The hole in the aluminum is smaller than the steel shaft they are mounted on, if you heat the aluminum you can probably pull them off although you need a good pulley puller. Alternative is to cut the pulley almost through and not hit the shaft and then split the pulley with a screw driver.
I wonder if asking Inventables for a trade-in could be another option. If your motors are âas newâ I donât think they would mind getting rid of old stock as long as they still have some.
Motors are an option when ordering the machine so you could leave them off, go to the Inventables store and buy the NEMA23s without the pulley attached and get your own stepper wire (either through Inventables or other options) and you can upgrade to the GT3 belting.
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So, Iâm getting my 1000mm later this month. Is the x axis stiffening mod of the aluminum t plate or steel plate still relevant? And I donât quite understand what the fiber washers with the DeWalt 611 are for. Can you clarify those for me? TIA
You do not need to mod your X axis in a late-2016 X-Carve as this now comes as a single extruded piece. This mod was relevant to the 1st gen X-Carve which originally came with two pieces of Makerslide.
Which fiber washers? Do you have a picture or a link?
@paulkaplan There is a post in the middle of this thread clarifying what is now relevant and what not, but a lot of people do not notice and this might be confusing to newcomers. Is there a way to edit the original post to add this info or point to this post?
Thatâs good to know. I canât find the discussion about it, it was mixed in with another upgrade thread.
I guess, Iâm just wondering what mods can/should I make to the machine as Iâm building it for the first time rather than building and then having to take it apart multiple times to upgrade it later.
Is the screw upgrade for the z axis recommended? I see it in the inventable storefront
From my experience (YMMV) Iâd recommend the upgrade for each option where possible. The Acme screw is more precise.
If youâre looking to upgrade right out of the gate, Iâd search past threads, as this has been discussed many times before, but IMHO the best upgrades I made were:
- Stiffening the X axis - now included in the base package
- The XController versus the Arduino + GRBL shield - now a default option
- Upgraded the pulleys and belts to 3GT
Number 3 is a nice-to-have, and honestly, it can wait until youâve familiarized yourself with the machine and determined if you actually need them.
The only other thing I lump into the âmust haveâ category, is a solid foundation. I spent the week+ before my XC arrived building a Torsion box. Look up Torsion Box and Wood Whisperer on YouTube, thereâs a good video on how to build your own. I have the 1000mm XC so I built mine 46x46.
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So, really 1 and 2 are already taken care of.
The belts is something Iâve read a little about it and Iâm not completely clear on it. The 3GT are different than the GT3, one of them doesnât work with the pulleys or whatever is on the current model of motors, which has been crimped on, so new motors would need to be purchased.
This is now my new favorite thread. The work youâve completed is awesome! IMO everything electrical on a CNC machine should have molex connectors.
Hey Phil, Love your work, any update on those integrated pulleys?
I found the socket machine machine screws with free shipping - Socket Screws - Button Head Socket Cap Flat Head Set Screws All Finishes and Materials: Fastenere.com
https://www.fastenere.com/
This problem I have with the standard button head screws that Inventables provides is that they are too soft and the heads strip out super easy with a hex wrench. Do you know if these are âhardenedâ steel screws that would hopefully be stronger and resist stripping quite so easily?
had the same issue. theyâre OK if you use a torque wrench and careful to fully insert the wrench.
however, they have no room for user error on either of the above mentions. likely either low material grade or no/low heat treat.
I usually just pickup a set from McMaster. Same spec in black oxide alloy steel. Theyâre all quality units you would expect to come stock on the Xcarve
HEX sizes and shapes have a max torque value for each size - If youâre stripping them then youâre using more than what you should be using anyway.
That being said though⌠Get yourself a WERA 950/9 Hex-Plus Multicolour HF 1 L-key set decreasing, if not entirely eliminating, the chance of stripping a bolt. I for one have yet to strip a bolt with ANY of the Hex-Plus featured products WERA offers.
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