Intermittent error with otherwise functioning laser cutter (G Weike 1290, 100W RECI)

[Basecamp]

Hello CNC-Zone...

Our shop has had a G Weike 1290 laser cutter for about a year and a half, running a 100W RECI tube, a Leetro MPC6515C controller, and a CW4000 water chiller. We generally use Illustrator/Rhino/CAD and convert in Lasercut 5.3... lots of work thrown at the machine so far, lots of great results.

Earlier this week I was engraving a very straightforward 90cm x 30cm (3'x1') sign... simple vector file, simulates fine, certainly seems like no issues with the file whatsoever. Run time on the file is ~20 minutes, settings are 600% Speed / 70% Engrave power.

I have tried to engrave this file many times and each time it will function perfectly up until the point when it briefly freezes, lasers a dot onto the surface, and proceeds to send the laser head to the left along the x-axis (well beyond the boundary of the file) until it physically crashes into the side (or at least it would if not for cat-like reactions and an E-Stop). Now, the curious part is that although the error manifests itself in the same way each time, it doesn't occur at any consistent moment. It generally happens between 6-12 minutes into the 20 minute engrave time. With more testing I have determined that it does not ALWAYS fail, but it will fail in this way at least 80% of the time... smaller files with shorter run times will still cut and engrave without problems.

The machine has been lubricated and maintained quite well; aside from this issue it seems to be functioning perfectly.

It seems to me like a hardware problem; my best guess is that the controller is to blame, but I'm really not certain.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks very much!

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[gweikelaser]

Is anything wrong with the x limit? you would better take video about this problems then send back to sales person ,then she will find the best solution for you ,don't worry

[Basecamp]

Is anything wrong with the x limit? you would better take video about this problems then send back to sales person ,then she will find the best solution for you ,don't worry

No problems apart from the one described. Laser will datum normally, and under manual control the laser head will stop as expected when moved to all edges.

I will try to take a video tomorrow, thanks for your quick feedback. I am eager to get this working again!

[Basecamp]

Diagnostic update on this problem:

In a 20-minute engraving job, the x-axis movement will start making a "groaning" sound about 6-8 minutes into the job; this will increase in volume, and not too long afterward the error will occur. If I pause the job as soon as I hear any troubling sounds, allow some time to pass (15-20 minutes), and then start it back up, it will engrave normally for another few minutes before it all starts to happen again. If I repeat this pausing/waiting process, I can eventually finish the job.

This would seem to point toward some kind of heat-related hardware issue. It seems like maybe there is a problem with the stepper driver for the x-axis, like perhaps the error/crash occurs because the driver eventually goes into thermal overload and resets itself... so pausing the job before this happens allows it to cool back down...and then it will perform normally until it starts to overheat again.

Any ideas?

[Basecamp]

Any ideas CNC-Zone? Best guess still seems like the stepper driver overheating, but I'm not certain.

[avetek]

Now this is an interesting question. I have a similar problem with my 4 year old machine - it has always done it - most of the work I do is laser cutting Balsa and ply. As you said, you can hear it coming, the motors sound like they are loading up or struggling to keep up and then it will just loose it marbles and shake all over the place. I have changed my control board when I upgraded to a Reci Tube, hoping that would solve it - nope.
I have just bought some new steppers for it and they are on their way so I will be interested to see if it works. Next will be the stepper drivers if this doesn't work.
Normally, I stop the machine - reload the programme , lube the rails and away it goes.
I have also disengaged the steppers to see if it is a mechanical bind - not so.
The weird thing is that when you do a test of the programme (outline, the steppers are as smooth as, then when you cut, they sound quite loaded even though they are moving slower.
I was wondering if it was some overloading of the processor, but it will do it on some relatively simple programmes. It probably happens 1 - 2% of the time but that can be a pain when you are high numbers
I also made sure the drives where all correctly earthed in case that was the cause - again - nope.
I also wondered if there is some conflict of accelerations in the setup , but I don't know enough about it.
Any suggestions would be welcome.

[Basecamp]

It is fairly typical for steppers to "groan" during some types of motion, particularly when they're moving really slowly. Ours have always groaned somewhat when cutting (for example) a circle at a low speed setting, and this has never been associated with any type of problem.

Back to the other problem... an electronics whiz I work with is quite adamant that it is most likely the stepper driver overheating, which in our case would be the X-driver since that's the only one that has to work hard during engraving. We usually engrave at full speed and it'll inevitably happen after a while, but if we engrave at a lower speed it can be avoided (but unfortunately time is money). The fact that it's summer for us right now and our shop is much warmer than usual also lends some weight to this being a heat-related hardware problem.

Normally, I stop the machine - reload the programme , lube the rails and away it goes.

I'd like you to try something if you could... try pausing the file mid-session and waiting a while, then resuming it. I'd bet that reloading the file and re-lubricating the rails isn't doing anything at all apart from allowing more time to pass (thus giving the affected components more time to cool back down). This will at least help with diagnosing everything more specifically.

[lrob]

I have had a similar problem while cutting a certain file only. What I did was redid the file, reloaded it on to the laser and everything has been fine since. Interesting to see others having this problem.

Hello G Weike; think there is a problem here!

[avetek]

Thanks for the reply, when my unit does it , it is both drives. I will keep an eye on it. Its winter here in NZ so it is not exactly hot. I take on board you comment about an overheating component , but why would it cool so quickly?
When the machine does this, I have also carried on without doing the things I said and it will generally go crazy again , one or two items further on.
I don't think that this is manufacturer dependant - its about components.
I will keep observing, thanks for the thoughts.

[Basecamp]

I have had a similar problem while cutting a certain file only. What I did was redid the file, reloaded it on to the laser and everything has been fine since. Interesting to see others having this problem.

Hello G Weike; think there is a problem here!

I'm not sure what is happening with your laser, but this problem we're having definitely has absolutely nothing to do with the file. It's the same problem with any file which takes long enough to allow the problem to start happening.

The odd part is that the X-driver is not actually getting hot to the touch any more than the others. Maybe it is the stepper motor after all? Man, is this ever annoying.

[Basecamp]

I FIXED THE LASER CUTTER!

HURRAH!


Boy do I feel stupid. So I guess everything had worked perfectly all these years, but perhaps the warmer temperatures and gradual build-up of friction-increasing grit had a combination of effects. Basically, all I did was plug the blower in to a different outlet. I had no reason to think any of the problems were related to that since none of the wiring had changed and it had always worked perfectly.

So basically, the stepper drivers weren't overheating at all (they always seemed cool to the touch) but they had been struggling to get quite as much power as they wanted. Taking the blower fan off the same circuit allowed them to have as much as they wanted. Changing/reloading files/etc were all just red herrings.

The only consolation to my stupidity is that everything had worked perfectly for all these years without anything being different. Oh well.

I hope this helps some of you guys out. Fingers crossed.

[ohanasailing]

Great to hear that you got it working with such an easy solution. You must have been pulling your hair out on that one!