Hey guys, my Workbee 1050 has been doing pretty well until recently. The Y axis makes a fairly ugly grinding noise, but it only does so when it's moving front to back (Y positive). The noise seems to be coming from the left side only (looking from the front towards the positive direction). I've searched the forums and usually grinding noises are indications that the motor(s) are wired incorrectly. But it also seems to be a problem that persists no matter which way the gantry is moving. I checked that the gantry is square to the Y axis and it seems to be good. I'll try to get video of it tonight. In the meantime, any suggestions? ETA: swapped positive and negative. Sigh.
Usually (99.9% of the time) that matches your description too. Video will help confirm that what it does sound like
As Giarc posed, check ll your wire connections. My machine did the same thing when I ran it for the first time. I traced it to 2 loose wires in the connector blocks. It appears that I didn't unscrew the screw far enough to grip the wire. I tugged on all of them to find the guilty parties.
And now with video! (my apologies for the delay. I had to work a bit late today). (Also, I apparently can't remember negative from positive in the 50 or so feet from the garage to the computer)
Maybe it is the end of a Y axis screw rattling in the bearing bore. Try feeling for this by putting your finger on each of the two ends of the screws where they poke through the bearings. If your finger stops the noise on one of the two, adjust for some axial preload and/or take up the clearance in the bore with some tape or similar.
The problem ended up being solved by a thin bead of 3-in-1 oil along both Y-axis lead screws. And a good hit with the air compressor to make sure nothing was in the extrusion channels.
I strongly recommend cleaning the oil off and using a dry lubricant such as ptfe or silicone spray. Dust will stick to the oil and cause a similar problem as well as being abrasive. Alex.