Bearings on Y-Axis causing ridges in 3mm Perspex

[tilltots]

Following some experimenting with some square and rectangular shaped pieces I've noticed that my 3060 will cut absolutely smooth along the x-axis yet will produce ridged cuts along the y-axis.

I can actually hear a faint noise whilst the head is moving along the y-axis like a faint vibration.

Do these bearings wear, (I have been cleaning the rods and applying 3 in 1 oil every time I use the machine), could that wear cause the ridging and if so how difficult are the bearings to replace?

Cheers

MK

[Daven]

Hi MK,
I would be surprised if they were worn, mine has had a lot of use but still ok. Maybe worth giving them a good clean and then lubricate with silicone oil rather than 3-in-1 which goes a bit sticky after a while.

The rails may also need adjusting but maybe check with HPC first.

Best
Dave

[tilltots]

Thanks Dave, the guy who installed my machine actually recommended 3 in 1 over silicone as long as you clean off the rails regularly but anything's worth a try.

Didn't know you could adjust the rails - i'll take a look at that tonight - do you think they might be out of parallel or level and that could cause a vibration?

[Daven]

I guess it is down to preference - I find 3-in-1 plus dust becomes a sticky mess on other tools in the workshop over time but if you are cleaning off it should be ok.

I had similar problem when I first had the 3060 - there may be a post about the rails. I would suggest calling HPC if you can't find the post as I can't remember exactly what I did - I remember Chris telling me to undo the bolts just a bit and moving the carriage back and forward a few times.

Best
Dave

[tilltots]

Cheers Dave,

We only cut perspex on ours and the bed gets hoovered every use so dust isn't an issue for us.

Thanks

Martin

[tilltots]

OK, I gave the machine a very thorough cleaning and degreasing yesterday and applied fresh oil to the rods on the y-axis.

I also loosened the allen bolt which screws into the end of the rod on the left hand side at the front of the machine (the other 3 are a bit more involved to get at) and checked the movement back and forth with the machine off to assess whether there was any variation in the resistance - there wasn't.

The belt which controls the y-axis movement has good tension with only 5mm or so vertical tension and is clean and there are no teeth missing on the belt or pulleys.

The ridging remains unfortunately and to my mind I think there is too much resistance in the y-axis movement as the ridges are spaced at very uniform intervals, almost as though it is in relation to the teeth on the belt......

I think I'm going to try and get at one of the other allen bolts in the end of the right hand side rod and loosen at the same time as the left one just to be sure.

[Daven]

This was the post I mentioned earlier http://www.laserscript.co.uk/phpBB3/vie ... ings#p4377 not sure if that is the same bolts you loosened.

Cheers
Dave

[tilltots]

Cheers Dave - I hadn't managed to find that post before.

They aren't the same bolts actually. The one I loosened was the one connecting the rod to the chassis in case it was out of alignment. I'll take a look at the carriages tonight.

Ta

Martin

[tilltots]

Well as I came back from skiing to find a burst tube thanks to the cold weather this slipped down the priority list but thanks to the guys who came out and installed the new tube who pointed out how to tension the belt on the right-hand bearing carriage.

Ridging now gone