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Thread: Technician Needed in Central Florida - WILL PAY!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Sanford FL
    Posts
    6

    Default Technician Needed in Central Florida - WILL PAY!

    I have a PRS Alpha and we are currently experiencing an issue where tool paths on one side of the table are not straight. The lines are wavy and seem to be uniform from program to program.

    We have gone back and forth with support at ShopBot for the past few days with no real solution to the problem.

    I need someone who has experience with these machines to come and look at it and fix it. If you are interested, please message me.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Thorp, WI
    Posts
    2,845

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    Would like to, but you're quite ways from me.

    Have you checked every point of the machine for any slop/looseness. Move the tool to the place where the issue is most noticeably and grab the nose of the spindle and give it a push/pull in each direction, mainly the X +/- direction and feel for any play. Verify that the lower Y car rollers are properly adjusted and not loose, allowing the spindle to move fore/aft. If your PRS is older and has the bolted onto the gantry beam v-rails, verify that these rails are parallel. If they aren't parallel, the Y car can be tight at one side of the table and loose at the other. Check for loose pinions on the motor shaft, mainly the X car pinion on that side. Make sure the motors are adjusted 'up' into the rack properly and then tightened to the end plates (firm hand pressure while tightening the motor plate bolts). If you try to move that end of the gantry, is there any play due to a motor not engaging the rack properly?

    Check the rolling hardware to see if any v-rollers are loose or riding off the rail on that side/location of the table.

    Just a process of elimination to find any play in the machine first.
    Scott




  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    ny
    Posts
    834

    Default

    Sounds definitely mechanical, like Scott said move it around and check for play, A few years ago I was cutting small circles they were coming out oval after about 2 hours of checking I found router bearing up by the brushes had gotten loose.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Sanford FL
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Thank you. We have checked everything mechanical. Replaced all the pinions. Yesterday, we couldn't even get the machine to come on. ShopBot thinks it is 2 chips, which are programmed by them, that have gone bad. So, we will try replacing those, could that be associated to the machine not cutting straight lines?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Posts
    94

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by QMI View Post
    I have a PRS Alpha and we are currently experiencing an issue where tool paths on one side of the table are not straight. The lines are wavy and seem to be uniform from program to program.

    We have gone back and forth with support at ShopBot for the past few days with no real solution to the problem.

    I need someone who has experience with these machines to come and look at it and fix it. If you are interested, please message me.

    Thanks.
    QMI,

    I wish I was closer as well. I am currently running 4 Shopbots which machine aluminum, and 2 of which are dual spindles. I had a similar issue on my first ShopBot wherein the spindle mount screws became loose. We had to take the spindle assembly off to get to them. As Scott mentioned above, grabbing the nose of the spindle is what indicated it to us. You could also slide the gantry along V-Rails and test for sloppiness. Again, as Scott mentioned, if the rails are no parallel, it will feel tighter on one end then the other. When you say uniform program to program, does that mean the symptoms are apparent no matter what you run? How about where you run the program? Do some "areas" on your table seem to machine better than others?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Thorp, WI
    Posts
    2,845

    Default

    So, we will try replacing those, could that be associated to the machine not cutting straight lines?
    It's possible, but I would think it would be all over the table and not just one side. Have them replaced and try again.
    Scott




  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Sanford FL
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BrandanS View Post
    QMI,

    I wish I was closer as well. I am currently running 4 Shopbots which machine aluminum, and 2 of which are dual spindles. I had a similar issue on my first ShopBot wherein the spindle mount screws became loose. We had to take the spindle assembly off to get to them. As Scott mentioned above, grabbing the nose of the spindle is what indicated it to us. You could also slide the gantry along V-Rails and test for sloppiness. Again, as Scott mentioned, if the rails are no parallel, it will feel tighter on one end then the other. When you say uniform program to program, does that mean the symptoms are apparent no matter what you run? How about where you run the program? Do some "areas" on your table seem to machine better than others?
    Everything seems pretty sturdy as far as the spindle and gantry. We are going to replace the PIC chips tomorrow and see if that helps. Yes, the symptoms are apparent no matter what. Even old programs that we have used before and were good have the same issues when we run them now.

    We also found a nick in the cable of one of the stepper motors for the x-axis. It is where it plugs in to the machine wire on the motor side. Could that have anything to do with it?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Delray Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,708

    Default

    X-2? If that is running intermittently or not at all due to this (or the chip issue) that could easily make cutting on the high side of y erratic.
    While you are at it check the rails on the gantry at high y carefully for alignment.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Sanford FL
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bleeth View Post
    X-2? If that is running intermittently or not at all due to this (or the chip issue) that could easily make cutting on the high side of y erratic.
    While you are at it check the rails on the gantry at high y carefully for alignment.
    Yes, X-2. Thanks, we will check the rails.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Akron OH
    Posts
    10

    Default

    I have the same issues as QMI and have gone through ALL (I think) the steps recommended. For my PRS Alpha the worst chatter is in the X-axis. It is perplexing to say the least. It really showed up after changing the pinion gears on all four motors as part of routine maintenance. Now straight cuts along the X look serrated. Went through square, level, hold down, loose this, tight that. Looks like a sight visit is the next step on the agenda. Shopbot willing to send someone which is helpful but I keep thinking there must be something I'm missing.

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