Is this expected? Is this deflection normal? I’ve attached a video to see what I mean.
Ever since I purchased my machine in 2021, I have had issues getting sizes correct when precision is needed.
I have the 80mm carriage and I use a quality spindle with no measurable runout. I’ve also trammed it within a couple thousandths, and I perfumed the calibration a couple of times following directions from a user on the forums.
Yesterday I tested things using the 7w JTech laser and, to my surprise, every test I did was perfect! No matter how hard I tried, the laser line was perfect in every direction. I swapped over to a sharp engraving bit and did the same test, only this time it was off by a few thousandths of an inch. If the laser is perfect and there is no runout, but the engraving is off, I thought about deflection. Using my dial indicator and with very little force I was able to move the spindle side to side.
In this case I simply made a series of circles and measured the accuracy. Nothing fancy, just different sizes out to 10" in diameter. With the laser (no chance of deflection) is was perfect. With the engraving bit at 1/32" deep, it was slightly off. I get that this might be normal which is why I asked. But the accuracy many folks on this forum talk about doesn’t seem to be happening. I made a board to hold all my sockets for a drawer (about a year ago), but due to the inaccuracy I knew existed I knew I would have to adjust each hole a little past the sockets actual diameter. Yesterday was the first time I ever tried using the laser to check accuracy. It proved the machine does it’s job, so the issue lies in the Z gantry I guess. I just need to lower my expectations. Not a big deal.
