Machine is Air Carving

[SharonB]

My "A" machine has started air carving for the first five or 6 passes then it finally hits the board and completes the pattern. I know I could compensate for the difference in the depth of the pattern and carve regions but the centerline function just verily cuts into the board (using 60* bit). The bit hits the swing plate as it should...you can see the swing plate dip a little as it touches. I just did maintenance on the machine and all bearings seem to be in good working order. No sawdust in any of the motors. The machine might have made one or two passes above the board before maintenance but it is really off now.

I know I've read of things to check when machine air carvings but for the life of me can't seem to find them today. Hope there is an easy solution as the machine has been down a month waiting for brushes and I just got it going again. Sharon

[dehrlich]

My A machine does that too, only the first 3 or 4 passes before you notice a mark on the board. It's always done it, never knew it was an issue.

[chief2007]

Not sure if it might be a problem with the MPC file or the machine.

Have you reformatted the card and reloaded the project to see if that cleared it up? Conforming vectors checked correct?

I have had that happen with the 1/16th bit at optimal setting when using feathering on a carved region, but not with the 60 degree bit.

[SharonB]

Chief... no, I didn't reformat the card. When the machine checked both the 60* bit and the carving bit all things seemed normal. But when it started carving the pattern it did not tough the board for at least six passes. Since depth, at this stage, didn't matter all that much I just let it go ahead and carve. But when using the 60* bit you could see that the bit just verily went into the board.
The shallow parts of the fonts hardly cut at all.

[Digitalwoodshop]

I am thinking that your bit plate is BENT DOWN and if you bent it up so it is level when out that the first few air strokes will go away....

This gives the machine a false sense of where the tip of the bit is.... It is the only thing I can think of and especially since it is happing to 2 separate machines... that takes out the Encoder, FSC Cable and such...

Just a WAG.... Wild AL Guess.....

Taking advantage of the Warm day and have been cutting sheet stock into tags all day with the machine...

AL

[aokweld101]

I have gotten my new machine back in sept. last year, I didn't think it would be an issue either mine does that and I thought it was normal....

[henry1]

I didn't think you could ben that plate it is pretty rigid

[SharonB]

I remember something about bending the swing plate but couldn't remember if it was up or down. If you couldn't bend it up could you put a thin piece of material on the plate.

[bergerud]

On the three machines I have looked closely at, the bit plates were all a little different. They are not that hard to bend. I suppose the correct height is to be perfectly horizontal. But I do not think the problem could be the bit plate height. The touch on the board is where the machine gets the zero height reference. One could certainly bend the bit plate up but I think if the bits are actually touching the plate and the board, it must be something else. Maybe the z belt system. Could the belt be slipping in the clamp? Is the white pulley rotating freely, cracked.? Seems like a strange one. I will be interested to find out what it is.

[SharonB]

Checked the pulley when doing maintenance. But I could re-set the screw and see if that makes any difference.