So far, I've found answers to most all my questions relatively easily. That said-

Question- I'm planning to power my router through an SSR in my control box. Is it better for me to wire the router direct to the SSR, or to wire the SSR to a 110v panel receptacle in the side of my control box? Something like this:
http://www.auberins.com/images/MFG_738W-X2%5E03.jpg

I've been negligent taking pictures of my build. Here's a few I've taken with my phone.

Getting ready to weld the Y car:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/20141211_100750.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/20141211_100750.jpg.html)

Paint!
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/20141213_104935.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/20141213_104935.jpg.html)

Welding the belt drive plates:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/20150120_151412.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/20150120_151412.jpg.html)

Hey- everything fits!
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/20150121_185051.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/20150121_185051.jpg.html)

[servant74]

Lookin good!

[ChuckS]

It's ALIVE!

Bwah ha hah!!

I've been feverishly working both my real job & building this beast of a machine. So far, I've not run into any real problems. I welded some belt drive plates wrong, got my X rail stops in the wrong place, and a few other mistakes, but nothing too drastic or upsetting.

Yesterday I wired all the motors. Today, I connected the brains, and everything seems to work & move as expected. The wiring, flex conduit, and general chaos are all temporary & will be replaced. In 14 days I need to move the machine, and hopefully have it running for a CNC workshop.

It looks like one of my X-beams has a pronounced bump of maybe 2mm, right about in the middle. I'm hoping I can get it to the mill & face it. Otherwise, I guess I'll be using the angle grinder. Other ideas?

Overall, so far, so good!
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/cbryansmit/MechMate/20150530_192228.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/cbryansmit/media/MechMate/20150530_192228.jpg.html)

[Fox]

Looks and sound familiar... Good luck! Handheld beltsander will also do the trick, and is easier to flatten a bump to a relative straight then the angle grinder, where you can quickly create a wavy surface. Milling is even better but seems overkill to me as you will have trouble mounting it and need to shim anyway.

Btw if you use the sanding disk on the cutting disk method (used for angle on rail) it might also be a nice idea, to be able to flatten the high part to the rest of the beam.

All this assuming you have a larger surface that is bumped 2mm higher.

[ChuckS]

I haven't done more than eyeball it, it looks likes I have maybe 8 or 10 inches of beam that will need to be surfaced.

I like the belt sander idea. Much more control than an angle grinder, and I don't have to get the beam mounted in the mill.

I got the soft limits working today. Not having a " - " sign in front of the numbers in the Z axis was making it angry.

[Fox]

The belt sander worked very well for me on a number of other occasions working with some steel, although it's intended for wood originally, but quite powerful, and on the mm I used it to remove the scaling form the steel cause it won't dig easily, and has a flat metal plate on the back to support the belt.

Mine was big enough to cover the entire I-beam width, so I worked it a bit diagonally along the surface. It won't remove a crazy amount lot of material at once, so it's easy to control it to the sweet spot. I worked it with high pressure ( almost stalling ) to remove a lot of material, and when almost there just almost let it ride on it's own. You could even keep an old spray can handy, when you spray the surface in between your sanding you can easily see the high and low spots on your surface. Don't try to to make it perfectly flat though, you just need to take away the bumps and the scaling a bit, the rest will shim away. I think I spend and hour on my two 3 meter beams all together.

Dust warning though ( everything becomes very black from the metal dust ;-) )

[Cristiano Nunes de Souza]

Hi ChuckS! Great machine!
What reduction are you using on stepper motores?
BR, Cristiano

[ChuckS]

1:3.6 belt reduction

20 tooth & 72 tooth pulleys

[Cristiano Nunes de Souza]

Thanks! Where you bought those reduction?

[ChuckS]

They came from http://www.bbman.com/

Here's what I ordered. !! I ORDERED THE BELT 2 TEETH(?) TOO SHORT !!

