New Chinese 4 Axis HY-TB5 Mill has drift out of the box

[asbestosfriend]

Hello all,

I've been having an issue with drift since I bought this CNC. It's on the X axis only. It's very consistent as you can see in the rotary example.

When I run the toolpath (made with Artcam using Raster 90 and a Model Master 4 axis post processor) the X axis moves along the X+ and on return to X0, it goes just a bit further each step, creating this skewed cut. When I stop the machine and return X to 0, it's way off. The toolpath was run on Mach3. I was going to try LinuxCNC (I still want to) but can;t get it to connect with my CNC. That's another problem for another day.

So I'm not sure if it's a mechanical thing, an electronic thing, settings, or something I haven;t even thought of yet.

Any thoughts? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance!!

Cheers,
Bruce

Similar Threads:

• Z Axis Drift......
• Axis Drift, Need Help
• Axis Drift HELP!
• Need Help!- Y axis drift
• Z axis drift

[awerby]

It sounds like lost steps on X, probably because you're pushing it too hard. In Motor Tuning, reduce the acceleration by half and try it again, see if it works any better.

[asbestosfriend]

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for your input. So I tried running the same test using half the speed of acceleration and velocity, It seemed to go fine until I heard a 'clunk' and 'whirr'.... I stopped the cut. Took the machine appart and greased everything up. I ran the axes while open and noticed that the Y axis coupler had slipped off the motor's shaft and was now spinning freely. So I continued to take everything apart until I could get to the motor and fix the problem. I tightened all of the screw for the X axis as well. Once back together I did the full toolpath and it worked like a dream.

So I think there must have been an issue with the couplers. I also tweaked the motor settings to around 3/4 of what the company suggested I use and things are cutting fine. I hope this helps anyone else with similar issues.

Thanks again Andrew.
Cheers

[awerby]

That's great; it's sometimes hard to distinguish between mechanical and electronic issues. You might want to grind a flat on the screw where the set-screw hits, since a slipping setscrew can cause galling that makes the thing difficult to disassemble and fix.