CNC-3018XL: Table Drive Nut Overstress

A confluence of unrelated events led me to unboxing and setting up the CNC-3018XL most recently used to plot Homage Tek Circuit Computer decks, but the table slid along its rods entirely too easily. A peek at the leadscrew revealed an assortment of parts last seen when I extended the frame:

The featureless cylinder is the leadscrew follower nut, which evidently popped out of its proper place in the table drive block:

The crude chamfer suggests that end went into the block first, so that’s what I did:

It seems snug enough in there, at least for a machine used solely for plotting and maybe drag knife cuttery, so I’ll assume the box received some rough handling during our move.

It’s now back in place and seems to work well enough:

I briefly considered adding some setscrews to hold it in place, but came to my senses. If it pops out again, maybe it’ll be time to rebuild that block with proper retention.

The software side of the thing surely needs TLC, too.