Open Cover problem

[sxemike]

I just got the machine a few days ago. I've been able to cut out 2 successful patterns. I keep getting y or z axis stalls. I'm cutting acrylic so there is a lot of saw dust. I try to vacuum it out every 5-10 minutes and it helps. Now I have a new problem. When I open the cover, the router stops spinning but it still trying to carve. Any idea? Could there be a sensor jammed with dust? I've tried cleaning everything that I can see.

[sxemike]

I just searched again and found a few things to check....

I'll try them when I get home

[Digitalwoodshop]

Your left switch is stuck in the in or ON position. A very dangerous thing. Wires touching on the switch case or the plunger has dust impacted in it.

AL

800-573-1226 LHR

[forqnc]

Sounds like the cover switch to stop carving is stuck closed, this is the switch under the head and on the keypad side. If you look at the parts list.pdf on page 11 it shows both switches #167 and #169. #167 stops the cut motor, and #169 stops the carving.
Good Luck.

Edit:
While I was searching the .pdf Al beat me.

[sxemike]

So I finally fixed the open cover problem. It just needed a little cleaning. One of the switches was stuck.

I also went to sears looking for a downdraft table or dust collection system. Everything was really expensive and junk. I made my own.

The bench that the cc sits on has an MDF top. I cut a 2x17 hole in the middle and used some duct tape to make a "gasket". The used some more duct tape to tape a plastic tub on the bottom side of the tabletop. I add some more duct tape to make everything air tight. The only way for air to get in or out is through the 2x17 hold in the tabletop or through a hole I drilled in the side for a vacuum. I have a small 1gal shop-vac. I can cut for a while and it never fills up. Most of the dust goes into the plastic tub.

So I started cutting the same project out again that I started with before. After a few minutes it stopped cutting....Nothing stopped but the bit wasn't making contact. I opened the door and all motors stopped like they should. After it slowed down the bit fell out. Right before I started this project I check to make sure the set screws were tight. They were as tight as I could get them. I didn't use locktite. The bad thing is, it's sitting on the shelf right next to the compucarve. That won't happen again.

I'll try again tonight after work and see what other stupid mistakes I can make.

[Kenm810]

sxemike,

Thanks for sharing your solutions
To some very common errors, we all make.
I think only repeated mistakes are stupid,
you have learned from them,
so your well on your way up the learning curve
of this Machine. http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

[Digitalwoodshop]

Bit falling out.... I have over 500 carving hours and last winter I walked in the shop after a long night of carving to find the bit had just fallen out of the bit holder overnight due to the cold and metal shrinkage..... We all keep on learning....

AL

[sxemike]

I fixed the switches, set up the down draft and used locktite on the setscrews. Everything we fine with the carve until.....

about 75% complete the bit just plunged straight down and stalled the machine, ruining another piece of acrylic. This was a big carve that should have taken about an hour and a half to carve. I stopped the machine to clean out extra dust every 10 minutes. Everything seemed fine until the stall.

The same project worked fine when I tested it on wood. Is there something else, I'm doing wrong? Static maybe? I think I have everything grounded to keep the static out. I don't know what else it could be.

[trusalt]

I had a few bit dives early on. I think the problem can be reduced by frequently formating the memory card. Just removing the errors was not enough. It might be static, I really don't know, but formating has helped.

[sxemike]

I redesigned the piece and tried again last night. Since most of the design is 2D I changed the outline to vector lines. Everything worked great except me...The second time I opened the cover I accidentally hit the stop button instead of enter.

I started over again, this time it didn't cut all the way through. I'm still not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm working with 3/4" acrylic and the design isn't too complicated. I'll try again tonight.

[mtylerfl]

...I started over again, this time it didn't cut all the way through. I'm still not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm working with 3/4" acrylic and the design isn't too complicated. I'll try again tonight.

EDITED...

Perhaps the problems you are experiencing are because you may be carving and cutting too deep.

Here is what the manufacturer says about carving plastics...

"Suitable carving plastics include polycarbonate (Lexan), cast acrylic (sign makers plastic), and Corian (acrylic base). Most other plastics such as Nylon, ABS, and extruded acrylic (Plexiglas)tend to melt and gum up because the melting point of the material is lower than the temperature generated at the bit tip when carving. The great thing about cast acrylic and Corian is that they come in many different colors and opacities.

