New kid on the block here. I put together a modest sized 3-axis (4 motor) CNC, and purchased StepperOnline's 4-Axis 269 oz-in (1.4 ft-lb) NEMA 23 kit to power it with.

The problem I am having is that I can't get anything that remotely resembles stability except at extremely low speeds (< 30 IPM) and with single-stepping, and even then the system seems to 'lose' a few pulses.
Each axis runs well solo - quiet, smooth, and w/ no apparent loss of position (unless I jack up any of the parameters - speed, micro-stepping, etc.) but, when all run together there is LOTS of harmonic-sounding noise and even occasional stalling.

Particulars:

Bed size 38 x 48
Gantry & Carriages "rails" are V-Groove bearings - very low rolling resistance (not measured - yet)
Complete gantry assembly weight is probably around 35 lbs
Cross - machine carriage weight = ~ 4 lbs
Vertical carriage w/ router = ~ 5 lbs

Drives are all 10 pitch x 1/2" ACME screws w/ Delrin anti-backlash nuts.
Torque requirements (again not yet measured) seem quite low - I can very easily turn the screws by hand.
Alignment is all very good.

Wiring
All grounded (120VAC, 24VDC, machine)
non-shielded 18 AWG 2 conductor cable used for all motors (each pair feeds one motor winding)
NO interlock wiring has been done yet (limits, e-stop, etc.)

Software / setup
Using Mach3, all config'd as per the driver manufacturers recommendations.

Might I simply be asking too much from NEMA 23's ? They seem to have plenty of torque (gantry movement has damaged a few things rather than stalling)
Is this to be expected from an extremely cheap system ?

I've contacted the seller of the kit - they're not much use (surprise)

I have had plenty of experience years ago with industrial stepper motor systems and never encountered any of the issues I'm having here.

Any and all suggestions / questions are welcome.

Thanks to all in advance

Wayne