Product Information

Product Name Part No. Quantity Item Price Total Price
162XL037G

162XL037G 4 $6.43 $25.72
20XL037-6FA6 TOO SHORT!

20XL037-6FA6 4 $11.77 $47.08
72XL037-6WA6

72XL037-6WA6 4 $32.03 $128.12

Subtotal: $200.92
Shipping & Handling: $10.82
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $211.74

[ChuckS]

It's alive!

Here's it's first autonomous test run. It's set up in a nice, pretty room for the CNC workshop at TechShop Detroit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIbE8DfSGCo&feature=youtu.be

I still need to flatten the X-beams and paint most of the table steel, build the actual table surface, replace my wiring with something more permanent- still lots of fun to have.

[hflwaterski]

Looks like your video is set to private. Looking forward to seeing it move.

[ChuckS]

Ooops!

YouTube setting updated to public:

https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=IIbE8DfSGCo&video_referrer=watch

[hflwaterski]

The link in the #17 post works. Looking great. Nice to see it come to life!

[ChuckS]

My MM is assembled & mostly adjusted. Yay! Pics to follow sometime...

I'm losing my current shop, so I no more nice electric service, heat, AC, or space. :eek:

The MM is now in my garage. I can work around the power & general lack of space, but- This is an un insulated, unheated garage in Michigan. Winter temperatures here are typically below freezing for a few months, and occasionally might hit -15F (-25C) for a few days.

I'll be insulating the garage before winter, mostly for noise reduction to keep the neighbors happy. Should I also be looking for some kind of heat to keep the MM happy? (I'm used to working outside & teach winter camping. I'm OK in the cold.)

[IMMark]

I think your MM will be fine and will actually emit some heat into the shop. Good luck in that state up north : )
Mark

[Fox]

I would not let the control box freeze up. Electronics don't like temperature shocks like that, and condensation might become an issue, when you start it up and things become warm, like heats inks and such. Your pile of steel does not care of its cold or hot. It shrinks and expands a little, that's all.

[ChuckS]

Thanks!

Re condensation- it would be pretty easy fill the few holes in the control box and to occasionally purge the air with DRY air from a SCUBA tank or other source. I'd never get the box "air tight", but maybe purging it before use would cut down on any condensation.

It would also be easy to rig up some kind of heater to pre-heat the brains before use.

I'll have to put my thinking cap on, once I find it.

[Fox]

Don't forget yourself. You will have to be close to the machine often, so you share the climate. Insulating the shop will increaese production and joy tremendous.

[ChuckS]

The local big box store has insulation on sale, so I'll be buying a bunch. Yuck. But, I only have to do it once, and I'll be happier all winter.

I just wish I was not planning on selling the place in a year. The next place will have a proper shop, or at least enough room so I can build one.

[ChuckS]

Lots of small MM projects done. Dust collection stuff is on the way, new shop lights are in, the spoil board is ready for surfacing, the control box has been rewired a bit to use 110v instead of the planned 220, and people are lining up to hand me money :D

A friend is loaning me a fancy laser device made for leveling & truing CNC machines. I've got it as close as I can get it with tools I own- it will be interesting to see how I did when compared with high end tools.

Here's a video of my MM counterboring the holes for the elevator bolts that hold the table top to the Y beams. Exciting stuff! It's a steep learning curve making friends with Mach3 & the tool pathing programs. So far, I've not broken anything, just some extra gouges in the bottom of the spoil board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiRcjYsbvYE

[MetalHead]

Guess we need to get you a number!!!!

[ChuckS]

And in a cruel twist of fate, the phone for my current biz has been ringing off the hook. Making money is going to interfere with finishing my MM, which hopefully will make me more money....Hmmmmm. I won't complain.

My girlfriend's BIG BOSS gave her a pair of tickets for the University of Michigan football game on Saturday, so there goes another chunk of time. Football is not my thing, but a few hours away from work sounds pretty good.

Full speed ahead!

