Tormach PCNC 1100 X axis backlash

Shows how we slid the table out of the way to get at the x-axis ballnut to inspect for backlash. Many inches of toolpath over 3 years of use had caused enough wear that ballnut pre-load was lost and slop was introduced. We were able to shim the ballnut pre-load spacer with brass shim stock and eliminate the backlash. We did the same operation on the Y axis, which had more (3-4 thousandths) of backlash due to the ballnut alone. It should be possible to reduce backlash on X and Y axes to .001 or less if you tune the gibs, ballscrew bearings and the ballnut. More details on what we did here: northarmknives...