Messages

231

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S

« on: September 07, 2006, 06:02:46 PM »

Hood.

The air does quite a lot.

Tailstock extend and retract, Collet Open and Close, Spindle lock release, Lube pump inject, and the most complex part the turret locking and indexing.

The only one I wont use very often is the tailstock.

Wayne....

232

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S

« on: September 07, 2006, 05:21:54 PM »

Picture time again...

First Picture shows the X axis Slideway and ballscrew.  I was amazed at the perfect condition here!   No backlash at all, and the slide looks like it was ground yesterday!   In fact the machine is 22 years old this year.    That cutting oil did the machines metal some good.  The ballscrew is 1.250" Diameter with .200" Lead.

Second picture shows the new pulleys and belt on the X Axis.  This is the housing I had to remachine to give clearance for the belt at it's highest point.  Also shows the new Alloy Motor mounting plate, which I machined today.  The Z axis one will have to wait, as I didn't have a big enough piece of material available.  It needs a billet of Alloy 6"x6"x 1 1/4"..

Wayne...

233

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S

« on: September 07, 2006, 10:05:44 AM »

Thanks Benny.

Shame there apparently so few people interested in retrofitting lathes.

Lathes and turning are my primary business, the mills come 2nd.

Wait till you see the two slantbed boxford benchtop lathes I'm in the planning stages for!   The are being retrofitted as bespoke machines to do one job primarily.  The quantities are large 30,000 parts/yr.  The intention is to run the two machines back to back on the same job, lights out if possible.  This job is more suited to sliding head swiss auto's but I'm going to have a good go at competing against their times

The aim is to have these fully automated, with magazine bar feeders, power collet closers, powered tailstocks, and parts catchers. Also I'm trying to think of a way to do a swarf auger for these small machines.  The material for this job is Nylon66 so swarf is a real issue.

Wayne...

234

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S

« on: September 06, 2006, 07:08:09 PM »

Another Update..

All the new pulley blanks now machined, and almost ready to go.

Well almost !!   first problem was the X axis belt housing. I didn't measure it up before ordering the pulleys, only the Z axis.   There was zero clearance between the top of this housing and the belt when on the 60T pulley.  So I had to remachine the internal relief to give me the clearance.   Wall thickness at the thinest point is now only 1mm!   But it's a heave cast iron housing so not so bad.

Second problem is the new servo motors spindles are shorter than the originals.  Therefore the 24T pulley is closer to the motors mounting flange.   With the original mounting plates the puleys no-where near line up!   So it was a waste if time remachining the plate earlier, have to make new ones.  These were steel originally, I'll probably use Al-Alloy for the new ones.  Sod the different rates of expansion, I'm not trying to achieve Hardinges original specs, which is the only reason I can think of they used similar materials.

Third problem is I got the quote back for all the new 5 port valves and manifolds etc.   £550   OUCH!  and that was for the cheaper SMC stuff, I'd hate to think what Parker or Norgren stuff would cost...   This machines a bit of a money pit....

Wayne....

235

General Mach Discussion / Re: Those pesky circles

« on: September 04, 2006, 07:26:14 AM »

Hmmm Loose coupling will do it!

Personally I always use Oldham couplings, with the nitrile insert.  Not the harder nylon one or whatever it is.

Wayne...

236

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Just got a lathe to retrofit

« on: September 03, 2006, 07:09:56 PM »

Hood. you got the big bugger home yet?

237

General Mach Discussion / Re: Those pesky circles

« on: September 02, 2006, 02:53:40 PM »

I far enough away in Poole dorset

Also check the bearings at the end on the screw,  backlash can be created there.   Normally these bearings are back to back angular contact bearings with some preload of them.

Wayne..

238

General Mach Discussion / Re: Those pesky circles

« on: September 02, 2006, 02:26:00 PM »

Looks like you have standard Acme screws.   If there are two nuts on each you might be able to take out some of the backlash.  There are ways of doing it with one nut too.

Sometimes the drive does matter, some are sensitive to direction change timing.   

Where in the uk are you.  I assume you are over here!

You could check to see how much backlash you have either with a dial gauge or even a fine pen  mounted on you z axis.   you appear to have a fair bit of slop there, so that methos would show it.

Wayne...

239

General Mach Discussion / Re: Those pesky circles

« on: September 02, 2006, 01:34:43 PM »

You have stepper motors.   Can't spot your drives though.

240

General Mach Discussion / Re: Those pesky circles

« on: September 02, 2006, 10:59:09 AM »

Brian

True..  The drives will tell the whole story.   But as others have mentioned this looks like classic mechanical backlash on the x axis screw.

Are they ballscrews or standard acme I wonder.