Bridge Replacement

Repair guides are to be used when directed by Voltera Support only!

Performing these without Voltera Support's direction could be the wrong resolution path for your issue and could cause damage to your machine. If you haven't been in contact with Voltera Support about your issue please email [email protected] or reach out in the chat before proceeding.

Before you begin

This guide will take you through replacing NOVAs bridge. Before beginning this guide you should have been in contact with our support team and received replacement parts and calibration jigs.

Safety first! Before starting any repair, take a moment to review the safety information in your user manual. An online version of the guidelines can also be found here.

As you work through this guide please reach out to our email [email protected] or through the chat if you run into any issues or have any questions. We are more than happy to assist you virtually with this repair.

When in doubt, reach out!

Estimated Repair Time:

4 hours

Tools you will need:

Screwdriver
- T25 Torx bit Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 13
- T20 Torx bit Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 13
- T10 Torx bit Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 8 or Hand Tight
Flush cutters
Metric Hex Key Set

Parts you have received from Voltera:

Replacement bridge
Bridge levelling tool
Scale and skew calibration board (with mounting hardware)

NOVA Setup

Ensure NOVA is placed on a flat, sturdy working surface. You will need to turn NOVA during this repair.

It's important that you have enough working room and a secure place to store loose screws and hardware.

Disassemble NOVA

Disconnect NOVA from power

Ensure that NOVA is turned off with the power button and then unplug the power cable.

Rotate NOVA

First, rotate NOVA so that you can access the back panel.

Do not lift NOVA by the side rails or bridge. Always lift NOVA by the main body or rotate and pivot NOVA on its rubber feet.

Remove NOVAs back panel

With a T20 Torx bit remove the 6 screws (2 on the back side, 4 on the bottom of the panel) securing the back panel.

Once the screws are out you can pull the back panel out by tilting it up slightly and then pulling away from the machine.

Remove NOVAs side cover panels

Using a flat head screwdriver or larger hex key pry the side panel friction clips loose and slide the side cover panel out the back of NOVA.

Use a piece of tape to label which side of NOVA the cover panel came off of for later.

Unplug NOVAs power button

With a pair of flush cutters, clip and remove the zip tie securing NOVAs power cable.

Unplug the power cable by pressing down on the cables release tab and pulling it out of the connector.

Remove NOVAs side fenders

With a T20 Torx bit remove the 11 screws securing each of NOVAs side fenders (5 on the outer side, 4 on the inner side, and 2 on the bottom side).

Remove both fenders by lifting up on the backside and sliding the fender forward and out.

Remove the ribbon cable clamps

Using a T10 Torx bit remove the 3 cable clamps securing NOVAs gantry ribbon cables.

Disconnect the Y-carriage PCB

First, disconnect the four ribbon cables connected to the Y-carriage PCB.

Be very gentle when opening the ribbon cable connectors. They can be very fragile!

In case you've forgotten, here is a video of how to properly disconnect a ribbon cable:

How to disconnect a ribbon cable

Next, disconnect the motor cable by pressing down on the cables release tab and pulling it out of the connector.

Remove the Y-carriage PCB

Using a T10 Torx bit remove the 4 screws securing the Y-carriage PCB.

With the Y-carriage PCB removed, temporarily pull out the gantry ribbon cables and allow them to hang behind NOVA.

Remove NOVAs cable trays

With a T20 Torx bit remove the 8 screws and washers securing NOVAs left and right cable trays (4 in the back and 4 in the front).

Remove NOVAs bridge

With a T25 Torx bit remove the 4 screws securing NOVAs bridge (2 left, 2 right).

Now that NOVAs old bridge is off place it in a safe and secure location. After the repair is complete you will pack it up and send it back to Voltera.

Install the New Bridge

Install the new bridge

Install the new bridge onto NOVA. Using a T25 Torx bit tighten (Torque Setting 13 on Dewalt Driver) the 4 screws securing NOVAs bridge (2 left, 2 right).

If the screws look uncoated add a medium Loctite (liquid or paste is fine).

Ensure the cables on the bridge are in their appropriate slots and not being pinched by the bridge mounting bracket.

Attach the dial indicator

Attach the dial indicator to NOVAs right tool port. Push NOVAs module hub to the right most side of NOVA supporting the top and bottom of the hub.

Level the bridge

Bring the bridge to the front of NOVA and manually lower the tool port by pressing down on the top of the port with your thumbs. Lower the tool port until the dial indicator pushes into NOVAs body.

Turn the dial indicator on. Press and hold the ORIGIN button to zero the dial indicator. Take note of the value on the dial indicator.

You may not be able to get the dial indicator to exactly 0.000 but get it close and then write down what the number is.

Push the module hub across NOVA to the very left side.

Now take note of the new height value.

Positive value - Left side is low

Negative value - Right side is low

Select the tab below based on if you dial indicator is displaying a positive or negative number.

Place the bridge levelling jig on the LEFT side of NOVAs bridge (Low side).

You will have received one of the bridge levelling jigs below.

Using a T25 Torx bit lslightly loosen the 2 screws securing NOVAs bridge to the mounting bracket.

Rotate the bridge levelling jig clockwise using your finger or a M3 hex key to raise the bridge. Stop when the dial indicator reaches close to 0.000 (±0.010).

