Replaced X and Y rail carriage

[PcS]

Wow ............ Super easy !!! did not realize how bad my Y axis was !!!!! X was not as to bad. I abused the Y axis. Huge improvement !!! I can say I will be replacing mine every year for the price !!! Cheers to makergear for an awesome printer !!! And awesome support !!! And.... a great parts stock !!!

[jimc]

the linear bearings?

[PcS]

Yes sir ! They sell just the bearing without rail. Went from wobbly to nice and tight.

[jimc]

Ahhh yea i changed the y on my red machine with a misumi proloaded bearing.

[Tim]

Ahhh yea i changed the y on my red machine with a misumi proloaded bearing.

I was looking at the Misumi website, but it wasn't clear to me whether they were compatible with the Chieftek rails used on the M2. So I guess your comment means that they are. . . Also, I wasn't sure about the difference between preloaded and non-preloaded, and the standard grade vs. precision grade. I figured it would be easier just to find the exact same part that was on my M2 to ensure compatibility.

So. . . what is the difference between preloaded and non-preloaded, and standard vs. precision grade. The part on the M2 is numbered for standard grade for the Chieftek series. Does that mean that you get even tighter tolerances with the precision grade? Would that translate to better performance?

[rpollack]

If you change the brand of carriage then you should change the rail too. However, if you change the rail then you'll need to re-check flatness. We have a jig that that clamps on to the axis and allows for fine adjustments. We can send the jig out but we only have one that we can ship out.

[jimc]

I didnt change just the carriage. It was the whole assembly. The preloaded ones i think are just tighter tolerance so be will have slighlty less wiggle. As for the rail flatness, i never checked anything. I bolted it on the same as original and never noticed any difference there.

[insta]

If you change the brand of carriage then you should change the rail too. However, if you change the rail then you'll need to re-check flatness. We have a jig that that clamps on to the axis and allows for fine adjustments. We can send the jig out but we only have one that we can ship out.

... don't you guys use that jig to build the M2s?

[Tim]

If you change the brand of carriage then you should change the rail too. However, if you change the rail then you'll need to re-check flatness

I wasn't meaning to advocate replacing the whole rail assembly. It's just that Jim made it sound like he had put a Misumi rail carriage onto the Chieftek rail, but his follow-up comment clarifies that that's not the case. It looks like there isn't such a thing as a "standard" rail and carriage, and every manufacturer makes a unique style.

[rpollack]

Every manufacturer is unique and some actually pair the carriage to a specific rail.

@insta - we have jigs that we use in assembly. it doesn't go out very often but we have that jig to send out, if needed. it is not used in production.