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« on: November 14, 2011, 02:18:31 AM »
Yep it does have electrical diagrams but no mechanical drawings. Hood I looked at several ways of adapting mine before taking it off and flogging it. lots of problems with orientation of spindle and pnuematics so give up. The process to change a tool went someting like this
Call for tool number
machine goes to TCP
Proximity sensor on spindle orientates spindle to set position to line up driving dogs by reverse and forward spindle actions along with an electronic drive locking of the spingle motor
pneumatic cylinder drives the T changer towards spindle and engages into spring loaded tool holder on carousel (sometimes)
pneumatic release of tool holder from spindle (sometimes)
Pneumatic tool changed goes down to clear spindle and allow rotation to next tool
carousel rotates to new tool requires ( uses a stepper and a proximity sensor on the carousel)
tool change comes up with new tool and locates in spindle and driving dogs (sometimes)
TC retracts (pneumatic)
spindle starts and continues with machining
The machine needed 100psi mainly to release the tool holding locking clamp, and unfortunately if the spindle got warm I used to tap the tool holder with a copper hammer to help release the tool. I used to be an engineering lecturer (mechanical not electronic) and this machine was in my department from 1988 to 2000 when I purchased it for home. It used to make chess sets on a machining cell with a denford Orac lathe, 2 robots and a conveyor. You are right about stepper driven axis by the time we had made 20 chess men the last one was 0.5mm smaller then the first. My machine now holds its size well so it must have been the Denford electronics at fault.
Hood there was 2 boxes full of electronics which I threw away when I got ride of the tool changer to a bloke from down south who bought the unit from me off eBay. When it gets light I will go down the shed (workshop) and look to see if I still have the wiring diagrams or pictures of the tool changer, if I have I will scan them and post on the forum.
Jim