Router Question

[henryz]

You should start by testing out some squares and circles, there might be some play in your stepper or gantry.

 

[Blaster]

Your file looks ok once I got it loaded. They are poly arcs all the way through.

I would next suspect stepper lash at specific points on the table for those marks to be so consistent. Have you tried running the job with no bit plunge to see if the spindle looks shakey around the curves?

As I said I have no backlash comp on it now. Will ck for tightness and add 5 thousands to y and see how it ends up.

 

[Blaster]

You should start by testing out some squares and circles, there might be some play in your stepper or gantry.

I will

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

So your spindle is shaking with no load going around the table?

is so 1 check your racks for debris and lube it, they check your motors for catch points... you may need to replace them if they can't be rebuilt. Shouldn't be expensive unless you need a new driver.

 

[Blaster]

So your spindle is shaking with no load going around the table?

is so 1 check your racks for debris and lube it, they check your motors for catch points... you may need to replace them if they can't be rebuilt. Shouldn't be expensive unless you need a new driver.

So I discovered on the left side y axis stepper, the gear is quite loose. I can turn the reduction gear and see it move chatter against the spur gear on the stepper. I will tighten that up right away. Im also changing the position of the spindle in the clamp. Right now its protruding almost all the way out. I have enough Z to set it higher up in the clamp to improve stiffness. Will rerun file after this and report back. Thanks sooo much to everyone who has added their 2 cents to the conversation.

 

[Blaster]

So I discovered on the left side y axis stepper, the gear is quite loose. I can turn the reduction gear and see it move chatter against the spur gear on the stepper. I will tighten that up right away. Im also changing the position of the spindle in the clamp. Right now its protruding almost all the way out. I have enough Z to set it higher up in the clamp to improve stiffness. Will rerun file after this and report back. Thanks sooo much to everyone who has added their 2 cents to the conversation.

Its funny but the amount of play between the spur and barrel gear were exactly the depth of the ridges I was finding in the work piece. Learn something new everyday. .

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Well that is good news, hopefully your issue is solved.

 

[Blaster]

Well that is good news, hopefully your issue is solved.

Appreciate your help 2CT

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Appreciate your help 2CT

Any time, I didnt do much!

 

[astro8]

Sounds like you'll get on top off it. You mentioned cutting aluminium, look around for a mister or make one if the router doesn't already have one. It's not hard to put one together with a couple bits off ebay and an air hose. I use a piston driven micro mister now but used a conventional one for years, just using water and soluble oil. Some people have great success using a cold air gun.

Buy good quality router bits once you get your machine back into spec.. Bits last way, way longer with a machine that doesn't produce chatter so adjust all your feeds and speeds to suit your situation. Try and fine tune everything, every step of the way. This includes feeds, speeds, bit selection, hold down, part creation and cutting strategies.

Good luck.

 

[spectrum maine]

i assumed it was a file issue because with 3 passes, you can not even see the steps between passes. If it was slop i do not think the passes would have such consistency.

 

[MikePro]

chip clearing might the issue & your feeds & speeds seem a bit high to begin with. maybe start with a relief-pass just outside of your final cut path & dial-down the speeds ~50%. I usually run most materials at about 120-150ipm.

 

[henryz]

I had a similar issue, but it only happened with round shapes straight lines were fine, so I had play maybe figured it was similar thing.

 

[MasterPat]

Ok, I know someone out there has had this problem so looking for advice. This is an older 4x8 router we have and just learning the process etc. Using Artcam and Mach 3. My edges always seem to have chatter for lack of a better term creating ridges in the edges. As I said the router is older. R&P X and Y w Ballscrew for Z. Mach 3 has backlash compensation in it but currently have it set to 0. Am I correct in assuming that's what this is? Any help much appreciated.

 

[MasterPat]

I say it is a loose belt on the gantry. There are two motors that control the y move, and one (probably on top) that controls the x move.
You just have to loosen the retaining nuts that establish the tension on the gears (i.e., that keeps them in contact with the rails) and pull the motor further away to effectively tighten the belts. It'll take two people, one to pull the little motor to increase the tension, and another to tighten the bolts back down while still overtensioning. On these older machines, the belts can stretch, and thus make this type of problem. You can also just replace the belts. At least it's a cheap shot...

 

[Blaster]

I say it is a loose belt on the gantry. There are two motors that control the y move, and one (probably on top) that controls the x move.
You just have to loosen the retaining nuts that establish the tension on the gears (i.e., that keeps them in contact with the rails) and pull the motor further away to effectively tighten the belts. It'll take two people, one to pull the little motor to increase the tension, and another to tighten the bolts back down while still overtensioning. On these older machines, the belts can stretch, and thus make this type of problem. You can also just replace the belts. At least it's a cheap shot...

See this machine has no belts it's a spur gear off of stepper to a reduction gear which is connected by shaft to pinion gear on rack. It has an offset flange that you rotate to increase tension. It was loose on one side of y. Tightened and cleaned it right up