Stuck Z.

[WoodenWizard]

Well the good news is it finished the carving part and stalled on the bit change for cutout. I had just put in the 1/8 bit and when it homed it stalled. It is stuck at the top position. Barely wiggles. Tried air to see if a chip is lodged but still stuck. I can move the bottom 2 bearings with my fingers but the top 2 seem froze. Not sure if is because they went bad or because it is stuck on top. I had just cleaned and lubed everything yesterday and did a 4.5 hour carve yesterday with no issues and 3.5 hour carve part before it locked. Time on the machine is about 228 hours so getting close to 250 maintenance. Did not want to force it so I took a break from it to have a good mind set before I tackle it.

Dave

[Digitalwoodshop]

It could be the frozen bearings you mentioned... Covering everything you can try shooting some WD-40 into the bearing wiping up the excess to prevent a FIRE problem.... and WD-40 when it gets on raw wood, the silicone can cause the finish to birds eye.

Look over the FSC Cable too... I had one pulled down at an angle and it locked up the servo motor... even burned it out....

It is times like this that I wish LHR made a removable Upper Mechanical Stop....

Good Luck,

AL

[WoodenWizard]

Well mystery partially solved. Started to disassemble machine to get a closer look. Removed the Z-motor. Froze solid. No free movement at all. Z truck moves up and down but seems rough. Makes me wonder if bearings bad. Since I have 228 hours on machine I guess now is as good a time for the 250 overhaul. Does anyone have a convenient list of what I should get. No sense paying for shipping for one item. Sad thing is the Z motor was just replaced under warranty a year ago ( carbon dust leaking into encoder). I got around 190 hours in carving since z motor replacement. Only issues I have had have been the occasional dirty rail or bit plate. I hope I don't have some hidden issue causing z motor failures.

Thanks for the response Al.

Dave

[WoodenWizard]

Look over the FSC Cable too... I had one pulled down at an angle and it locked up the servo motor... even burned it out....

It is times like this that I wish LHR made a removable Upper Mechanical Stop....

AL

Will make sure to get a new cable also. Thanks

Dave

[fwharris]

Dave,

Are you saying the Z motor it self will not turn? Is this still with the gear box attached to the motor? If so take the motor off of the gear box and inspect the gears and bearings in that also.

[WoodenWizard]

Dave,

Are you saying the Z motor it self will not turn? Is this still with the gear box attached to the motor? If so take the motor off of the gear box and inspect the gears and bearings in that also.

OK, I removed the Z motor from the gear box and the motor is fine. Gear box not so much. The plus side is that I have one of them from the motor assembly I replaced last year.

Dave

[Digitalwoodshop]

The Gear Box is basically the 2 little bearings and the big plastic gear. Both are available as replacement parts... the Bearing is a 685ZZ and the gear MWM A2073. The FFC Cable is MWM C1028... I keep calling it a FSC Cable... On my old Invoice it is a FFC... :)

Interesting if you open the Encoder on the stuck Motor to see if that was the problem...

Good Luck,

AL

[cestout]

This is the first time I have heard about this happening to the Z gears. The Y does this regularly - more strain. When you have the X truck loose, remove it and work WD40 into the rollers so they turn freely. When you reinstall the truck, don't over tighten the rollers. About the W40 and wood, I always put a couple of paper supermarket bags over the belts any time I work on or lube my machines. Besides protecting the belts, it helps prevent lost parts.

[WoodenWizard]

I replaced the gear pack from the other z-motor. Did a extensive cleaning including bearings. Checked the Brush on the cut motor that I could get at without taking it out (needs replaced. one on order) End result is everything is running smoothly again. I have parts on the way that will give me a few extra things and allow me to do my 250 maintenance in 12 hours of run time, although I did most of it when I had it apart.. I cut a test project and finished part of the project it broke after. All is well.


Dave