3018 X axis play

[Ash]

I was going to embark on an electronics project and discovered the world of p.c.b engraving, intrigued by this I got myself a Vevor 3018 CNC.

After a bit of playing I managed to create a test p.c.b. using KiCAD, Flatcam and Candle. Great I thought and then set about making a proper board, things went south at this point. I could not get any consistency with the engraving, sometimes it would work really well and other times there would be bare board where a track should have been. I put the p.c.b. to one side and thought I would try and make a front panel out of ABS for something I built earlier. Using FreeCAD and Candle I managed to ‘mill’ one although it was a bit of a mare as the plastic kept melting and sticking to the end mill, but I got there in the end.

Back to p.c.b. I took the CNC apart to clean out all the plastic dust that had built up and noticed that the X axis has some play between the linear bearings and the guide rails, and a bit of play in one of the vertical bars of the Z axis. I figured this may be the cause of the inconsistency and to prove it I fed some PTFE tape through the bearings and taped the ends around the back of the motor unit and put a piece of tape in the hole of the Z axis bar and that took the slack out. When I fire up the machine I was surprised as to how much quieter it was and I managed to engrave a test p.c.b.
I have read some articles on the internet implying that there are upgrade kits and super duper bearings out there to solve the issue, but I can’t seem to find a supplier or know with confidence what I am looking for, any help would be gratefully received.

Thought I would add a picture of the PTFE fix, subsequently found play in the Z axis fixed as well.




T.I.A.
Ashley