I’ve noticed a rather loud clicking noise whenever I move the Y axis slowly. It’s a bity random not with a regular repetition that I can notice. Only seems to happen at slower feeds. It happens without the router or dust collector running. I have less then a 50 hours on the machine so far. Anyone have a similar problem or ideas for a solution.
Any chance you can post a short vid of it with the audio?
Attached is the video with the audible clicking. I correct myself from my original message in that it is a repetitive sound indicating something with the the ball screws I assume. Any help would be appreciated.
Hey Laverne,
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first I would check if the Z ball screw coupler is loose. How to reattach it is shown in this video. It shows it on X or Y Axes, but with Z Axis it is similar, with the difference that the coupler is better accessible, as can be seen on this video . Unlike on the other axes, on Z axis, the ball screw does not need to be removed in order to fix coupler screw! The stepper motor shaft has a flat part. Make sure the black grub screw is tightening against the flat part of stepper motor shaft.
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then I would check if Z Ball Nut Set Screws are loose.
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finally I would check if there is a wood dust-oil mix inside the Z ball nut. This is point 5) in this FAQ document. There is a link to a video too.
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Aiphu,
Thank you for the detailed response to my clicking noise issue. The clicking noise only appears when moving on the Y axis (not the Z axis) and at slow speeds. To me it seems to becoming from the rear where the stepping motors are. I have made sure every screw on the machine is down tight, including the couplings. Still at a loss. Machine otherwise appears to be working fine and making good carves.
Same happened to me. It was the ball nut that’s dirty or packed with dust. Take it apart, clean it, lube it and put it back together. I’ve found that a more frequent cleaning keeps it at bay.
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Thanks for the suggestion. I will try this in the near future. However, my machine does not have a lot of hours on it and I have kept it pretty clean and I have a good dust collector on it. I have now noticed the noise is more prevalent when the gantry starts to approach about 8 inches from the left rear Y axis stepper motor. Out of the blue I loosened the grub screw on the white nylon ring and the clicking disappeared. I can make the noise appear or disappear every time I loosen or tighten the grub screw. I do not know what to make of this since I do not know the role this nylon ring plays.
Hey Laverne,
do you mean this ring:
or this ring?
Did you examine the condition of your ball screw thoroughly? Sometimes there can be scratches on it like shown here or here. However not every damage does affect the function of the balls in the ball nut. The fact that the noise appears only when you tighten the white ring and otherwise the machine runs well could indicate that.
You may also be interested in this issue and this issue
The purpose of the wiper in image 1 (there are two of them in every ball nut) is to keep dust away from the inside of the ball nut. However, since their effect is limited, it may be that you are interested in the wipers of Giancarlo (@Tuvix72)
See also:
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Once again thank you for taking the time to help me. The white ring I am talking about is similar to the one in your in your very last picture. It is on the rear y axis (stepper motor end) table mount. This white ring rotates with the lead screw. The noise appears to be coming from inside of the mount itself. I guess my next step is to pull the Y axis lead screw out through the rear table mount and see what’s binding.
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Same with mine. Was only two weeks old. The screws need to be tightened and you need to spray lubricant on the white bushings. Mine went away and a week later happened on other side. I keep mine clean too but the dust gets in there.
Hey Phoenix, I think I may have had the same issue on my journeyman. After removing the grub screw from that wiper next to the stepper motor the popping sound on mine went away. Did this solve your problem (loosening the screw) or is there something else going on? I only have about 30 hours on my machine and that popping/clicking noise was definitely not there at the beginning. I am trying to figure out why a tight screw wouldn’t have made the popping/clicking from the get go.