Hello all, new member to the forum here.
I just received my journeyman and have almost completed the setup and cable management. I can share photos of my setup once I have completed it. But this is not why I’m here.
I wanted to get some feedback on some ball screw rod damage my machine arrived with. I am not familiar with the ware mechanics of ball screws and rods so hopefully someone with more experience can weigh in.
I did reach out to onefinity first but have been told that it should not be a problem and to report back if it makes different noise or movements when traveling that section. To me, this is concerning considering the amount of money spent on such a machine. Only to have it arrive with damage.
I have included the photos below for more experienced eyes.
Yeah, I see those. The chip out isn’t on the thread itself but on the slope. Can’t tell either if it’s an actual chip taken out or just a bit of missing plating. I agree it’s not perfect but I’m not sure it’s going to cause any issue. If it were on the top of the thread I’d replace it because then it would have the ability to impact the smooth operation of the captive ball nut with perhaps some added wobble or runout.
I think performance of ball screws is more about the grooves, if support said it shouldn’t be a problem, I wouldn’t sweat it until you notice bad behavior.
Thanks for the diagrams. I should have more time later this week to get things up and running and I will report back on any findings. It’s definitely something I’ll be keeping a close eye on.
Those chips are potentially on the contact point of the balls. Strange that there’s 2 identical chips adjacent to one another. But at any given point in the travel, there are more supporting points of contact as the nuts travel over this area. It should not affect either operation nor accuracy at all. That said, I would run it, but definitely keep an eye on it.
That’s what I thought too. My concern would be over time the damage that may be done to the balls which would then propagate to other areas. The rough surface wearing on the smooth ball surface. Once the balls get roughed up they will propagate that wear to whatever they come in contact with.
Do you feel that the amount of time it will take for this to occur is so long as to be insignificant.
I had thought that as well, Bob. If this were my machine, I would remove the motor and rotate the screw by hand. If the operation isn’t silky-smooth, it may be an indication of further issues.
The light-gray color of the chips indicates they’re fresh, and have not had oil on them, in which case they’d be dark gray. The chips may or may not worsen. I don’t think they will cause additional damage to the balls, but who’s to say? My initial concern is where the chips ended up. Are they inside the ball nut waiting to wreak further havoc? Depends largely on what caused the damage. But @Brassarrow can take comfort in the fact that Onefinity has awesome support, and he did the right thing by reporting the damage to them. If there’s a future issue, I’m sure Onefinity will stand by to take care of it.
After seeing the diagrams that also was my concern; the chips would be contact with the balls. Also, the first thing I did was look for the chips when I found the damage. I did not see any chips in the box or in my work shop which I keep very clean. I too wondered if the chips were in the ball screw itself but have not had time to investigate looking inside. I would need to make sure I have the proper setup to then get the ball screw back together.
I’m not going to try anything until I hear more from someone on the onefinity team. I sent a follow up email to their response but have heard nothing back yet. I’m assuming that most staff are off on holiday at the moment.
Our entire team will be off on Dec 24 - 25 and Dec 31 - Jan 1 to celebrate the winter holidays. We will also have limited support staffing between Dec 24 and Jan 3 so that members of our team can enjoy additional time off.
Thank you to everyone for their patience and ongoing support. We wish you happy holidays!
Agreed. If I pay for something in a certain condition. I expect it in that condition. I’m sure they will switch it out. You shouldn’t have to wait to see “if” this will cause a problem.
It appears that someone may have dropped that screw during assembly probably at factory. When you pay full price for a car you ordered and it comes with a dent would you still accept delivery? I would ask for a replacement rail assembly and send back that one.
