Maintenance of onefinity

Being a complete newbie I’m trying to get well prepared for September and was wondering about maintenance of the machine.
So please any advice will be appreciated. Thanks
Jason

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From the very little bit of research I have done. It seems there are basically two types of linear bearing and ball screw systems. Those that are “no maintenance” and others that need some type of ongoing lubrication. No maintenance systems either run dry or have the lubrication encapsulated in the system where it will remain. Other types depend on some sort of oil or grease on the rods and screws to keep them maintained. With the environment they run in with so much sawdust, I would guess they’re dry or at least sealed really well. @OnefinityCNC, any idea which type these are?

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I’ll be interested in what @OnefinityCNC has to say about this but from past experience :

Often : check bit for sharpness and free of buildup
Check colet for tightness

Every 25 hours or so :
Check z axis for tram

At 100 hours or so : check the router brushes for wear

Most other things are on a when it breaks basis

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Great suggestions by @Markevans36301 - but just to be clear, 25 hours of operation, not simply every 25 hours :wink:

Upon initial setup you want to check for square, ensure the z-axis is perpendicular to the waste board (e.g., tramming), surface the waste board, and check the steps/mm to ensure the machine goes the proper distances when commanded to do so. Not sure if you need to check the current going to the drivers like the Shapeoko and X-Carve - need some input from Onefinity and the electronic manufacturers.

I’d also recommend resurfacing your waste board occasionally; no particular timing - just when it gets fairly beat up.

Sooner or later you will definitely need to put some stickers on the machine and perhaps some googly eyes too :wink:

-Tom

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Yes, exactly, not once a day unless you are running the crap out of it.

Exactly why it didn’t make my timed list. needs to be done but some projects need it done before starting others are very tolerant. Also how quickly you tear up your spoil board is very dependent on how good you are with a set of calipers. When I am being careful I can clear the stock and not have nary a mark in the wasteboard.

Absolutely mandatory, the timing is somewhat flexible though.

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@OnefinityCNC is there a recommended 3-in-1 oil brand or natural vs synthetic, etc?

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I ordered my machine yesterday, and to push @Jase 's question back into the limelight, I’m wondering if folks who have this machine now have any input into this question.

Primarily, I’m wondering about lubrication of the guide rails, the leadscrews and cleaning of both. I’m also wondering if sawdust or metaldust build-up on the lead screws will be a problem? @Hypercube I’m used to using 3-In-1 PTFE lubricant on my 3D printer rails, but I have no idea what’s appropriate for this CNC. Definitely interested in learning about that too!

This is the brand we use in house:

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The local Home Depot had 3 oz bottles of 3-in-one oil. In the store I was at it was in the tool section of the store.

MIght be the wrong place for this but here goes. Can fhe left Y rail bearing be moved so the oil port faces inwards? I have built and enclosure with just enough room to oil the bearings but it is a pain.

I know this is kind of an older thread but thought it would be a good place to renew the maintenance discussion.

The 1F manual specifies a routine of 1-4 weeks for oiling rail/bearing & ball screws based on use. An inquiry with tech support yielded much the same with an added suggestion that some materials like MDF produce more dust and should be considered as well. I’m not kicking 1F for a seemingly loose spec but had hoped they could expand on the subject since they have access to design and cycle life data from their component suppliers.

To date, I’ve only lubed my 1F only 3 times in the past year and I’d describe my use is less than weekend in nature. Ideally it would be great if it were possible to develop a schedule based on the actual machine operation. To that end I’m going to try a vibration activated clock (think Hobbs meter) attached to the router to better define operated time.

I’m wondering if there any other forum members thinking/working on the same approach outside 1F’s specification?

Phil that sound pretty good.
Also I wondered if they could integrate something into the programing of the controller where it tracked run time and after XX amount of hours it would trigger an alert to perform the maintenance. It could have multiple alerts for different types of maintenance. Users could adjust the default/recommended variable based on how often they use there machine.

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I totally agree that that would be a useful feature for all of us.
I was a bit dismayed that 1F does not appear to have a definitive handle on maintenance parameters but am hoping that will change at some future point.

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There are WAY to many variables to give a definitive answer. We could easily pick one, lets say, every 100 hours, but the variables could still change that per user, machine, and material.
Good rule of thumb, if you think it’s time to do maintenance, it probably is. But doing it often enough, you’ll get to know your machine and it’s movements.

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I’m sure none of us would argue that that general rule of thumb is a good starting point and to be sure, again, I’m not faulting 1F on the maintenance issue.

I come from a manufacturing background and am use to having firm equipment maintenance parameters even with respect to wide operational and environmental variables. It is reasonable that this might only be a goal at the moment due to 1F being such a young company.

My intent, for selfish reasons, is to discover if there is a quantifiable balance between operation and maintenance that can yield the greatest machine life cycle. Without kicking up too much dust (pun intended) I hope others will join in with thoughts, experience, and wisdom too.

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I’m out on the stickers…. Sorry. The machine is too pretty to mess it up. In fact I did not put the “Kreg” sticker on my bench… lol

Oh… and every 25 hours I check the Z axis; gives me a reason to go out to the shop wether I have a project or not…

But then again, my Kreg bench has nothing to put on it yet cuz I’m waiting for my 1F to be delivered; since I don’t have my 1F yet, I can’t put stickers on even if I wanted… and the checking the Z thing is still just a fantasy.