Hi everyone,
Can anyone help me figure out why my shapeoko 3 xxl machine isn’t carving straight lines for every letter? If you look, some of the letters have straight lines like they’re supposed to and some are a little crooked.
Thanks!
Upload your file?
Is the black wood ebony?
It’s actually epoxy. I did an inlay.
Did you check that everything is solid mechanically? V-wheels not cracked/dirty, Belts not fatigued, pulleys tight, etc?
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The usual suspects for an SO3 is Stepper Motor set screws, Belt Tension and v-wheel adjustments. The SO3 is a solid machine but if the stepper motor set screws are loose the machine will not track straight. Also belt tension can be a problem. Put your finger under both sides on the Y axis and see if they have equal tension. The v-wheels may need adjustment. Lift up on both ends of your gantry. It should not really lift. Do the same on the Z axis. If you need to adjust the v-wheels use a metric allen wrench to slightly loosen the bolt. Adjust the eccentrics until they feel like they touch. Then hold the wrench on the v-wheel eccentric and tighten the bolt. If you dont hold the eccentric nut the v-wheel will tighten more due to the torque of tightening the bolt.
After checking the usual suspects power off the SO3. Move the gantry slowly front to back and back to front if you find any tight spots adress that. It can be broken or dirty v-wheels or the rails can be dirty. Move slowly or the stepper motors develop EMF and it sounds and feels like the belts are slipping. Then move the Z axis side to side a few times and if any tight spots are found address what is causing it. Also make sure your dust collection is not in a strain or hitting something. Lastly if you have a c3d router or Makita trim router with the router powered off install a bit or the rod from the BitZero V2. Secure the bit and then pull on the bit. If the router shaft moves around you have bad bearings. The same could be true if you have a Dewalt 611 but I have never heard here on the forum of the Dewalt having bad bearings. Bad bearings make a lot of runout of the router bit.
Hi,
Here is the file. The file has the straight lines, but it doesn’t come out that way on the machine.
Engraving 2 - KL - DeFalco.c2d (92 KB)
If the actual cut does not match the preview:
then the problem is as @gdon_2003 noted an electro-mechanical issue with the machine.
Note that there is a troubleshooting video:
Per the machine operating checklist: https://my.carbide3d.com/faq/machine-operating-checklist/ , the basic points of adjustment for a machine are:
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(for belt drive machines) Pulley set screws — verify that these are in-place and secure — be sure to check all axes/pulleys (including Z on machines w/ belt-drive Z-axis, for an HDZ, check both coupler screws).
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(for the SO3/4, X- and Y-axes, and the belt-drive Z-axis on Launch and summer 2016 SO3s) V wheels / eccentric nuts (per assembly instructions)
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(for the Pro, Pro 5, HDM, and Z-Plus and HDZ Z-axis) Lubrication of the linear rails:
https://carbide3d.com/hub/docs/maintenance/
and the video
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(Z-Plus Z-axis) the lead screw on the Z-Plus is a potential wear point and should be checked to ensure that it holds the Z-axis in position securely — also, there is an anti-backlash spring — make sure that it is properly tensioned so as to reduce backlash
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(for belt drive machines) Belt tension (see the relevant step in your instruction manual, Note that the X-axis motor is held in place on standoffs and if those bolts are loose this can cause belt tension issues. Also, belt tension for the Y-axis stepper motors needs to be even/equivalent on each side — a significant difference can cause skipping on one side eventually resulting in lost steps on both.
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