Z Axis Honeycomb Bed will not Raise or GO UP or only Goes Down until it reached the bottom

Z Axis Honeycomb Bed will not Raise or GO UP or only Goes Down until it reached the bottom

This article covers the Troubleshooting Steps for the Z Axis Honeycomb not raising up and how to bypass for testing


Preface:

If any of the sensors for the Auto Focus or Z Bed are bypassed, it is on the operator to make sure the machine does not crash and the operator takes sole responsibility to not use Auto Focus or crash the machine by raising or lowering the Z Axis.


Things to know about the Z Axis Honeycomb movement:

-The upper limit switch is called Zlimit- and is also the Auto Focus Sensor and is an Optical sensor that looks across the bed to detect material, bed or other objects in the path. The left side Auto Focus sensor is a SENDER and the right side Auto Focus sensor is the receiver. Both require 24v to work and they work together. The Receiver is dependent on seeing the invisible light from the Sender.
-The lower limit switch is called Zlimit+ and is a mechanical rocker switch mounted down low and is triggered by a flag on the Z Bed
-By default, the Z Axis Honeycomb does not Home during a power up like the X and Y axes do. Because of this, the Z axis is set to be at 3000mm after a power up
-The operator can manually Home the Z axis by removing all material and objects from the bed and then selecting the Z Axis Reset from the Ruida Control Panel on the Machine. Press the MENU button, scroll down to AXES Reset+, press Enter


Scroll down to Z axis reset, press Enter.



 This will move the Z Bed Honeycomb up to block Zlimit- and set a position of 0mm on the controller screen



Normal Zlimit- Auto Focus LED Light States:


Version 1 Photoeyes:

Unblocked:

Left: Green LED Illuminated

Right: Green LED Illuminated, Amber LED Off

Controller: Red LED 5 Off

Blocked:

Left: Green LED Illuminated

Right: Green LED Illuminated, Amber LED Illuminated

Controller: Red LED 5 Illuminated



Version 2 Photoeyes:

(Note that this version has a quick connect electrical plug)

Unblocked:

Left: two Green LED Illuminated

















Right: Green LED Illuminated, Red LED OFF

Controller: Red LED 5 off

Blocked:

Left: Two Green LED Illuminated

















Right: Green LED Illuminated and Red LED Illuminated

Controller: Red LED 5 Illuminated



Things that can cause the Z Bed Honeycomb to not raise:

-Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are dead, not powered, malfunctioning
-Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are blocked by laser head, material, rotary, hand, tape etc
-Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are dirty
-Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are misaligned
-Z Axis Driver is Faulted
-Z Bed is Jammed up mechanically (usually in the down position)
-Controller thinks Z bed is at the 0 Position and software limited from raising


Troubleshooting steps:

-Move laser head to back left corner of the machine, press the Origin button on the controller
-Clear all materials from the bed

-Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are dead, not powered, malfunctioning

Check the LED status lights on the Auto Focus eyes to match the images above in the article based on the version that you have installed. If the lights do not match, then a sensor may be faulty. The Green LED on both sensors should be Illuminated.
If the Left Side does not have the Green LED illuminated, check for 24v at the connection, re-seat the connection by unplugging and plugging it back in(if applicable). If the Left Eye still does not have a green LED illuminated then the Right Side will not be able to function correctly even if the Right Side sensor has a Green LED illuminated.

If you are unable to get the Green LED to illuminate on either side sensor, please email support@thunderlaserusa.com


Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are blocked by laser head, material, rotary, hand, tape etc

Remove whatever is blocking the eyes from seeing across the bed, check the lights. Re-check the function.


Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are dirty

Clean them and recheck the function. You can also increase the sensitivity by turning the Green or White trim pot on the Right Side photoeye with a flat head screwdriver, clockwise to increase.


Zlimit- \ Auto Focus eyes are misaligned

If the Left eye has a Green LED(s) illuminated on it but the Right Eye is showing blocked (Red or Amber LED illuminated depending on version of Photoeye installeD) , it could be that the eyes are not aligned. Loosen the mounting bolts and move the Right Side Auto Focus photoeye until it shows the unblocked state (Red or Amber LED off).
-Adjust the sensitivity with a flat head screwdriver. See the above section for an image.



Z Axis Driver is Faulted


Check for a red Flashing LED on the Z Drive. Count the number of flashes and write that down.


Power the Laser Machine off and then back on. If the Z Driver no longer has a flashing red LED, then try to raise the bed.
If the Driver Faults again and has a flashing Red LED, then the Z bed is likely jammed up or the motor has an issue. Please email support@thunderlaserusa.com and provide the number of flashes of the RED led.


Z Bed is Jammed up mechanically (usually in the down position)

Power off the machine
Remove the crumb tray(s) (If applicable), honeycomb and Knifes out of the machine
Manually move the Z axis belt by hand to raise the Z bed up and out of the jam\bind.
After manually moving, power the machine up and try to raise the bed using the controller


Controller thinks Z bed is at the 0 Position and software limited from raising

Check the position read out on the controller for being 0 or less.
Clear the bed of any objects except the honeycomb and knives below it, remove your laser head and do a Z Axis reset or Auto Focus.



If all of the above steps do not mitigate the issue, please email us at support@thunderlaserusa.com.



How to Bypass The ZLimit- Sensor so that the Z Bed Honeycomb can be raised:

Firstly, you must acknowledge that bypassing the sensor will make the Auto Focus function and raise over travel limits not function properly. There is a much greater potential for a crash. Auto Focus will not stop raising the bed and you will not be hardware limited from raising the bed from the control panel or Lightburn. By bypassing the sensor, you the operator are accepting sole responsibility of the machine functions and know the proper steps to prevent crashing. Do not use Auto Focus with the sensor bypassed.


Unplug the Auto Focus sensor on the Right. If your sensor has a plug on it, just unplug it.

OR

If your sensor does not have a plug on it, disconnect the Black wire on CN3 of the Ruida Controller.


After bypassing, test that you can raise the bed and if not, see the troubleshooting steps above to check whether the bed is mechanically bound up or the Z axis driver is faulted.


Reference Articles:


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