Got a new CNC machine - are these problems normal?
Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. This looks like a great place with some wonderful and knowledgeable people.
I purchased a Laguna Tools Swift 4x4 from Laguna tools. The manual that came with the machine states:
Quote:
Laguna Tools guarantees all new machine sold to be free of manufacturers’ defective workmanship, parts, and materials. We will repair or replace without charge, any parts determined by Laguna Tools, Inc. to be a manufacturer’s defect.
I wanted to ask this community if the following issues seem acceptable.
Firstly the machine came with several paint scratches that were repainted poorly. The feet of the control box as well as a few of the components looked used. Many of the I-rails that run parallel to the spoil boards had stripped hex screws as well as marks around the screws indicating that they had been installed and then re-installed. Some of the holes had no screws in them causing them to lift up when the clamps are tightened. The fail safe switches only work if the machine is homed first - isn't that the point of those switches regardless? The screws were slightly stripped - showing wear - on the power terminals. Additionally I was told by my electrician that there was a connector missing. There were also loose screws on the fans inside of the control box. And finally, the big one is that the boards and rails are not square to the machine. If I line a tip up with the edge of the rail and back the gantry straight back there is a deviation of over a quarter of an inch. They didnt even square it to the machine itself - if you measure the distance from the front to the left side of the spoil boards the measurement is 1.25" if you measure the other side it's 1.5".
I had to remove the spoil boards as well as the black, dense plastic boards that they were attached to. I labeled everything and put it back exactly. In this process I broke or stripped about half of the screws. I also found an abandoned die-tip in one of the screw holes. In their defense, they did send someone out to my place to fix all of the threads.
I called and spoke to Laguna Tools and actually had an obviously uninformed individual try to explain away the problems I was having. First he told me that the screws were "single use" and "self tapping". I have never in my life heard of "single use" screws and I cant imagine how anyone could expect aluminum machine screws to tap tube steel. The time I called about the boards not being square the same individual told me that there was an acceptable amount of wiggle room and that it falls within that margin. He did not know how much mine was off and he also was unable to tell me what exactly their acceptable margins are. Finally they had a qualified technician call me and tell me that because there was a squaring adjustment factor that even if the machine was square it "would not be square". That in no way explains why the boards aren't even square to the machines frame. The technician suggested I use a "dowel" method to square material instead.
There has been a few weeks that have gone by since my last conversation with Laguna Tools. I wanted to ask this informed community what I should do and what I should expect from this machine. They are offering me a bit set to pacify me but it kinda seems like too little considering what I have dealt with.
Thank you all in advance and here is a gallery of the issues: https://carousel.dropbox.com/photos/cc/VlUEy09mwpU6B66