[ger21]

Enjoy that 12" of bench they give you in the Big House. I've been there once, and it's something to experience.
Btw, enjoy the screenset. Thanks. :)

[Robert M]

Happy for you....now the fun starts !
Congrats ;)

[MetalHead]

Chuck - Looks like you get #125 !! Congrats on your build !!

[jhiggins7]

Chuck,

Congratulations on completing your MechMate and earning serial #125. It's a great feeling isn't it?

Here is the Updated Builder' Log (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SDSq8C8mQKJzp0oTrXtHcTYXp_QmFlYev9zRc1X2nZE/edit?usp=sharing)with your entry added.

Your table dimensions appear to accommodate a full sheet of MDF. That would make them 97" x 49". Is that correct? Or if not, please let me know what the actual cutting dimensions are.

[ChuckS]

Yay! I'm number 125! Thanks!

I'm pretty excited about having it working. UPS just dropped off my cable carriers & more bits & pieces from McMaster.

Working area 104 x 54". That's enough for a 4x8' plywood jig and some clamping area all around that I can still access with the cutter for whatever reason.

I'm still trying to think through my clamping options. My MM's new home has very limited power, so the vacuum table will have to wait. I have holes & Tee nuts in the bottom of my table every 10", thinking I can use nylon screws to hold down my primary jig which is built from a pc of 4x8x 3/4 ply. I'm thinking I'll put some 8020 T-slot around the cutting area, maybe with 1" of clearance so I can surface the table without worrying about the track.

I'll be moving the physical stop on my Z axis so any cutter I'm likely to use can't reach down to my T-nuts in the table.

Last night I was playing with Ger's 2010 Screenset. It looks like it will take care of lots of work flow questions.

Overall, I'm within about $500 of my budget (excluding hiring a friend who is a FAR BETTER and faster metal worker than me).

I've mentioned this before- I'm SUPER impressed with the detail and accuracy of the plans, and the information available here on the forum. When I started this, I knew a little about metal working, electronics wiring, logic controls/software, etc, but certainly not enough to build a machine. I've spent many hours trying to be able to define the problems or questions I had. I pretty much always found the answer once I knew what I was trying to ask. Thanks!

[IMMark]

Congrats on #125, enjoy!
Mark

[lonestaral]

Well done #125, have fun.

[Andrew_standen]

Congratulations. .

[Tom Ayres]

Welcome to the After Life, congrats Chuck!

[smreish]

Chuck,
Congratulations and thank you for the kudo's to the community and Gerald's design.
It's nice to see so many machines online and cutting in this forum!
Sean

[pblackburn]

Congratulations to #125

[racedirector]

Well done on #125, welcome to the club! Now get cutting and enjoying your new beast :)

[darren salyer]

Congrats to #125 from #101.
Well done, sir.

[ChuckS]

I had some fun yesterday. First I cut a test piece- 1/2 of a kayak paddle at 20% size. Everything went perfectly.

Next I tested the safety systems of the MM. It was not an intentional test. I started to cut a full size paddle. About 1 second into the cut the gantry lifted and everything came to a nice ESTOP. Apparently I messed up my tool path somewhere. My lead in ramp was in the wrong place, my depth of cut was WAAAY too deep, and my cut speed WAAAY too fast for cutting that deeply. I'll have to see exactly what went wrong. I suspect I just loaded the wrong file. No harm, no foul. It's best not to play with giant power tools when I'm running on very little sleep.

I did the only reasonable thing- I declared victory, and a beer, and tried to get some sleep.

[Tom Ayres]

Good Attitude!;)

[ChuckS]

SUCCESS

This afternoon I was able to put in some quality time with the MM. I'm going to like this beast. I've just started to play with the potential feeds & speeds.

The first complete kayak paddle cut in about the same time as I was able to get on a ShopBot Alpha with a (4hp?) Columbo spindle. By my third paddle, I'm cutting in about 40% of the time of the ShopBot. Compared to the SB, I can take cuts about twice as deep with the MM, at about the same ips, without the chatter.

