I’ve managed to get my machine put together, setup through easel, and get my X and Y axes calibrated to where my machine can cut a perfect circle or square out and cut right where I need it to. I cannot, however, figure out the Z-axis for the life of me. To calibrate X and Y axes, I used the formula where you divide the distance you want traveled by the actual distance traveled, and then multiply that number by the current step/mm setting in the machine inspector to get the new step/mm setting. I’ve tried that with the Z-axis, but the depth on my machine seems to be practically random each time regardless of how many times I calculate it. I even tried cutting the same exact shape at a depth of .125" twice without changing anything whatsoever, but it still managed to cut it at .068" the first time and .163" the second time.
Setup:
1000x1000 X-Carve
ACME Rod
Dewalt 611 Spindle
Things I’ve tried:
-I’ve done the Easel Setup at least 25 times over the course of trying to figure it out. Originally, I had the M8 Threaded Rod set as my Z-Axis, but I’ve since corrected it to the ACME but still have issues.
-I always make sure the bit is just barely touching the top of the material
-The bit is securely in the spindle
-The material and the waste board are flat (As far as I can tell, I’m getting consistent depth across the shape each time I cut, the depth is just completely wrong each time).
Things I’m not sure about:
-I’ve read that all of the wheels have to be tightened to where you CAN’T move them with your finger, but also I’ve read that they have to be just tight enough that you CAN barely move them with your finger. I don’t know what’s correct.
-What is the 2x Micro Stepper? I can’t find enough info on it to see if that’s a possible solution.
-A side view of my Z-Axis shows that the plate that the motor is attached to is not level with the ground/board or perfectly straight. I noticed when I attached it that the plate had a slight bend to it, but I assumed this was normal. Is this normal?
You can see the bend is right where the Z motor’s shaft connects to the plate on the left - _http://imgur.com/TOpUY1W_
-The Machine Inspector has all of the values in MM, but the Step Interval on the right side of the window that popups when you hit “Carve” is set at 0.1 Inches. Would this cause an issue only for the Z-Axis?