X-axis help

[kumaichi]

Hi All,

I fired up my IH machine today wanting to make some parts and my X-axis started acting all crazy. It's basically making a bunch of noise and when I try to run parts, they don't come out right, it's like it's losing it's position or something. My holes are all off and the parts are basically useless. I can post some pictures of the parts if that will help.

I tried adjusting the Gecko by creating some g-code that moves from x2. down to x10 and continues back and forth in a loop. If I adjust the noise out of the Gecko, then when it stops, it has to search back and forth which is also not good. I tried at the starting point in the Gecko manual but that didn't really help. Tips on adjusting the Gecko would be helpful if anybody has any. I have a scope but no idea how to use it :-(.

I made a video of the noises I'm talking about, I figured that would be the best way so you guys can hear what I'm talking about. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Craig

X-axis Movie

[Torsten]

It sounds to me like a chip found it's way into your drivetrain.
Something is binding up, time to do a good cleanup of all the internals.
Good Luck

[Cruiser]

Well, chips gettin blown into the ballscrew is a definate possibility, but a dry slide with tight gibs will do much to overload the axis drivers too. try plenty of oil and with power off try your hand on the knob to check for tension. It may have been fine last time but now she could be dry and cooled off enough to get tight. I have dealt with this till i find the happy spot and i always start off with a squirt of oil and jog it into the works. If it gets chips in the ball screw i use a large hypodermic with a large gauge irrigation needle to inject oil into the ball nuts direct, i do this anytime i think about it, and i literally fill it then run it back and forth. The oil will carry out the collection of fine to some extent, altho it is much better to not blow air in such a manner as to get it onto the screw, those little brushes aren't perfect. only once did i have to take one apart and clean it up, it was the "z" in my case. Oh ! a nifty oiler is a very large hypo adapted with about a 6" piece of brass tube from the hobby shop as a oil injecter. OH yea, i slide the tube along the ball race and feel for the brush and slip the needle into it and then fill it with the oil

[kumaichi]

Thanks guys for the input, really appreciate it. I'll have to get back to that once I get everything working again. My HD on the machine running the IH mill died and like a dummy, I didn't back everything up. I'm trying to figure out all the pins and have no idea where to even begin.

Thanks again and I'll let you know what happens.

Craig

[IHCNC]

Hi Craig;
When we get your new H/D running again we will see if we can solve this problem also. Could have been all related.

[kumaichi]

Thanks to Gene at IH, we got the problem resolved. In case anyone runs into this, it was a combination of the Gecko tuning and the encode needing readjusted. I think the bearings must have loosed up on the ball screw moving it so the encode was hitting.

All is good now, thanks again Gene, your customer service is above and beyond.

Craig