My Bosch 1617evs router is performing MUCH better than I hoped. I may still upgrade to a spindle in hopes of quieting things, but so far the router is working great.

[Robert M]

Great to read all is better then expected ! ;)

[pblackburn]

How are things progressing with the time you have spent with the Mate now?

[ChuckS]

I'm learning bunches.

So far, all problems have been user errors. It's a steep learning curve ;-) I've not bothered with fine tuning/set up yet. My parts are well within the tolerance I need, so until I'm bored, we are definitely good enough. I have a few people who want more precision work, so get there sometime.

My Bosch 1617 router is performing admirably, but I have to keep the RPM's too high or I stall it. I'll likely order a Chinese 2.2kw spindle soon. I even have access to an unused 220v 30 amp breaker.

My most recent additions have been 2 remote E-Stop systems. One is just a simple remote with a key fob control. The other is built on an Arduino board & WiFi shield so I can E-stop via the web. The eventual plan is to have a webcam monitoring the machine. All of this is separate from my control computer.

The next addition will be a laser crosshair, so I can get a quick confirmation that I'm using the correct offset. Maybe it will prevent me from chewing through my jig next time...:D Maybe

[ChuckS]

I just finished installing a HY 2.2kw spindle & VFD. If anybody is looking, the instructions are here (http://www.pmdx.com/doc/an002_pwmspindlesmoothstepper_02.pdf). And here for the VFD settings (http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/5814-The-2-2Kw-Chinese-Spindles-Info-Setup-and-Advice-More). Confirm & understand all the settings before you do anything. It looks like not all the settings from the link are needed (or wanted).

Pro tip (which I'm sure many already know)-
Actually enter the set up numbers into Mach3's ports/pins setting screens, don't just confirm them. I lost a full day until it hit me that I should try ACTUALLY ENTERING THE NUMBERS, instead of just seeing if they were correct.

Sales are coming in, and I've not been trying. Now that the MM seems fully functional, it's time for some serious sellin' :D

[Robert M]

Great to hear about you and your recent developments !
Also good to read your having nice business growth !
All the best, keep on posting :D

[Nikonauts]

Sales are coming in, and I've not been trying. Now that the MM seems fully functional, it's time for some serious sellin' :D

Yeay! Now, that got me itching... I contemplated on building a Mechmate like 7 years ago, before finally gave up (budget/skill/time constraint, etc.).

I'm determined to finish it this time.

7 years.... I hope I could get sales as quick as you! :)

[ChuckS]

Random update-
MM is running great, Chinese spindle not so great.

During my warm up routine for the spindle, a bearing started talking to me today. I did the only reasonable thing, and ignored it. It did quiet down once under load.

Tomorrow I'll order up another spindle and hope I have better luck. Then I'll (hopefully) rebuild the old one and have a back up unit.

[ChuckS]

Yeay! Now, that got me itching... I contemplated on building a Mechmate like 7 years ago, before finally gave up (budget/skill/time constraint, etc.).

I'm determined to finish it this time.

7 years.... I hope I could get sales as quick as you! :)

The lack of skill didn't stop me. Stubborn is a poor substitute, but I have plenty :D

[danilom]

Some chinese spindles come with plain radial bearings instead of AC for lower pair , friend of mine ordered cheap AC to replace and had a lot of runout. Tried Timken 6005-C3 deep groove and his spindle is running true 0.01mm and the bearings are holding well for the last couple of months cutting every day.

[ChuckS]

Thanks Danilo!

[ChuckS]

Another occasional update-

Much chaos here- illnesses & death in the family :-( Not much time to play, or work. I'm finally back at it.

My 2.2 kw spindle bearings are sounding angry, so I ordered another spindle. Once it's here, I'll swap it out and see about replacing the bearings in the old one. It looks like decent bearings are going to cost considerably more than an entire Chinese spindle, so I may just keep buying spindles & keep a back up on hand.

