My limit switches are frequently off by roughly 0.01" or more, forcing me to throw out about half of my projects. Any ideas on how I could increase accuracy here? Are there high end limit switches I can buy? (currently using a carbide3D set that came with my HDZ.
One thing which I’ve found helps is to pull the gantry against the front end plate before powering up — this ensures that the gantry is consistently aligned with the frame.
Could you provide an example project (preferably small and simple) which shows this? Provide the .c2d file, generated G-Code, step-by-step notes on how you are securing your stock and setting zero relative to it and managing all tool changes and at what point re-homing is necessary, and photos showing each step of how you’re working and we’ll do our best to puzzle things out with you.
Inductive
Usually Y, sometimes X
I’ll try pulling the gantry forward
I might make a simple project just to show off this issue, Ill let you know if I do.
What’s your homing feed rate? Did you increase it? I’ve had a problem with repeatability after increasing homing speed, dropped it back to 1000mm/min and the problems disappeared.
One problem I found is that if you didn’t pull the X beam into the endstops to make everything square for startup on the job where you cut the jig you’re properly stuffed as ensuring a square startup for jobs on a non-square jig doesn’t work too well…
I am still on the mechanicals so no useful input on the inductive switches from me, sorry.
I apologize if I am missing the issue, but one thing I noticed is your use of a MDF jig.
I use a jig like yours to complete milling on the second side of an initial cut, when I first setup this jig I was using MDF. Then in CAD, once I flip the parts the machine should know where the parts were, but the MDF was expanding/contracting meaning I was not getting the cuts that I wanted. Could this be your issue? The MDF jig you have at the bottom of your stack may not be perfectly square due to moisture making the MDF expand/contract?
To solve this, I am using a jig that was cut out of aluminum. I was getting cuts that were off by 0.1 mm to 1 mm, due to my MDF jig expanding/contracting.
I know the issue is with the switches because the holes for the screws will be in the right place, then without turning the machine off, the Y axis of the next operation will sometimes be off ±0.0135
I doubt that the fixturing is the issue because if I turn the machine off and on /re home the thing, it will have the right positioning (or with a similar range error ±)
While reading the carbide motion changelog, I noticed there was an issue with engrave toolpaths that only occurred when the XY zero was not the southwest corner, fixed in 529. I don’t have engrave paths, but it might be a similar issue, in retrospect I did not have these issues until changing to a northwest zero. I have also been using an older (than 529) version of carbide create/motion.
To address other possible issues, I am installing a Saunders baseplate and fully tuning my machine this week.