Hey guys!
I have Elite forman cnc and I am new to CNC machines.
Is it normal that after pressing emergency stop my spindle just drops down? Also, when is turn off the spindle as it powers down it does the same thing. I would assume it should just stay in the same position. Is that normal?
Yes, this is normal due to stepper motors no longer receiving power and the weight of the spindle. Onefinity now makes and sells a brake for this. See this post for more details: Stopping the Z Axis Drop with heavy spindles - #4 by OnefinityCNC
This was a design flaw from 1F they have fixed the problem with a stepper motor with a break on ALL new machines but for the one that have already shipped it will cost you to buy a new motor. No this does not happen on all hobby CNC. 1 F is my 5 th unit I have purchased and I do love it but it is the FIRST unit to ever do this My Cancam unit which I still use today does not move. If it was not a design flaw 1F would not have changed it to all new units. I’m not trying to just put down 1F it’s a great unit but if you buy a product complete with a spindle it should stay up if you hit the EM button why would you want it to ruin your project?
ALL CNC machines will drop the spindle. Even industrial 100k+ machines can have this happen.
We are the only hobby cnc that has a braking motor to stop the drop.