I am not sure if I have a software issue or a hardware issue. Operating a Shapeoko 3xxl. I am fabricating brackets out of Aluminum (6061) and cut out the first set from 1/4in stock without any issues other than it took 16 hours to cut a basic profile. The bit I used was 1/8" designed specifically for Al. New to cnc so being conservative seemed prudent if not painful. 3/4 way through the 1/4" stock the bit broke. Replaced and cut the feed rate by 20% and finished the first part of the brackets without any real problems. Next I loaded 3/4" Aluminum 6061 to cut another profile that fits with the previous set. This time loaded a 1/4" end mill for Aluminum and this is where things went sideways. Immediately the machine was working way to hard- the bit was digging in approximately 1/4" and “jumping” while cutting. I stopped the project checked tool parameters Depth/Pass= 0.062, Plunge Rate= 3, Feed Rate= 15, and RPM= 10,000. The bit was set with the bit setter as normal. Restarted the machine and had catastrophic failure to the point of tripping breakers. My z axis motor completely froze up even with the power off. I did order a new stepper motor and the newer version of a bit setter that is more like my Shapeoko 4 (which I really like). Here are my questions… If the stepper motor was going bad would it cause this problem or is this a problem with the machine reading the g code? Could it be something like belt slipping? They seem tight, What is considered proper belt tension? Other than the bit setter is there a calibration for the z axis? Sorry for all the questions- I am getting ready to do surgery on the 'ol S3 and want to avoid another melt down. Thanks in advance for ya’ll’s help.
Which Z-axis does your machine have? Belt-drive or Z-Plus?
Power up and jog to the center of motion for each axis, then grab the tip of an installed probing pin and try to shift it — it should be rock steady — if it moves, investigate and address.
One thing I will note is that for metal it’s not possible to “baby” the cut (except by reducing depth per pass up to a reasonable degree) — if you reduce feed/speed too much the tool won’t be able to begin a cut and will rub, generating heat, which is what kills tools.
I really do not know which z axis it has; I have assumed belt drive since it’s all belt and I do not know what a z-plus is supposed to look like. I will try the probing pin when the new motor comes in. Thanks for the advice for cutting metal, makes sense. What has me really concerned is the cut depth is set to be 0.064" for a 1/4" bit but the cut is nearly 0.25" and is changing depth “jumping” through the cut. Weird.
That sort of difficulty is usually caused by a disconnect between how the origin is defined in the Job Setup:
https://carbide3d.com/hub/courses/create/job-setup/
and how the zero is set relative to the stock:
https://carbide3d.com/hub/courses/running-shapeoko/movements-zeroing/
OK I rewatched the vids you referenced, and my procedure/setup was correct. What I did find so far as I replaced the z stepper motor was that the pins on the connector were all different lengths- they were not seated. This may have been a contributor to the erratic signal I was getting. I fixed this and moving onto tuning up the x, y, z belts. I am thinking of upgrading to an HDZ and the updated homing switches vs the mechanical ones. I’m positive my ol machine can do the job as long as I don’t blow it up but I believe the HDZ will make it more robust.
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