I was cutting topographic map When it started out cutting correctly, but about an hour in the Y axis shifted to the right about an inch. Has anybody else ran into this situation? I can figure the machine, measured the tools and everything.
Near where the shift happened, is there anything of note either in the stock or around the workpiece? Could you have run into a hard knot / workholding / anything else, or had things like the dust collection hose run into anything?
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Usually when a Shapeoko shifts position it is because of lost steps. As @mhotchin ,mentions was there any obstructions. Could a vacuum hose have gotten caught or anything else that would have restricted the motion.
If it was not a mechanical obstruction then what were your F&S. Too aggressive of a cut in hardwood can also cause missed steps.
Depending on what machine power off and try to manually move the gantry left/right and front/back. For the ball screw driven machines it is a little harder over belt driven machines. For belt machines move slowly or you get back force from the stepper motors creating EMF (Electro Motive Force) and will feel like a belt slipping. Since it moved to the left it is likely something to do with the X axis.
Thank you for your response. No hard knots(MDF luckily a test piece). It could have been the dust collection hose I guess. But I have it hanging from the ceiling so unlikely. What concerned me is when I switched bits. It didn’t find my bit setter by the same distance it was off.
To me that is a lost step. Reset CM and check your zero location. It should be almost perfect
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Only time I’ve ever had the machine lose steps is when I’ve hit obstructions. Make sure your dust boot is mounted straight forward as I have bumped into the the Y-Axis rail with it before. Also make sure your vacuum hose isn’t too tight and that it reaches every corner of the machine.
If you were ever jogging around and happen to hit an end stop and your stepper motors were “grinding” then you have lost steps and will need to re-initialize as well.
Hope this helps and you can isolate your issue.
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