If you find the motors are stalling or stop moving during a job, such as one of the Y-axis motors or the X-axis motor, the most common cause for this is the maximum travel speed of the machine has been set incorrectly. If the maximum travel speed is set too high, the motors will try to turn faster than they are able to and will stall.
If you have one of our fully assembled machines such as a QueenBee, QB2, Metal Storm or a YouCarve these settings are pre-set for you in the factory and you won’t be able to change them. Please contact us at CNC3D.com.au for guidance.
Follow the steps below to correct this error.
1. Connect to your machine in Commander and navigate to the Axes tab
2. Under each of the axes (X, Y and Z) you will see an Acceleration and a Max Speed dialogue box. Refer to the table below to find the Accelerations and Maximum Speeds for your machine. There is no harm in setting your values slightly less for peace of mind.
Speeds
YouCarve: XY - 5000mm/m Z - 1500mm/m
Sharp CNC (Leadscrew): XY - 2400mm/m Z - 1500mm/m
QueenBee (Leadscrew): XY - 2500mm/m Z - 1500mm/m
QB2 High Speed: XY - 7000mm/m Z - 1500mm/m
QB2 High Precision: XY - 2000mm/m Z - 1500mm/m
Metal Storm: XY - 4500mm/m Z - 1500mm/m
Accelerations
YouCarve: XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s
Sharp CNC (Leadscrew): XY - 150mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s
QueenBee (Leadscrew): XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s
QB2 High Speed: XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 250mm/s/s
QB2 High Precision: XY - 150mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s
Metal Storm: XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 250mm/s/s
3. Once you have entered the correct number for your machine, click “Update Acceleration and Maximums” then click OK on the confirmation popup to confirm the settings have been saved, then turn off your machine. After 30 seconds you can proceed to the next step.
4. When you have saved these settings, it is a good idea to re-square the gantry (X-axis) as it likely was pulled out of square when the motors stalled. If your machine is set up for dual axis homing then you’ll just need to home the machine as it will automatically be squared after homing cycle is complete.
If changing your machine’s maximum speed in the steps above don’t solve the problem there is another option you can try.
There is a rare occurrence where Y1 and Y2 motors do not move at the same speed during a rapid movement, even though both are commanded to work in unison.Y2 is often plugged into the A motor port on the controller to allow independent movement during the homing cycle known as “Dual Y Homing” or “Auto Squaring” of the gantry.
While it’s not utilized on a 3-axis machine, the A-motor output has its own maximum speed and acceleration settings independent of the Y1 motor.
There is a chance that having the Y and the A axis maximum speed settings not match each could be causing a Y axis stall on rapid travels, where the machine is not restricted to a certain speed by the job, only by the maximum allowed speed on each axis.
To change the A axis to match the Y axis, you will need to go back to the “Axes” tab where you can set each axis’ max speed and acceleration, then set A’s to match Y’s.
If you can’t see the A axis, follow the steps below to make it visible.
1: Disconnect from your machine and click the “Settings” button. In the General section, look for the “Disable automatic Axis checking” line, and make sure it is ticked. Select 4 in the box labelled “Number of Axes” then click Update on the bottom left to save the settings.
2: Connect to your machine, home it to clear the alarm, then navigate back to the “Axes” tab and you should now see the A axis options alongside the X, Y and Z ones.
As you can see from the picture above, this machine’s Y and A settings aren’t the same. By changing the A axis acceleration and Max Speed settings to match Y’s, then clicking the “Update Acceleration and Maximums” button you will set Y1 and Y2 motors to match each other.
IMPORTANT!
If you have a CNC3D machine and are unable to change your Settings, you can go into the "Help" Menu and click on "Disable profile lock out" to allow you to override controller settings for the session that Commander is open for.
If this fails, please get in touch with our support team.
Click Here to read through our other FAQ regarding motors moving incorrectly, which will guide you through checking the electrical connections of your motors.