We use cookies to personalize content, interact with our analytics companies, advertising networks and cooperatives, and demographic companies, provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. Our social media, advertising and analytics partners may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Learn more.
The new Suck It dust boot has proven itself to work well with the stock X Carve Z Axis. However, it does not seem to fit a linear Z Axis, like the one I installed from CNC4Newbie.com. In looking carefully at it, there are 4 mounts that attached the Suck It guide rails to the X carriage. The slot in these mounts is designed so that it slides onto the X axis extrusion with .25 inch slots. The slot widens at a point to accommodate the guide rails, which are then held in place by a thumb screw. When looking at the mounts from the front of the X Carve, if the slot width was increased by an additional .25 inch, from the inside edge of the mountbtonthe point where it widens for the guide rail, the mount could then slide all the way into position, to allow mounting of the Dust Boot. The mounts are made from acrylic, approximately .5 inch in thickness.
Since I have no experience in acrylic, what would be the best way to increase the width of the mounting channel from .25 to .5 inches. The mounts are small, so mounting them somehow might prove difficult.
Thanks for the info. I contacted the Suckit folks a couple of months ago and told them more and more people are changing over to these slides and that their system will not work on the new systems. They told me that they will look into the problem and get back to me and of course, they never did. The only way to get any action is if the owners of the modified systems contact them and show them there is a need for such a change to their mounting system. (The noisy wheel gets the oil).
I sent them an email yesterday evening. I will see how they respond today. The fix is rather simple, if you know what your doing, which I know I don’t. I’ve never worked with acrylic of that thickness before, so I don’t know hoe to widen the slot without breaking the mount.
Just remember that they designed the product to work with the stock Xcarve. When owners decide to deviate from stock, it should not be the responsibility of the company to make it work. That’s like saying you buy a Chevy, put in a Ford engine and expect chevy to make it work…it’s not fair to the SuckIt people (who are awesome BTW) to be criticized because their product doesn’t work with any concievable upgrade. The owner chose to change from stock so the owner must accept all consequences of that choice.
The real problem is people are buying the linear slides without thinking what else may not work. I bought a linear slide and the SuckIt will work with it. It’s just measuring and math. The SuckIt is design for like 3.6" spacing and when you put a 4" object there, then it won’t work. You put a 3" linear slide and you still have space to work with.
There is nothing wrong with asking SuckIt to consider offering mountings that will work with a wider axis. If there is an expectation that the company will “custom” modify parts for something already sold without further compensation that it becomes a problem. If I was in the company’s shoes and I was hearing about people wanting an option to mount it on a machine with a wider slide, I would certainly consider modifying my product to work with it after hearing a number of requests for it. That does not mean that I would automatically do it, but I would consider it.
100% agree but there should also be zero expectations for them to actually do something nor should there be blame placed on SuckIt for it not working with a product it wasn’t designed for.
@MarcCohen I’m having difficulties visualizing what you’re saying and I have the SuckIt mounts. Are you saying you need the mount to protrude further out towards the front so that it essentially sticks out beyond your Z axis? Does your Z axis have room on its mount plate for the mounting channels to sit on? You could try drilling and tapping them if so. My plan is to secure the T-track onto my axis mounting plate and ditch the SuckIt mount entirely.
I have no expectations of what the Suck It folks will or will not do. And I’m certainly not expecting them to do anything for free. I have come up with several solutions to the issue, all mean modifying the mounts in a drastic way. If I had a 3D printer, I could design a new mount. I might be able to carve something out of wood that may work also. I would rather just modify if possible, the existing mount. But as I stated, I have zero experience with acrylic, and I am worried about screwing up a piece FUBAR.
Exactly. Well said Phil. That is why I suggested people contact the Suckit folks and let them know that there is a market for a revised system. This isn’t about expectations or entitlements but simply letting a company know that there is another market base that are interested in their fine product.