A local branch of a BIG company tracked me down to cut some plastic for them. Not fun, but it pays well. I'll take the money. I had to build a vacuum table, which is working great for just being powered by a big shop vac. Now that I have a vac table, I couldn't see a reason not to have a drag knife (my other business is a custom canvas shop. I spend too much time cutting strips of stuff!). It just showed up. I would have made one, but it would have cost me too much lost work. New toy!

Question-
How can I Estop my machine if the spindle stalls? I'm using the HY controller, PMDX-126, and Mach3. Internet searches have not helped. I lost a piece this morning due to the power to the spindle being lost, but the machine pressing on regardless.

edit- I think I just needed to ask the question to find the answer....

I think I just had the wrong hotkey code. Here is the answer, I think: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/mach-software-artsoft-software-/16853-mach3-external-estop-reset.html

[Robert M]

Sorry for you "chaos" ...mate !
Wishing you sanity through all this !

Out of interest, how many hr ( approx) your spindle has / had before....telling you he's angry :p !?

Love to read when one ask a question....for then, seeing self answered :D:p:p
All the best, ;)

[pblackburn]

There is a spindle repair company in Massachusetts that sells a decent Chinese spindle. You can get the bearings off ebay from them from their ebay store.

[ChuckS]

I just checked the maintenance log in Mach3. 1600 machine hours, 0 hours on the spindle. Hmmmm.

That spindle has been on the machine since May of 2016. I don't have a good guess as to number of use hours. I'm curious.... I'll poke thru my VFD manual and see if there is a number in the VFD somewhere.

I'll check out the repair company in Mass. Thanks!

[pblackburn]

Make sure of the dimensions of the bearings and contact them with any questions about the bearings. Here is their store on eBay http://stores.ebay.com/Precision-Bearings-Plus

[ChuckS]

Business is booming. I've been making and selling lots of kayak paddles, and a few local (BIG) companies have tracked me down with lots of ongoing work. So far, everybody who has tracked me was through connections I made at TechShop Detroit.

I'm hunting for a building, and may be building another machine or 3. I've not found anything I like better than the MM.

[Robert M]

Up late Chuck....:p
Glad & envy your.....growth.
Indeed. The Cnc world does have this potential to create......wonders & growth...;)
All the best....Robert

[Tom Ayres]

Awesome! I love to hear that someone is being successful with their MM. Keep it rolling Chuck!

[ifffff]

I've been making lots of kayak paddles
Intresting. Can you put some photos of them? I am doing same job for one customer.

[YANLM]

hello Chuck #125, i have seen that you have made a vacuum table, have you some photos to share perhaps?

Yannick.

[ChuckS]

Here'a a pic of some of my paddles.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TohMrPhGDzQQ_JWkE7YWyVoY1fcispPrz5GlnoByNOfafmoMzx 9mwH8cKo0CC32W0i1P-4_WHXt62kmzvX7BzSYMdiXffOZa7GIoha1pjDAqpEcV3VMJNHf PCWTfUn0TnRmPcecHtUQ9cuCK7BIYwPLQMma9qDfkx5d-f8p3GNIEc5_AvDgkEVcSFyj_dnrFjq0hpSlsSh4wuhC_6jE_fR 4id8vw9_Z_f55f6mXq_jonWGI5h_QY0dCIOWR_vhO1cTdlN8xi r8-uW8_WxT_cDwI8A87XOIUPCwi4ZJiabUYjU8h5Z5gAOUFG9EiOo qkKGTR6rzTIEKx9OpbbE4aN61EFV2WqwC62LTl3cukH5AdYAYs rK4ExGFwxcqJ1cE1h1GNjMTkPwwbKZ0R-CviUF7k0jHoJxE3dBgkm3OCe3S76Mo59ofl4YTH54rM0-xDhSxzcT1aPoSn4XyxXgGZHRIxz0VD-VL-13NwfSVPj2aKpHt4Lgb69r9P-q2Z49wqB26djo58xYD8ZKH5glyE7Wn-xiFFSD7tH043rkeyh9JOO0GjL0wdZvfwDWhJ5RKty2u6xnGlWY 0wBDiMEsujotYCgjJyT5bMhfmKqQItOkcYNWpydqDsaAq36psH 1DmF9SumdnYr2aw7ARAa7EAIIDpS7fz6IRsln=w512-h908-no

