Hey Everyone,
I’m having issues with cutting letters and although it just boils down to math, I guess it seems to become more prevalent when I try to cut a shape with an expected outcome. I’ve attached a picture of the issue. In it, you see and X and O, both of which have defects which propagate through all 4 layers of the cut. If you look at the picture, the top is OK, but there’s an error in the bottom. Any ideas on how to alleviate this? Thanks!
What are the cutting details, feedrate, bit size , spindle speed?
High Allen,
I’m cutting pine, 20 in/min, 1/4 inch bit… my spindle speed is harder to guess because I’m using a dewalt 611 set on 4. 0.100 depth cut, 0.025 at a time.
I’m thinking its something in the code because it does it to all 4 layers identically.
You have several issues going on. One is your feedrate is too slow and your spindle speed is to high. But this is not causing the problems you are seeing. Once you have it moving correctly you can worry about feedrates.
It really looks like you are have some mechanical issues.
The most likely things are a loose belt or two (they all need to be “banjo string” tight
A really loose vwheel or a super tight vwheel.
A motor shaft pulley may be slipping, Be sure the set screws are all tight. Get a sharpie and make a mark on the pulley and the shaft. The marks should stay lined up after you test the movement (dry run below)
If you turn off the controller can you move the carriage smoothly in the X and Y? There should not be any spots that bind or move differently.
Also grab the X carriage assembly and see if there is any play in it, The bottom or top should not have any wiggle, it should also not be able to rotate at all around the X axis. Even a little bit of play can cause the problems you are seeing.
This is also a good time to check to be sure the spindle is square to the wasteboard. If there is any angle
There is also the possibility that the voltage potentiometers for X and Y are set to low (or high). There are many discussion threads on this forum that will walk you through adjusting the voltage correctly.
So check all the belts, check all the vwheels (they should be difficult to turn with your finger)
Check to be sure everything is moving smoothly by hand
Then do a dry run with no bit and the 611 turned off. Listen to the sounds the motors are making and watch how each axis is moving. If something is binding or the belt is slipping you should notice it.
It is probably something simple that you will spot quickly as you check everything
