I finished building my i3 recently and I want to post my thoughts on the Z Axis chrome rod insertion in the left mount. I, as well as other, had to drill out this mount to get the rods in deep enough and even then I had to put a lot of pressure on the assembly to get them in. I too lost quite a few of the ball bearings from the rod bearings.
I believe the problem with the rod insertion is related to the holes being created without any bearings in the assembly. When the bearings are installed it warps the body of the assembly just enough to throw the hole alignment off. When you try to drill the holes out you can't get the drill to go in straight since the drill wants to follow the existing hole misalignment. I didn't do this but it might work best to drill it out using a drill press with the bearings and a rod installed. The unit would need to be clamped very tightly to ensure that the drill does properly bore out a straight hole.
Just a thought.
Simba
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2017 06:49AM by Simba028.