Using a T25 Torx bit tighten the 2 screws securing NOVAs bridge to the mounting bracket to lock in the height. Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 13

Now push NOVAs module hub back to the very right side of NOVA to confirm that the height is within 100µm (0.100mm) of the left side.

The bridge must be level to within 100µm (0.100mm) on either side for factory specification. We always try to get as close to 0.000 within reason!

Move the bridge levelling jig and adjust the height as required.

Reassemble NOVA

Install NOVAs cable trays

If you are using an electric screwdriver start all of these screws using a hand screwdriver to ensure they thread properly. These screws are self driving and have a risk of rethreading the frame!

With a T20 Torx bit attach NOVAs cable trays using the 8 screws and serrated washers securing NOVAs left and right cable trays (4 in the back and 4 in the front). Torque Setting = Hand Tight

Install the Y-carriage PCB

Replace the gantry ribbon cables on top of the cable tray.

Using a T10 Torx bit attach the Y-carriage PCB using the 4 screws (M3 x 0.8 x 6mm Button Head). Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 8

Connect the 4 ribbon cables and the black motor cable to the Y-carriage PCB.

Ensure the cables are fully inserted into the connector. The blue tab should be parrallel to the connector.

Install the ribbon cable clamps

Using a T10 Torx bit install the 3 cable clamps securing NOVAs gantry ribbon cables. Torque Setting = Hand Tight

Install NOVAs side fenders

With a T20 Torx bit install NOVAs side fenders. There are 11 black screws that secure each of the fenders (5 on the outer side, 4 on the inner side, and 2 on the bottom side). Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 13

Attach the bottom screws last. Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 13

Ensure that the fenders are aligned properly at the back of NOVA.

You may need to pull the cable tray out with your finger to thread the screws.

Connect NOVAs power button

Plug in NOVAs power cable and secure the power and LED cable with a small zip tie.

Install NOVAs back plate

With a T20 Torx bit install NOVAs back plate. There are 6 screws (2 on the back side, 4 on the bottom of the panel) securing the back plate. Torque Setting = Dewalt Driver 13

You can leave NOVAs back plate off until after you complete the calibration procedures in case of potential troubleshooting.

Re-calibrate NOVA

With NOVA reassembled, you will need to run through a few factory calibration procedures. The order for these are as follows:

Upload bridge calibration JSON file
Center camera
Calibrate scale and skew
Port & camera alignment
Port to Port test

Upload bridge calibration JSON file

Enter factory mode by pressing the key shift + 2 + 4 (english keyboard) and navigate to the Gantry System menu. Then click on the LOAD BRIDGE CALIBRATION button under Calibration and select the bridge calibration .json file that the support team has sent you.

Camera Centering

Navigate to the XYZ positioner menu. Then click on the CAMERA button under Calibrate XYZ Position Center.

Scale & Skew

Place Standoffs

To attach the scale & skew jig, start by screwing in the standoffs into the 4 corners of the mounting grid. Hand tight is all that is needed.

Attach Jig

Next, place the jig on top of the standoffs aligning the holes in the 4 corners. Tighten down the 4 screws to hold down the jig securely using an M3 hex key.

Run Scale & Skew

Open up the Factory Settings and click on the Scale & Skew button to run the test. NOVA will find each of the circles in the 4 corners of the jig and do some math to compensate for any skew. Once complete it will return to the home position.

Confirm Calibration

Run the M520 command in the console and confirm that the Scaling and Skew values have been updated:

Once confirmed, remove the Scale & Skew jig from NOVA.

Port & Camera Alignment

Because you've attached a new bridge, the relationship between the tools center and the camera center will be different than previously recorded (if the calibration had been done).

To do this calibration you can follow our existing guide:

Port & Camera Alignment Calibration

This is something the user can do at a later date. If they need a jig they can order it from our store for free using the discount code NOVAJIG:

ORDER A JIG

Port to Port

Place Vacuum Module

Before starting the port to port test, make sure that the vacuum module is in place on NOVA. No substrate is needed for this test.

Run Port to Port for C Axis

Place the probe on the left port. Then, in the Factory Settings run the Port to Port Comparison for the C Axis. This will have the probe measure a grid of points across the vacuum module of the bed. Once complete the gantry will return to the home position.

Run Port to Port for Z Axis

Next, place the probe on the right port and run the Port to Port Comparison for the Z Axis. This will have the probe measure the same grid of points across the vacuum module of the bed. Again, once complete the gantry will return to the home position and you can remove the probe.

Download the Data

The results of this test are stored locally as a CSV file for each port in a data folder on NOVA. To access them add /data/factory to the machine's browser address. ex. cool-sea.myvoltera.io/data/factory or 10.42.2.1/data/factory

Search in this folder for the CSV files of portToPort-0 and portToPort-1 with the date you ran the test and click on them to download

Send Voltera the Files

This test is done before the replacement bridge is sent out and running it again on the new machine is an extra check to make sure nothing has happened to the bridge in transit. Because of this, the simplest way to analyze the data currently is to send it to [email protected] and we can double check it.

Repair Complete!

Congratulations, you have successfully replaced NOVAs bridge!

Please reach back out to our support team through email ([email protected]) or the chat to let them know everything went well. We will arrange a shipping label to return the old parts and repair tools back to us for further testing.

Last updated 1 month ago

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