Gantry Replacement: CMC Z1

Head Removal

• Click reset motors button on the cut preview and click OK on the release motors prompt.

• Turn off the ECU.

• Turn off the air.

• Push blade cartridge release down to eject the blade cartridge.

• Remove the gantry cover by unscrewing the screws that holds it in place and set them aside.

• Move the gantry to the right side of the board until the foot block is off the board.

• Locate the M12 cable that is attached to the grabber arm.

• Following the M12 cable and unplug the other end from the M12 port at the top of the head, untwisting the thumbscrew to disconnect it.

• Disconnect the head power plug (square connection) from the head grabber arm.

• Disconnect the air to the head by untwisting the two air fittings.

• Remove the Head Stop Plate at the bottom of the gantry under the belt tensioner.

• Two screws hold it in place.

• Set plate and screws aside.

• Remove the two 1/4” screws and set aside.

• If present, remove the Head Assembly Power Cable Strain Relief from the grabber arm.

• Roll the head down the gantry.

• Ease the head off by rolling it off the gantry.

• Take care not to drop it.

NEVER SKIP AHEAD ON ANY STEP!

Disconnect Gantry

• Disconnect the board cable by turning the locking ring until it comes away from the gantry.

• Disconnect the air lines to the gantry by untwisting the red and blue air fittings.

• Locate the M12 cable that is plugged into the back plate of the gantry.

• Disconnect the M12 cable from the gantry by untwisting the thumbscrew to disconnect it.

• Set aside.

Look for Red Dots (only these screws are to be adjusted).

• Remove the 5/32” Allen screws and washers from the lower gantry plate.

WARNING: Do not over-loosen this screw - one full turn is usually sufficient.

• Locate and loosen the 3/16” Allen belt tensioner screw that’s located on the right bottom side of the lower rail and marked with a red dot.

• Loosen this screw one turn only so that there is some movement in the belt tensioner.

• The tensioner springs should be visible.

• Locate the belt tensioner hole on the end of the belt tensioner.

• Place the 5/32” Allen screw and washer we removed from the lower gantry plate into the belt tensioner hole.

• Tighten the Allen screw until belt tensioner is flush with the rail and the springs are not visible.

• Go back and tighten the 3/16” Allen belt tensioner screw.

• Lift the drive belt end from of the belt tensioner slot.

• Pushing the drive belt end to the right may assist in getting a hold of it.

• Wind up the drive belt, and rubber-band it.

• Repeat the steps for Removing the Drive Belt from the Rail on the upper rail.

• Move the gantry to the left to dislodge the belt anchors.

• The belt anchors are sunk into the left ends of the rails and are attached to the drive belts.

• Lay the belt anchors over the drive belts and rubber-band them together.

• Do not touch any of the screws on the left side of the belts; they are set at the factory.

• Loosen the top 3/16” stop screw of the Magnetic Gantry Stop.

• Lift up the magnetic stop plate to disengage the pin from the hole and slide the alignment plate to the left end of the rail to remove.

• Hold the gantry on the bottom and along the gantry arm and gently roll the gantry off the rails on the left side of the board and set aside.

• The gantry only weights about 30 lbs, but it is large and awkward.

• Having a second person standing in front of the CMC to assist may be beneficial.

• Before installation, look at the bottom set of gantry wheels.

• The bottom wheels are spring-loaded, the top wheels are on a center-pivot.

• Move the top set of wheels as needed for ease of installation (picture shows gantry being put on rail from back).

• Before installation, look at the top set of gantry wheels.

• Both sets of wheels are spring-loaded.

• Wheels may need to be eased over the rails (picture shows gantry being put on rail from back).

• Hold the gantry near the left side of the CMC and line up the upper then lower wheels of the gantry to the center channel of the board rails.

NOTE: Installation is easier if you line up the upper wheels first, then slide the lower wheels onto the rail. Sometimes having a second person for this step helps. Do not cut the tie wraps (zip-ties) on the belts until you have the Gantry on the board assembly. It is much easier not having to deal with two dangling belts.

• Carefully ease the gantry onto the left side of the rails, taking care that all of the wheels line up.

• Upper and lower gantry ends must be slid on at the same time.

• Make sure that the drive belt lies within the channel on either side and is not pinched between the gantry and the rail.

• Roll the gantry to the far right of the board and back to the left to make sure it moves smoothly.

• Slide the black Magnetic Gantry Stop Plate in from the left end of the rail keeping the pin towards you.

• Place the pin into the hole.

  • CMC 9000: Put pin in the right hole.

  • CMC Z: Put pin in the left hole

• Tighten the top 3/16” stop screw

• Lightly pull the coiled drive belt toward the right on the upper rail to take up the slack and pull the belt anchor into place flush with the end of the CMC.

• Remove the rubber-band from the drive belt and loosely lay the drive belt along the rail channel.

• Rotate the drive pulley so that the red mark is on the top.

• Line up the red mark of the drive belt to the red mark of the drive pulley; this may require moving the gantry a bit in either direction.

• Pull drive belt to the right to take up slack.

• Do the same with the lower drive pulley and drive belt, aligning the red marks together.

• Do not move the gantry after red marks line up.

• Pull the loose belt end to the right, making sure that the drive belt is not twisted and that the teeth are facing down toward the board into the rail channel.

• Slide the screw of the belt end into the belt tensioner slot.

• It should fit snugly.

• Go back and make sure the red lines are still lined up.

• Remove the 5/32” Allen screws and washers from the belt tensioner.

• Loosen one full turn only the 3/16” Allen belt tensioner screw from the right bottom side of the lower rail marked with a red dot.

WARNING: Make sure you do not over-loosen this screw. One full turn is usually sufficient.

• The belt tensioner should spring fully into place.

