After 3 days of asking for spare ball screw nuts. They wear out and yes I dont wish to go through this when I need them, I was looking for x and Y axis nuts to have on hand so my machine would not be down if something happened or the machine got sloppy.
After about 10 emails somone finally said they sell Ball screws with the nut for $150 plus which is Obsurd as Onefinity sells their replacement nuts for less than $40.
If the Nut was easy to come by I would not be posting this. Try looking up sfu1620 ball screw nut that matches whats on the machine. That is extended body with set screws for the wiper.
Considering selling my S5 pro and moving on.
These machines wear as did rollers and belts on older machines. I guess Carbide 3d didnt get the memo.
Not saying this isn’t something we can improve, but on most machines, the ballscrew nut is not a high-wear item, especially if properly lubricated. If you look at the manuals for industrial machines that also use ballscrews, it is not something most people ever have to replace.
On some “other brand machines”, the ballscrew and bearings can fail faster because precautions are not taken with regards to avoiding chip-compaction against the wiper. This happens a lot with machines that use stall-homing. We have machines that are several years old, running fine on original ballscrew nuts, and this is not something we see come up often. That being said, I can make some inquiries and see if this is something we can stock in the future.
I will chip in here too. Our linear guides and ball screws are rated for thousands of KM of travel at much higer loads then we run them. As Winston says these are not high wear items.
If you see play in your ball nut with general use this would not be normal. In additon you cannot change just the ball nut. Even wear would be on applied to the ball nut and the ball screw. In addtiion to this each ball screw and nut is indivudually loaded to ensure we have the same pre load.
Our ball nuts are specifically made for us, they are not generic general “China quality”.
I purchased my S5Pro last November. You can bet I extensively researched CNC’s prior to purchasing. In all of my research the failure of the ball nut/screw did not seem to be a high failure rate or wear component at all. I looked at several industrial, prosumer and hobby CNC’s.
The reliability of the C3D machines, the customer support and full software suite is the reason I went with C3D. I don’t have thousands of hours on my machine (yet) but there are several members that posted recently about the age and hours used on the original Nomad versions.
If you feel you need to sell your machine to be satisfied with parts availability from another manufacture, your concerns will be alleviated and you can get to using it.
As an owner I expect the manufacturer to provide spare parts. I even think there are laws regarding this. You can’t just sell a piece of manufacturing equipment and say good luck. You should be able to easily procure replacement wear items. Ball screw nuts are one such item. Especially when they are hard to find items or manufactured specifically for the machine.
You don’t buy a car and hope they sell spare parts it’s the law.
Shit breaks don’t make excuses for why Carbide doesn’t have the parts on hand. I am stating facts here and people who are owners or looking to purchase should be aware of the facts.
How old is the machine? They do offer warranty are u past that? I cant find any documentation that ball screw nuts are high wear items… where are u seeing/reading this? Or di u mess up and blaming the company? I will bid higher than the last guy @quicky06 an offer you $10…
Nowhere in my post did I make an excuse for C3D or anything else nor state anything but facts myself. I simply stated the reasons I went the route I did. I also have enough experience with operating all sorts of equipment and I research the ability to repair equipment before I purchase it. Because machinery does break and needs repair, that’s part of ownership. Including vehicles. Based on actual research, the Ball nut/screw is not a high wear item and hardly ever needs to be replaced I (If at all?) since C3D started selling CNC’s
From a business owner standpoint you don’t seem to be worried about inventory that hardly ever gets ordered, if at all. That just drives the price of the machines for everyone.
Maybe there is a reason other manufactures have the parts on hand readily available. Because they need to be replaced more often?
It seems your question has been answered with respect to purchasing the Ball nut/screw if needed and a commitment from C3D to determine if this needs to be a stocked item. Get your spare parts and have your peace of mind and enjoy using your CNC. Or sell the machine and get one that you would be happy with. Folks on this forum have done nothing but try to help you.
I hope you get the resolution your looking and can get back to machining.
You express pretty clear that this is just to have on hand in case they do wear out.
I do not see where you say they have failed as it appears most here are assuming.
Both Winston and Luke have chimed in to say this item is not a high wear item, so, take them at their word and do not worry too much about it.
I do understand wanting to have them on hand in case there is a future problem, but going by what Luke has said, these are quality items and should last you quite a while.
Use and enjoy your machine.
Let me chime in by saying the OneFinity machines sell their bearings cheap because it’s a major failure point with their design. No guarding on those fat tube-rails with lots of surface area for the dust to stick to. And people use compressed air, forcing crud inside them. They’ve added some sweeps over the years, but it’s still a common problem. The S5P has a wide z plate and fat extrusions to protect the ball screws & nuts, rubber sweeps on the linear bearings and extended sweeps on the ball nuts. Should prove far more reliable than the OF design as long as you perform regular wipe-downs and lubrication. Oil for linear rails, silicone based grease (I use sil-glyde because I have it) on the ball nuts. Just wipe away the old excess with a paper towel to remove the grit and grime trapped in it, then pack new silicone grease down around it. The z-nut is hardest to get to, and I just use wooden chop-sticks from my local sushi place… have fun, relax, and try your damndest to not create issues we haven’t seen yet