Note that the machine is always expecting soft material like wood as the carving medium and will automatically set the speed and feed rates based on this expectation.

Therefore it is very important to keep any carving in plastic to less than 1/8” deep. Deeper carving will put excessive load on the machine by trying to push a bit through this hard material and can cause damage.

The only bit currently approved for plastic is the tapered carving bit. This means that some functions will not be available to you when using hard plastic. Do NOT use any machine function that employs a bit other than the tapered carving bit when using plastics. For example do not use decorative bits or the cutout function on plastics.

Also remember to clean the machine very thoroughly when using plastics. The “dust’ and chips produced can damage drive components and belts."

(The above was copied from the approved Materials List by the manufacturer: http://carvewright.com/downloads/material_FAQ.pdf )

[Digitalwoodshop]

Plastic chips stick to everything and they don't compress like sawdust does. I bet chips of plastic got stuck in the belt cogs of the Z making a UP motion fail to complete then the next down order causes the bit to drive into the plastic. I think it is a chip control problem.... Better dust collection would solve this or cleaning every few minutes.

OR it could be a bad Z encoder.

AL

[sxemike]

I'll agree with the chip theory. They seem to make a mess. I'm ordering a dust collection system that should do a lot better than the shopvac.

"Therefore it is very important to keep any carving in plastic to less than 1/8” deep. Deeper carving will put excessive load on the machine by trying to push a bit through this hard material and can cause damage."

This doesn't make much sense to me...It took about 8 passes to fully cut the shape out. That's a little less than 1/10" each pass for 3/4" acrylic. I guess I should learn to follow directions and not question authority...


For now, I'll clean everything and make it look like new and try again with wood.

[mtylerfl]

This doesn't make much sense to me...It took about 8 passes to fully cut the shape out. That's a little less than 1/10" each pass for 3/4" acrylic. I guess I should learn to follow directions and not question authority...

You're right - each pass for a cutout would be under 1/8" - it doesn't seem to make sense not to be able to do that, unless the diameter of the cutting bit itself causes the machine stress, rather than the depth of multiple passes during a cutout.

[Digitalwoodshop]

I take it you are using the 1/8 inch cutting bit? Can you post some of what you are doing in plastic. I have an interest in doing that too.

Thanks,

AL

[sxemike]

I'm going to try again this weekend. I'll post picture of what I come up with on Monday.


Short story long on what/why:

They're bridges for upright basses. It's pretty much the whole reason I got the machine.
A couple of years ago there was a guy that was making them out of 1/2" lexan on a CNC machine. For whatever reason, he stopped and screwed a bunch of people out some money. I ordered one of his bridges and 6 months later I still didn't have it. I got my money back (and my bridge) by meeting up with him in person. Before I got the original, I got tired of waiting and cut my own out with a scroll saw. It took about 8 hours of work not including fitting it to my bass.(I'll atach a picture)
I post on a few bass related forums and recently I s got a lot of interest in the plastic bridges. My goal is to make a few stock designs and start making some custom work. After I figure out the bridges, I'll move on to other parts of the bass and maybe some fiddle parts...everything will be either plastic or exotic wood

[Eagle Hollow]

I take it you are using the 1/8 inch cutting bit? Can you post some of what you are doing in plastic. I have an interest in doing that too.

Thanks,

AL

Al,

Here are a few projects I've done with Corian. My experience is that it cuts as easy as the oak and hard maple I 've use on other projects. The biggest downside with plastics is the mess you have to contend with. I have to clean almost continually...the darn shavings "stick llike glue". Requires a lot of vacuuming and blowing. Does anyone have the solution to the static cling of the shavings????

The coasters were all cut out with the CC. No problem at all for me..but don't take my experience as a recommendation!! It's always wise to follow the manfacturer's instructions.

Jerry
1.126

[sxemike]

Do you think a 1hp dust collection would be enough to draw everything out?

something similar to this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140222703156

I think I read about someone modifying the cover to blow air in. Would it be bad to modify the cover with a vacuum system to suck the dust out? It looks like it might work better than the vent on the bottom.


BTW..the coasters look nice. Are the carved areas sealed? If not I found this stuff called solarez. It's designed to repair surfboards. I've used it with clear lexan and it turns out really well. It's good for filling in carvings to make a smooth surface. www.solarez.com I'm not in any way affiliated with them but the stuff works great.