I'm new to CNC routing but have a strong desire to learn. I bought the Leads 1515 with a precise job in mind. I'm needing to mill a couple of 3mm Aluminum Composite sheets at 48" long by either 15" or 8" wide. The cuts need to be precise to fit controls and electronic components. I've attached the Fusion file for one of the pieces needed. As an example of the inaccuracy, I design a .60 inch hole to be milled but ended up with a .554 hole. All cuts are using 2D Contour toolpath on the inside of the path. Here's what I've done. I've checked that all gantry plates are secure & tight. I've checked that the frame is tight & square I did a test run using the attached Fusion 360 file. It basically drill 4 holes in a 15: square. I then measured the holes diagonally for squareness and had 1/16 to 3/32 discrepancy. I didn't think this was too bad but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I ran the calibration wizard for all 3 axis. I did experience one small issue with the X axis. During the wizard on step 2 where it ask you to click the button to move the axis by 100 mm, my axis moved 150 mm which I thought was odd since the Y-Axis moved exactly 100 mm. I finished the wizard and it modified the code accordingly. I re-ran the wizard for the X-Axis and again on step 2 it moved 150 mm instead of 100 mm. This still seems odd to me. I ran the job again and still ended up with the same inaccurate results. If anyone can help me solve this issue I would greatly appreciate it. I would love nothing more to get these pieces cut so I can move to the next step in my project. Please let me know if you need any additional information or files from me. Thanks, Shawn
Please enter a number into the field on the second run, or it may use what was last entered Mic out your endmills too - your 1/4 inch may be 5.8mm in actual fact (almost all endmills are smaller than the specified number, as they are ground to sharpen) and CAM up with the exact measurement Also check tramming, if your endmill is not perfectly perpendicular, you are coming in at an angle, and that affects the sizes too
Thanks for the quick response. I will re-start the wizard and complete the process to ensure it's entered as 100mm. I'm using sharkbits and I downloaded their library file for Fusion 360 but I didn't think they would be off but will double check the measurements. Tramming? That's interesting because I tried to resurface my brand new spoiler board to insure that it was perfectly level in relation to the bit. I screwed that up, no ones fault but my own. I replaced the spoiler boards which I have not tried resurfacing yet. My cuts did overlap but I noticed that each pass seemed a bit uneven in relation to the previous pass. When you ran your hand over it felt wavy, if that makes sense. It was almost like the 1" bit was tilted very slightly.
Its all about finding which direction the router is tilted. Left to right = adjust the gantry up or down on one side of the vertical upright Forward to back = the uprights are not perpendicular to the Y rails. Your two Y rails should make a perfectly flat plane Your X gantry rails should be perfectly parallel to this imaginary plane And your Z axis should be perfect perpendicular to the plane in all directions.
Is a Pro Tram System tool required and if so will the mini size (3 inches) be sufficient or do I need the full size 5 inch for this size table?
I've gone through each section and I'm feeling confident that the X-Axis is pretty square and plumb to the Y-Axis but the router is not very secure in it's holder. I can give it a very slight tap with my hand it it moves especially on the X-Axis plane direction. How can I get the router to be more secure? The screws are as tight as I can get by hand. I welded up a 1" square tubing with 1/4" rod on opposite ends on opposite sides to help check the position of the router. I've secured this in the router collet. The X-Axis looks fairly good but the Y-Axis is much higher in the back than in the front. How and where do I shim or adjust for this discrepancy?
Which router and holder are you using? Any 3rd party parts? Sure its router to router mount where its loose? Not, for example, Z carriage wheel adjustment It should be solid with our router mount, so lets try sorting that out first. In extreme cases, you can add a second mount a little higher up, but that shouldn't be needed normally.
DeWALT DWP611 Compact Router with the mount that came with the Leads 1515. No 3rd party parts, the system is new just built it over the last couple of weeks. The router itself is moving in the holder. Everything else on the Z-Axis feels tight & secure.
Can you take some pictures, the Dewalt fits great in the mount, if its was one with a smaller diameter, maybe, but the Dewalt is 72mm and fits perfectly.
Here are a few pics of the router in the mount. Please let me know if you need additional pics or different angles.
Is it possible the screws bottom out in the holes, before you have the router tight? If so, shorter screw or nipping those shorter on a sander should do it
Indeed, but the bolts are sunken into the front plate so you would need socket head size washers. If you mount regular washers, they will effectively shorten the bolts and that may put undue stress on the remaining aluminium threads. Longer bolts may be needed?