Sadly, I was in too much of a hurry to take pics when I built my vac table. I have 8 zones, but the table is pretty generic. I did use these valves, which I like MUCH better than the typical gate valve. It's powered by a ShopVac. Not ideal, but good enough for what I'm doing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B95RERM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[jhiggins7]

Nice! I see what you mean about being "busy". Thanks for the tip on the valves. Maybe you could share a picture of your completed vacuum table setup. I'm one of those still "thinking" about a vacuum system.

[IamDave]

Chuck can you post a picture of your "Mechmate", for me. or point me to a pic on the forum?Thank you.

[IamDave]

Never mind there Chuck #125. I found it.

[ChuckS]

Question-

A few weeks ago, I was getting mis-aligned cuts, which I tracked to a loose belt in my Y axis drive. I tightened the belt, and all was good.

I'm now getting the same problem, so I assume it's the same answer. I'm away from my machine for a bit, and just had a customer notice a stepped cut from a few days ago. (parts are still acceptable- it helps to have great rapport with customers!)

I've been running my MM long and hard- do belts have a life? Or am I just not tightening things well enough?

[pblackburn]

Cheap belts will have stretch more than a quality belt for sure. However if you did not put blue loctite on the grub/set screws it can cause this also. There is a lot of torque being applied on the pinions so I would look there first.

[ChuckS]

I do have Locktite on the grub screws (added after some slippage early in MM's life), and everything is tight. (As of when I checked 3 weeks ago). Customer says I'm out about 15-20 thou.

My belts are these from B&B manufacturing and are neoprene/fibreglass.
https://www.bbman.com/catalog/product/162XL037G

I'm ignorant of the quality of belts, and not really price sensitive. The machine has gotta work :-)

Any recommendations?

Thanks!!

[pblackburn]

Working in maintenance we found that Goodyear belts held up the longest to the abuse of heat and work stress. They were acquired by Continental a few years back but still make a quality belt.

If you have an indicator that you can use, running a test to see which axis is the problem. I am unfamiliar with your drive setup without some in depth reading. If it is a gearbox drive then a backlash problem can be present.

If your motor is mounted only with four bolts, it could be pulling it back. Mounting a small steel block with a pusher screw to keep the motor in place is a good option as well. This will keep the belt tension constant.

[ChuckS]

I'm running the 3.6:1 belt drives supplied by Metalhead.

It appears the Y axis is the problem. No detectable error in X. Most of what I'm cutting has square profiles, so it's mostly only moving one axis at a time.

Yup- only mounted with four bolts. I should have thought of the block & pusher screw, but didn't.

Thanks!! I will fab up a pusher block and bolt, and track down some Goodyear/Conti belts.

[Robert M]

For what it's worth Mate (Chuck) !!, in my case, I tend to get this (of alignment, or out off spec) occasionally !
In my case, what cause this, is mostly on my "Y" as it get out of alignment.
Many factors I've found through time ( aside others) is, for me, being in northern east Canada, seasoning ( temps changes creates expansion & contraction ) of everything !
Metal, the concrete slab on what the machine sit, indore temps & humd changes with seasons..... on....& on !
So, in a nut shell, through all these years ( 10 now with my babe :eek: )....i've learned not to neglect recheck at least 2x per yr (if not 3 x ) the "realignment" !!

Sure, belt may be an issue?!?, not questioning that, but never had for me @_@!!

My 2ct & situation though I'd shared !
All best bud....;)