Both my Apex and TLC machines share similar flatbed units, I say similar, because the two TLC machines, whilst looking identical, are not the same. There must be a difference in the power supply, as I cannot swap stepper motors from machine to machine, so watch this if you buy a second machine for spares. Though this may well be different for machines in the USA as they have different voltage from the UK. If your machine is a TLC model and has blue stepper motors, then it is really old, and you ought to consider an upgrade. It is very likely that the lead screws and actuator nuts are well past there renewal date as well.

I replaced both lead screws and actuator nuts on one machine recently, NH Toledo were easy to deal with and very efficient, you buy a complete kit with all items pre-packed. The job was not difficult, anyone with a bit of mechanical sympathy and a reasonable toolkit can undertake it, you will then have a virtually new machine. Just disassemble carefully in a logical order, clean everything thoroughly, reassemble in the reverse order and tighten all nuts carefully i.e. do not over tighten. The tension or grip of the nylon nut around the lead screw can be adjusted. Be careful not to have it too tight for obvious reasons

Poor engraving can be caused by the bridge having sideways movement, check by grasping a hand either side and twisting backwards and forwards, if there is play, then it needs adjusting, this takes a little care but most people would manage it themselves. If you just have the flat bed unit this is easy, if it is on top of a base unit, then you have to remove it, an easy job, plus you can give it a good clean at the same time.

On the right hand side of the flatbed are two bearings running along a section of rod, these are fixed on eccentric cams. Space is very tight, but you can just do it with the following two tools. You will need a 9/16 spanner, with the flats ground off to allow the spanner to be inserted and turned. You will then need a 5/32 allen key, this locates from underneath. So then just undo the locking nut, adjust the cam with the allen key as appropriate, then hold allen key and tighten the nut It is a bit fiddley and space is tight but it is not 'rocket science' as they say..

The action of the lead screws on the actuator nuts is of prime importance of course, and for long life, these need to be kept clean and lubricated. The easiest way to is to remove the dust protecter brushes, get some thick sisal string, loop round the screw and get someone to move the table back and forth. After that put some lube on, I use the correct 'Christo-Lube' recommended by NH. If the machine designer had wanted you to use oil, he would have supplied some with the machine and told you to do it in the handbook, he didn't, so use the correct lube

The air piping and solenoids have remained untouched on all four flatbeds, so can only assume their design and construction was good.

The black brushes down either side are not a good design, and engravers creating a lot of swarf would be advised to either clean the slide ways regularly or consider designing something better.

The large black plate holders are held under tension by an eccentric cam from the front bar. Sometimes this nut can 'undoe under the spring tension' causing the plates to move, I always use two small 'g' clamps to double secure the plates

The tool holder, which is the black plate on the front of the machine with three slots can be bolted on in two ways, if you are really desperate for clearance between the flat bed and the machine, then you can gain some precious millimeters by turning this upside down. One fantastic advantage of the Newing Hall is the ability to mount more than one tool holder, I have used 3 or 4 diamonds at a time, however to do this, you will need a 'long tool holder. This is available from NH, but I had a two made by a local precision engineer, and it was a considerable saving in price, though my long version has only one slot, but this is in the middle and is adequate

One disadvantage of the NH, is the lack of clearance between the flat bed and the machine, this is not really adequate. It is irrelevant if engraving flat metal or plastic, but often items have to be engraved where this height can be critical. if you click here I will show you how to make a modification to overcome this. Note, this will probably only be possible to flatbed engravers that sit on top of a base unit or are raised up on some form of stand or carrier. If your work is predominantly flat work it is probably not worth doing this mod.

 

Then I drew out the proposed jig on cardboard, transferred it to a layout within the ec software and made the machine drill the locating holes for the toggle clamps. In fact I used an ordinary 'v' shaped cutter, put maximum dwell to the job, the machine then cut a deep 'v' directly on the plate, this made it very easy to drill out the holes on a pedestal drill. I saved the layout, so I can make a second plate any time I want. I used the TLC machine to make the jig but you could just as easily use an Apex machine.

Ok, so you get the general idea, you just have to adapt it to your requirements. The jig and holes are perfectly aligned and straight, as a computer drilled it. Try doing it by hand with a metal ruler and engineers blue and see the difference. Remember that every time you use the plate, you must butt it up to the left hand side of the machine for correct alignment. It was cheaper to have the engineer make a batch of plates up, they were only about $25 each and I now have a lot of these purpose made jigs permanently made up, so I can have a job loaded in no time at all.