Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.
Just some points I discovered along the way installing my DRO.
A simple & useful feature to include on DRO mounting plates is for example 4 tapped holes on each corner of the plate. You install a set screw or cap screw into each hole & this allows you to micro-tweak the in/out/planar alignment, which in turn brings can bring the mounted encoder head into alignment once you have the indicator set up & just tightening things up. This pays off especially if you have irregular casting surface. Some guys grind the paint off the machine so its metal to metal but you can make that decision for yourself. Maybe a drop of blue Loctite on the threads so they stay put under vibration but are re-settable if in the future necessary.
Another aspect is to ensure you have it running with no bow or flex to the scale. Sometimes its possible to have 'alignment' but with some small amount of tension on the encoder/scale. Most DRO systems don't like that much especially on shorter scale lengths & can show up as problems over time.
Make sure all of your scale readers are attached with two screws and Loctite them. I attached my "Z-AXIS" reader with one screw due to a lack of bracket material and recently it has been flickering readings +-0.001". I'm fabricating a bracket and fixing that as we speak.
Make sure all of your scale readers are attached with two screws and Loctite them. I attached my "Z-AXIS" reader with one screw due to a lack of bracket material and recently it has been flickering readings +-0.001". I'm fabricating a bracket and fixing that as we speak.
I added that bracket. The reader was originally mounted with the top screw only. Even with the bracket I register 0.0002" by pinching the scale and reader together. Flex in the scale as far as I can tell. Try that on your setup if you can.
Craig if you get repeatable tenth of a thou accuracy from your mini mill then the debate on accuracy of a mini mill will be put to rest. I don’t think you will need to measure a fairy fart anytime soon unless you are building something aerospace we are not aware of.
Craig if you get repeatable tenth of a thou accuracy from your mini mill then the debate on accuracy of a mini mill will be put to rest. I don’t think you will need to measure a fairy fart anytime soon unless you are building something aerospace we are not aware of.
Oh I hear you on that. Just setting the axis locks causes that last digit to bounce around. The z-axis is the worst. If I had the choice I'd turn off displaying the last digit but my DRO doesn't support that option.
Ha, the more I study your y-axis scale install the more differences I spot between our machines I think I'm going to have to take a different approach.
Ha, the more I study your y-axis scale install the more differences I spot between our machines I think I'm going to have to take a different approach.
That and your base/column are different. Where are your column mounting bolts? Are the recessed? You have 4 x-axis screw cap mounting bolts, I only have two. Look at the steps in my base compared to yours.
That and your base/column are different. Where are your column mounting bolts? Are the recessed? You have 4 x-axis screw cap mounting bolts, I only have two. Look at the steps in my base compared to yours.