Thrust bearing loose?

Hi,

I’m in the middle of upgrading my SO2 with the new x-carve z-axis and noticed that when the bolts holding down the thrust bearing are fully tightened, the bearing can still move. Wouldn’t this affect z-axis backlash if the bearing can move up and down? Should I attempt to shim this?

Can you please post a picture of what you mean?

Here is a photo.


The two screws captivate the bearing, but even when tight, the bearing can move around laterally in the opening about 1mm. The screws seem to almost clamp down on the bearing, but the bearing is just slightly too thin, probably 1-2mil. Since this is the only part that supports the tool z-position, I was wondering if that affects the stability of the tool height. Or is it possible that this is intentional so that there is better alignment between the acme rod, bearing, and delrin nut.

@KyleJacobs do you have a digital caliper to measure the ID of the hole and the OD of the bearing?

I want to compare them to the tolerances on the engineering drawing to see if one is out of tolerance and we need to send you a new one.

The pocket for the bearing should be shallower than the height of the bearing. The screws then clamp the bearing in place. If the bearing is loose side to side before tightening, that is not a problem. The Z carriage controls the side to side fit.

It is clear something is out of tolerance. If you want to do a quick DIY fix you can try to shim the bearing up with a piece of paper or tape under it or under the screw heads. Contact help@inventables.com for a replacement if needed.

The OD of the bearing is 0.866in (22.00mm) and the OD of the flange is 0.983in (24.97mm). The ID of the hole is 0.886 (22.5mm) and the ID of the counterbore is 1.008in (25.61mm). The thickness of the flange is 0.0575in (1.46mm) and the depth of the counterbore is ~0.0585in (~1.49mm).

From the drawing BartDring linked to, the plate appears in spec. Not sure about the bearing.

my z plate did not have those holes tapped. i used one of the self tapping screws to tap the thread but that caused the aluminum to buldge out making the circle the bearing sits in not round and also caused the surface to buldge up which caused the screws to not fully seat and hold the bearing in place. i used a dremel to grind down the surface flat and make the bearing circle hole round again and it seems fine now

Where can I get a replacement thrust bearing… mine has a lot of up/down movement. Side to side is good.