DickB
05-14-2011, 06:35 PM
Last week the machine was finishing up a long project, several parts, carves plus cutouts, working on the last cutout, when it lost x-axis tracking. I was cutting a 3/4" board 1/4" at a time, and you could see where it lost it and started drifting on the 2nd or 3rd cutout pass. The project stopped with a y-axis stall when the bit got overpowered I suppose. I guess I should be thankful that the bit was not broken, but half the parts on the project were ruined.
I suspected that the x-axis encoder was dirty, as everything else looked OK, and sure enough it was. (After cleaning it and reinstalling, several projects since have been flawless.) I noticed when cleaning it that not only was there no seal or sealant used on the encoder cover, but there are gaps around the electrical connector and the encoder cover - lots of opportunity for dust to enter. BTW I do have a dust collection system. I "fixed" (more like Band-Aided) this by applying a thin coat of silicone seal on the cover and covering the whole connector opening with masking tape after I plugged the connector in.
OK, here's the rant. Take a look at the photo of a cheap Radio Shack wireless outdoor thermometer sending unit.
44565
Look at the metal inserts with threaded holes in the plastic body, and the rubber gasket on the cover that seals up the innards, totally dust- and water-tight, when the cover is screwed on. Very effective and high quality, in my opinion, for a cheap product for which I paid maybe $20.
So why can't my $2000 machine have seals on critical parts at least this good?
I suspected that the x-axis encoder was dirty, as everything else looked OK, and sure enough it was. (After cleaning it and reinstalling, several projects since have been flawless.) I noticed when cleaning it that not only was there no seal or sealant used on the encoder cover, but there are gaps around the electrical connector and the encoder cover - lots of opportunity for dust to enter. BTW I do have a dust collection system. I "fixed" (more like Band-Aided) this by applying a thin coat of silicone seal on the cover and covering the whole connector opening with masking tape after I plugged the connector in.
OK, here's the rant. Take a look at the photo of a cheap Radio Shack wireless outdoor thermometer sending unit.
44565
Look at the metal inserts with threaded holes in the plastic body, and the rubber gasket on the cover that seals up the innards, totally dust- and water-tight, when the cover is screwed on. Very effective and high quality, in my opinion, for a cheap product for which I paid maybe $20.
So why can't my $2000 machine have seals on critical parts at least this good?