We wanted to show the importance of using proper dust collection and following our maintenance practices.
This is a recently ‘defective’ rail that was returned to us. The culprit is very clearly debris in the rails. When pulling out the ball nut from the gantry, this is the amount of dust that just fell right out. This is one of the worst cases we’ve come across.
The gantry was getting ‘stuck/hung’ during movement, and after replacing wires and tightening grub screws, it persisted. Only when we took it apart at the factory did we discover the true issue.
It is extremely important to follow the Maintenance video. Proper dust extraction is also extremely important as well as removing the dust between carves.
Always make sure to keep your machine clean!
If your rail is getting hung, it could be dirt in the ball nut!
We are currently working on a YouTube video that will show you how to clean your ball nut if need be. We’ll be posting that soon. Just a tip, NEVER take your ball nut off of the ball screw. A whole bunch of tiny ball bearings will fall out and you’ll never get them back in (or find them after they hit the floor and roll everywhere! )
A simple tip is to wipe down the lead screw and rails before you home the 1F. I do it while the controller is booting up. By doing so dust doesn’t get packed into the seals when it hits the hard stop during the homing process.
wood dust is generally not compatible with oiled exposed mechanics. It has to be collected as completely by a strong dust collection system as possible. Or the mechanics have to be made dust-tight.
This is what I worry about. I just received my Elite Foreman. I am replacing a Mill Right currently using a Shopsmith dust collector that leaves fine dust in my basement. I would like to replace the Shopsmith because the foot print of the Foreman is larger than the Mill Right and I only have limited space. I would need something smaller and more efficient. Can I get someone’s opinion on a smaller dust collector. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure what size the Shopsmith is… but if you haven’t already you might want to take a look at Oneida Air Systems. They have some pretty compact offerings, such as their Mini Gorilla and dust deputy systems. Also, Rocker has the Dust Right units which can be wall mounted and I would think have more than enough capability if used as a dedicated collector for the CNC.
No. We officially do not recommend them. They add drag and we’ve helped many users in support who had machines not working correctly troubleshoot for hours only to find these wipers to be the issue. Once removed the machine worked as expected. As long as you do the maintenance often enough, you will not have any issues.
I’m on my 2nd set as I wore the 1st set out taking them on and off all the time watching for dust. I use to clean dust out of the bearings all the time till I put these on.
I have excellent dust collection now and blow and wipe/oil the machine all the time, and now I deep clean the bearings about every 100 hours and get almost nothing out.
I also learned the importance of keeping machines clean while working the cleaning shift for MANY years in a corrugated factory (cardboard to you Muggles). If you want to see a lot of dust, especially around the die cutters, take a tour of one.
And give a big thank you to the people making all your boxes (do you hear me OF?). They endure lots of back breaking work, dust and heat in the process (usually about 105 in the plant in the summer).
Thanks Onefinity for info. Although I have maybe 30 cutting hours on my machine, There was build up especially on the x axis on the controller side.
2 questions
Why is there an opening on the x and y axis ballscrews where dust can collect and do you offer or support a specific aftermarket wiper?
Is there any collapsible tubes that could cover the ballscrews? I know metal cutting cncs have them.
Thanks
I’m referring to this hole where the ball screw travels
There’s tapped holes on either side for what looks like a cover or wiper but there’s nothing there
Hi @WC_CUSTOMS The issue the customer created the ticket with resolved iteself when the aftermarket wiper was removed. Yes, removal of them was the resolution of the support ticket.
Ouch!
Why so hostile WC?
I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but 50 years in the woodworking/construction trade and the last 25 years in high school education has taught me to ask questions because you don’t know everything and to have patience with people learning new skills.
Regarding the after market wipers, I see 2 issues first if they bind on the ballscrew that’s a design issue in the wiper and secondly what is the torque generated by the stepper motors? It should snap them if they bind up. (Again a design fault in the motors)
Thank you for the recommendation. I will check out those 2 options. My only concern is the fine dust getting into the ball screw nut and binding the machine up.
The Mill Right uses a rack and pinion. dust really wasn’t a concern.
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