Hello All,
I took delivery of my xcarve on Friday, and got straight to work, I ended up not being able to finish, because the gantry broke, when I was tapping in the screws to the gantry with the tool PROVIDED by Inventables, the self-tapping screw stopped going in further, so I kept turning it with all of my might… It worked, until the head snapped off of the screw. Now I’m stuck with unusable makerslide, because the screw is stuck so deep inside of it, and blisters all over my hands. I really regret buying this, because I can’t return it, and new makerslide is out of stock. So I’m kinda screwed here.(No Pun Intended.) I don’t know how to continue, since I have literally tried everything, and the screws should have kept going in, because, you know, they’re self-tapping.
Thanks!
PS if images are needed, I’ll provide them.
Can’t you take it to closest machine shop. They can remove and tap it for you in 5 minutes. If not, there is broken screw removal tools on home depot, and enough info on internet. Just suggestion.
Hi @HarrisonFreni
Sorry this has happened. Did you use any tapping fluid or WD-40 when screwing in the self tapping screws? If not, then that is the first tip that will help. Also going in a little at a time and then backing out and then back in a little more will help too.
As for the messed up Makerslide, there are ways to fix it and re-drill the hole. But, Inventables support is pretty great, so that is where I would start. Give them a call and see what they can do to help. If you are still at an impass after contacting Inventables, then I bet there are plenty of others on this forum that will help you get your machine up and running.
Hang in there. It’s worth it.
Thanks!
What I’m going to do is bring it to a machine shop, and have them take care of the threading and pulling the old screw out.
Hopefully it shouldn’t cost too much.
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Be aware that lubricant is almost a must, particularly if things are tight. When assembling things, never use excessive force, just because things are “supposed” to go together.
If a screw is binding, remove it, add some lube and try again. If it’s still tight, use a different screw. There is variation in everything, having a screw that’s a little dodgy and a hole that is blurred or slightly out of round, may mean they item won’t go together without some additional work.
Screws are made by the million, there are frequent faults with some individual screws. Aluminium extrusion is normally pretty good, but again, something as simple as failing to deburr the hole could have caused this.
Whilst I’ve little doubt Inventibles will do everything they can to rectify this, it’s not really their issue.
Take it easy, take your time. You’ll enjoy this machine.
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Buy a good 5mm spiral point tap and some WD40. Chuck the tap up in your cordless drill set a low speed. Keeping the tap as square as possible. Tap all the holes in your MS.
The screws that are provided are self tapping sheet metal screws made for thin sheet metal only. They are not designed for the deep holes in MS.
Dave