• Tighten the 3/16” Allen belt tensioner screw from the right bottom side of the lower rail marked with a red dot.

• Repeat the steps for Installing the Drive Belt onto the Rail on the lower rail.

• Place the two Allen screw and washer into the holes provided on the lower gantry plate.

• Place them so that the screw protrudes only slightly from the back of the plate.

Connecting the Board Cable

*Carefully align the in-line pins of the board cable before applying pressure to plug it in. If forced in incorrectly, the CMC will malfunction.*

• The board cable connects the gantry on the CMC to the ECU.

• Connect the male end of the board cable to the back of the ECU by aligning the pins and turning the locking ring until it seats itself and locks into place.

• Connect the female end of the board cable to the back of the gantry in the same manner .

• Move the gantry to the far right of the CMC and back to the left to make sure the board cable does not get caught on anything.

• If the board cable is obstructed, this will affect the cuts.

• Follow the air line with the red connector from the top of the gantry and connect it to the right side of the air regulator by inserting the red connector on the end and twisting it into place.

CAUTION: The air regulator is factory-set. Do not make adjustments to it.*

• Follow the air line with the blue connector from the top of the gantry and connect it to the matching blue airline on the back of the board.

• Make sure that none of the air lines are crimped.

• Locate the M12 cable that we unplugged from the back plate of the gantry.

• Plug the other end of it is into the Control Panel in the back of the board.

• Move the gantry to the right edge of the CMC.

• Point the head so that the foot block faces toward the CMC and the wheels are close to the bottom of the gantry

• Line up the wheels on the head to the center channels of the gantry arm and ease the head onto the gantry.

• Roll the head up the gantry until it lines up to the head grabber arm on the right side of the gantry.

NOTE: If you are installing the head and having difficulty getting the head wheels onto the gantry, see the Head Wheel Adjustment further down in this document.

• Locate the Head Assembly Power Cable Strain Relief and the two 1/4” screws.

• Slide the tines of the Head Assembly Power Cable Strain Relief around the base sides of the Head Power Plug connection.

• Line up the holes of the Head Assembly Power Cable Strain Relief to the holes on the head grabber arm.

• Holding the head in position so that the head lines up neatly to the Head Assembly Power Cable Strain Relief on the head grabber arm, screw in the two 1/4” screws, making sure they go into the Head Assembly Power Cable Strain Relief and the head grabber arm and then into the head. Tighten firmly.

• If removed, replace the Head Stop Plate to the bottom of the gantry under the belt tensioner after the head is slid onto the gantry.

• Note that the notched side is placed toward the gantry.

• Connect the air to the head by twisting the two air fittings together, matching colors.

• Connect the head power plug (square connection) to the head grabber arm.

• Locate the M12 cable that is attached to the grabber arm.

• Plug the other end of the M12 cable into the M12 port at the top of the head, twisting the thumbscrew to secure it.

• Reinstall the gantry cover using the two screws we removed earlier.

• Make sure that the M12 cable lies within the gantry channel so that it is not pinched in the gantry cover.

• Lift the head up so that the foot block does not strike the side of the board and move the gantry to the left.

• Turn on the air.

• Turn on the ECU.

• The head is installed.

IMPORTANT: PROCEED TO THE HEAD WHEEL ADJUSTMENT INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.

• Go to the cut preview screen. Click the power button to align the head.

• The head is aligned.

• Locate the head wheel adjustment Allen screws on the left side of the head under the head face plate.

• They are next to the head wheels and are marked with red dots.

• Do not touch the Allen screws on the wheels themselves.

• Loosen each head wheel adjustment Allen screw only until the wheels are loose; about two full turns.

• The wheels are spring-loaded and will pop into place.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty getting the head wheels onto the gantry during head installation, loosen the head wheel adjustment screws, roll the head onto the gantry, then continue with the following instructions.

• Grasp the head with both hands and gently rock it back and forth to ensure that the wheels are lined up to the gantry grooves.

• Retighten the head wheel adjustment Allen screws consecutively; tighten the top screw half a turn, then the bottom screw half a turn, back to the top and continue until they are both tight.

• Check each of the head wheels to make sure there is no movement.

• There are the two visible wheels on the left side of the head under the blade depth adjustment plate, and two wheels on the backside of the gantry, which can be felt by hand.

• They should sit firmly into the gantry groove and be difficult to turn.

• If not, repeat these steps of loosening the wheels, gently rocking the head back and forth, then retightening the wheels.

• The head wheels have now been adjusted.

• Click on the reset motors button, click OK on the reset motors screen if it displays.

• Return the head to the home position.

• Reinstall the blade cartridge.

• Call Customer Support if you have any questions at 425/551-4300 or 888/855-3335.

• Check both sets of wheels at the TOP of the gantry.

• Make sure all of the wheels make contact with the top rail, and that they don’t spin freely.

• If any of the wheels are not making contact, contact customer support.

• Do a test cut. Cut a 2x2 square, with 2” borders, NOT cutting the outside.

• Measure the left and bottom border from the back side of the mat to the opening and make sure it measures 2”.

• If it does not, reset the motors, align the head and cut/measure again.

• If the borders are still off, adjust the Horizontal Home position in the Configurations Screen accordingly.

  • If the border is too big, decrease the Horizontal Home.

  • If the border is too small, increase the Horizontal Home.

• Do another test cut. Continue making adjustment until it measures 2”. If you need assistance, call Customer Support.

• Make sure that the Gantry is straight.

• Cut a rectangle that is about 2x24”, NOT cutting the outside, with 2” borders.

• Measure the borders to the opening at the bottom of the mat closest to the vertical clamps, then measure the borders to the opening at the top of the mat closest to the vertical clamps.

• If the borders are not measuring 2” in both places, call Customer Support for assistance.