Small dent in Shapeoko 3 rail

CNC Machines Shapeoko
1

I was jut setting up for a job when I noticed a dent in the Y rail right where the V wheels run on my Shapoko 3:

PXL_20230615_131845488
PXL_20230615_1318454883072×4080 2.51 MB

Looks like something heavy and metal hit it, but honestly I have no idea what, how, or when.

Any suggestions on how I could repair it? The dent itself goes in about half a millimeter, but it bumps out a bit on the side. When I move the Z carriage with my hand I can definitely feel the wheels hitting the dent.

2

Hit it with a file to knock down the high spot. If you want to fill it, JB weld might be an option but just knocking down the high spot may be enough.

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3

Filling with J.B. Weld (or some other metal-impregnated epoxy) would be the best course since it will reduce the chance of damage to the Delrin V wheels.

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4

Yeah JB Weld seems like the way to go. I already used a hand plane to knock down the bump in an attempt to not deform rest of the surface. Worked great and I can always sharpen the plane.

Maybe this is the Universe giving me a sign it is time to upgrade to the Shapeoko 5 Pro. Give me a whole new machine to heavily modify. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: My only concern is at the rate Carbide3D is putting out new machines the Shapeoko 8 will be release by the time it is on my door step. LOL

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5

As noted at:

https://carbide3d.com/blog/introducing-shapeoko-5-pro/

We want this to be the flagship Shapeoko for a long time, so it has to be the best machine possible.

Pretty much all the upgrades which one could want are really expensive and would move the machine out of “prosumer” and in to the “industrial” category, beyond even the Shapeoko HDM (which if you want a machine which you can drive hard and maximize material removal rates is the best choice at this time).

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6

Or you could Just Rail It©®™.

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7

Honestly if I got the 5 Pro I would probably just switch out the electronics for the board I put into my Shapeoko 3 and that is about it. The physical machine looks amazing and would be able to do everything I want and more.

My work flow is just centered around the quality of life improvements my Duet3 6HC board brought like WiFi accessibility, custom Macros, and its ability to digitally control the ODrive controller for my BLDC spindle. As it stands now I can:

  1. upload a GCode file from my PC directly to my CNC out in my workshop
  2. use a custom surfacing macro to flatten a board without having to generate a GCode file for that specific board
  3. know for a fact that my Spindle RPM is running at 32000 RPM
  4. look at the cut data after the fact to see exactly what the Spindle RPM, temperature, and power draw did throughout the cut
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8

The thought definitely crossed my mind just earlier.

9

It is a bunch of work but the results were great for me. It is tied for best upgrade with my spindle. I used cheap mgn15 rail from aliexpress. It about doubled my DOC capability. If you have the resources, the 5 would be a better choice though.

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10

JB Weld is cured and is holding. I can still feel a small divot there, but not nearly as bad. I think the wheels will roll over it no issue. Might be get some slight play in Z but I doubt it will be noticeable in anything I make.

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