This is on the new replacement rollers for the Mark III. After a handful of cuts, the inboard drive roller gear has come loose. Looks as those there is a white gooey glue that the gear has pulled away from. Anybody elese experiencing this? Probably just need a re-glue, want to make sure I'm aligned OK and to know what type of glue to use. Also, need to recalibrate after fixing this for all axes afterward, right? Otherwise I was cutting parts very nicely Attached files
This happened to me as well because I over tightened the belt. Wasn't apparent at first and loosened up after a few cuts. Its actually quite easy to fix, but you have to use the right adhesive as the caps are HDPE and epoxy will work poorly with it. [*] Remove all the adhesive residue, which should peel. [*] Clean both pieces with denatured alcohol [*] Obtain TAP Polyweld (http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=435) [*] Prepare the surfaces using the method described in the TAP plastics video on youtube. You'll have to search for this yourself as I can't from this PC. You'll need a gas powered torch. As soon as I applied the adhesive and pressed the pulley, I cleaned any residue that leaked out and mounted the roller in my P3. Place the roller on the guides and give it a few spins and nudge the pulley here and there to make sure it is centered well. Once you are sure it is centered, press it tightly with a spare locking collar. It sets fast so it helps to have it all planned out before you start it. Give it a good 24 hours to cure before mounting it with the drive belt. Mark, did I get that correct?
I was fortunate enough to have a TAP plastics retail shop nearby, but I am reasonably certain that there just isn't a simple retail option down at the local Lowes or similar stores. It would be worth the wait to order if you have to.
Sounds like you go it right on Toxictoast dcampbell, Most pulleys have been holding fine, but the heat treating has to be done right and breakup the surface tension in the hdpe. We have since switched over to PVC end caps with pvc solvent as the glue. The pvc ones are holding strong . Having said that the ones that have come off have been fixed by a few of the guys using epoxy or JB weld, by drilling small 'grab' holes in the endcap before epoxying them together. If you are willing to give the epoxy a try let us know. Otherwise we can send you a pvc set and get you back up and cutting.
I had this problem a little over a week ago. Here is what I did to fix it. I cleaned off the cement from the pulley flange and the drive roller where it is glued. All the cement came off OK. The glue was quite easy to scrape off. I put a little flame from my butane torch to the lip and surface of the bearing holder and scuffed the surface of the bearing holder with some 80 grit sandpaper. I used some Bob Smith 30min. epoxy and glued the pulley back on to the drive roller, making sure that the pulley and the roller were concentric and true. I let the pulley and roller assembly set up overnight. I installed the roller back into my machine, and retensioned the the belt. After recalibrating the X-Axis I put some foam in the machine and it cut a 2 x 5 inch rectangle perfect. I have been using my pp everyday after the repair without a problem. Hope this helps. George
