Alright guys. Ive been enjoying my fla 100 build since about july/august now. Really been abusing it the past few weeks with great success.
But now its time to ramp things up and do some double sided machining.
Initially i tried as i would on a vertical mill. Square off the part, touch off, route...then flip the part, load up a new file, touch off again and go.
This worked, but things were just alittle too off to be usable.
So i read about the dowel method: Create your stock in your CAM program, have the machine drill 4 holes in the table, then the same 4 holes in your stock. Awesome. Seems to me then, i shouldnt have to cut the stock to perfect sizes this way no?
My workflow: Solidworks -> solidcam -> mach3. (love being an engineering student!)
i create the part in stock, set my coordinate system to the top left corner. Flipping the part is similar to turning a page in a book, flip horizontally 180 degrees, to which i have my new coordinate system to that top left
Once i flip the part and line up the dowels i secure it with screws. Pretty rough, but i have plenty of spoilboard.
I tried to do something simple tonight. Took a big ole' chunk of pallet wood. Did the dowel routine. Used a 3/4" router bit to "plane" my top side. Began routing 2 simple rectangles using 1/4" endmill. Went nice and smooth.
Flipped the part, DID NOT RE ZERO X AND Y, just Z. Planed. End mill. It worked, but was off ever so slightly.
Ok. Try again. This time hit "regen toolpath" and found out the hard way that mach 3 moves it to the original top left corner, so NOTHING at all lined up. Was that the problem?
Thinking this was my error. I tried again without hitting regen toolpath. It was close, but off an amount in the x an y axis to make it unusable.
So thats my software lineup, what did i do wrong?
Now for the possible mechanical issues.
Im cleaning this machine like crazy. Dust. What have you guys done on an FLA 100 to keep that X axis clean? Other than shop vac. I have one, i havent made a cyclone/dust shoe yet. Was thinking of making "walls" to go on the sides. Or, would simply overhanging the table work?
Next. Part of this i suspect backlash or missed steps. I say suspect because ive been happily cutting one sided for ages now, only tonight when using different router bits would i get the x axis being off slightly. How do you guys lubricate this machine? i ask because the backlash nuts are plastic. I know certain oils will not help my mission and eat my backlash nut!
So i learned ALOT tonight about toolchanges, zeroing, general feedrates and such. Very productive evening i must say.
Anybody have any info? i know. Theres many variables going on here and im trying to eliminate what i can. Maybe someone can tell me my software mistake? I cleaned the heck out of this thing tonight before shutting it down. Nothing was gummed up, just dust here n there. My floor and walls on the other hand lol....
Thanks in advance guys!