Slipping Rotary Attachment

[Ernie Martinez]

I'm trying to engrave some aluminum water bottles. I have an image and some text. I am getting inconsistent results from bottle to bottle. The image and the text gets squashed at the beginning of the image sometimes. The bottle is very light and I figured it was slipping, but why would it ONLY slip at the beginning of the image and not randomly thoughout? I called Epilog support and they told me that my stepper motor was missing steps and might need to be replaced. That seems very doubtful since it works beautifully if I fill the bottle with water to make it heavy. So much for great support!

Has anyone created any sort of hold down jig to solve this problem? Filling every bottle with water is really going to impact my time and expense.

Thanks

[Martin Boekers]

Hate to say it...I have always had an issue with rotaries. Sometimes they stretch or shrink the image.

[Marc Beaupre]

I have had good results with a wide rubber band around the item to be etched. It rides on the rotary fixture wheel to provide more traction.


Marc

[Steve Busey]

Another creeker (with probably a different rotary setup), Steve Kesler, had this custom made solution (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?188118-Trotec-Speedy-Water-Bottle-Fixture).

[David Fairfield]

Filling with water seems like a really good option actually, maybe your best option. Hire a neighbor kid to fill and empty. Make sure the outsides are dry or it will slip again. Epilog does have a better designed rotary, with a lathe type chuck, but not yet available for the co2 lasers.

Dave

[John Frazee]

Sounds like you need to slow the start speed down. I can't tell you how on your machine but try calling your rep and ask about the start speed. Hopefully you will get someone on the phone with more than normal knowlege on how the machine works. I have a roll of quarters I keep close by for wine glasses and others. That way they roll with the movement and stay weighted at the bottom. Make sure the rubbers are contacting right with the objects. Again, learn about the "start" speed. It really helped me.

[Tom Sieczkarek]

Hi Ernie,
I fill mine with rice. I have a couple filled and while one is running I dump it into the next.
I haven't had any slipping issues since.

[Ernie Martinez]

I really like the rubber band idea, that may just do the trick.

[Kevin Paragon]

i have a 1" diameter wooden dowl about 8" long that i loosely screwed about a dozen 1-1/2" (inch and half) metal washers to one end, the washers roll with the water bottles and keep them on the rotary. The long wood balances the weight of the rest of the water bottle. I just slide it out when done ingraving and insert it into the next bottle.

[David Fairfield]

Great idea!!!


i have a 1" diameter wooden dowl about 8" long that i loosely screwed about a dozen 1-1/2" (inch and half) metal washers to one end, the washers roll with the water bottles and keep them on the rotary. The long wood balances the weight of the rest of the water bottle. I just slide it out when done ingraving and insert it into the next bottle.

[Kees Soeters]

If the rubber isn't "sticky" enough you could clean it with diesel (gasoline). This is done with the rubber rolls in old printers and VCR's.
The Y-direction shoudn't move that fast. just very small steps... if in engraving-mode..
I see that the epilog-rotary has idlerwheels with rubber too. In fact it does have more grip than the drivewheels.. If you place a piece of baking-paper over it, it will probably slide over it, almost without friction.. So following the driverwheel..

Kees