New Build, Aluminium Frame Router/Mill

[Davek0974]

So far so good - no faults since wiring changes :)

Did have a probing error though - setting up for engraving plastic, 0.2mm 30deg 3mm tool in, tested the touch-plate as i always do, pressed the Z-Ref button, tool comes down and just keeps on going - pushed that little carbide bit through the pcb touch-plate, through 3mm of engraving plastic and a couple of mm into the machine bed :(

By the time i had hit the e-stop, the stepper was stalling, no idea why, i rebooted and it was ok for the rest of the day.

Scary stuff.

[njhussey]

Did have a probing error though - setting up for engraving plastic, 0.2mm 30deg 3mm tool in, tested the touch-plate as i always do, pressed the Z-Ref button, tool comes down and just keeps on going - pushed that little carbide bit through the pcb touch-plate, through 3mm of engraving plastic and a couple of mm into the machine bed :(

By the time i had hit the e-stop, the stepper was stalling, no idea why, i rebooted and it was ok for the rest of the day.

Scary stuff.

Dave, I had the same thing happen to my touch plate, it's got a 3.175mm hole punched through it, the 18mm MDf base and into the Ali bed....mine was because the earth wire had become unattached. Just goes to show how much power these things have, wouldn't want my fingers (or anything else) in the way of it! Needless to say I watch the procedure like a hawk now with one hand on the 'o'shit button...just in case!

[Davek0974]

Yep thats the stance i adopt now - one hand on the plate the other over the red button!

This was on the little stepper machine, on the Bridgeport with its AC servo drive i think things would have been far worse as they just do not stop until things break.

[Clive S]

Did have a probing error though

I have had a similar problem and not got to the bottom of it I am now thinking that you should put a crock clip on the tool to ground as you probe because you are relying on the bearings in the spindle. It just does it very occasionally.

[Davek0974]

Thats a possible reason there, thanks. It also could be a bit of crap under the tool maybe - this was a tiny tool with a 0.2mm tip so not a lot of contact area.

It would mean carnage if it happened on the Bridgeport though, I am not using probing on the main spindle as have now sorted out fixed-height tooling etc, but when i have the engraving spindle fitted i will need to use it then as the spindle only has Er20 collet.