Messages

251

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

« on: August 28, 2006, 05:29:57 AM »

Useful turrets there!   Might take a bit of working out though

I'm sure i have seen this machine somewhere recently, maybe it was on ebay?

So they ripped out the control?   What have they left?    What spindle motor does it have?

The power pack will probably be for the power chuck, and maybe the turrets.

Wayne...

252

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

« on: August 27, 2006, 07:23:48 PM »

But then again as Hood has just demonstrated, we tend to get the machines a lot cheaper ;-)  Especially if you know a few machinery dealers!   

£300 eh hood, you stole it!   I expect it's worth more than that as scrap.

I paid 750 for my Leadwell VMC, and 1200 for the Hardinge.   The latter has swallowed a whole load of cash since though!   Just now waiting for a quote for the new 5 port valves.

Wayne....

253

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

« on: August 27, 2006, 07:19:57 PM »

Brian

I wanted to do that on the last couple of retrofits too.   But over here in the UK there's no such thing as an affordable Brushless drive/motor !

When I last priced them up we were looking at something like $3000-$4000 for 3 motors/drives.   Not sure what the automation direct packages cost for you though.

Wayne....

254

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

« on: August 27, 2006, 06:48:26 PM »

Hood

Kind of hard to read.   But what is the peak current?  I see 2.66A or 26.6A not sure.

How big are these motors?  Look fairly chunky to me LOL...

Wayne...

255

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

« on: August 27, 2006, 06:11:08 PM »

Oh Brian forgot to ask, I dont have a clue about servos and I think you have some experience, I was wondering what type and count encoders I should look out for?

Hood. You need to work out what speed/resolution  you want.  They tend to fight each other when the pulse rate is limited ;-)

My Hardinge uses 2500 cpr encoders mounted on 5mm pitch ballscrews.  This with the original control gave half a micron resolution and 5metres/min rapids.

With the printer port this speed is not possible unless I throw some resolution away by using the drives step multipliers.

I think you should work out the minimum step you need and then work from there. 

Wayne....

256

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Smithy ballscrews and linear slides on X&Y Axis

« on: August 18, 2006, 08:01:19 AM »

I just finished installing the linear slides. it has Rockford ballscrews on all axis.

Nice. Going to to be a rapid little machine on linear ways.

Sure you mean X & Z axis's though

You going to gang tool it with that long crosslide?

Wayne...

257

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

« on: August 17, 2006, 03:59:47 PM »

Just an update.

New Pulleys and Belts arrived for the servo's today.   Due to the new motors being faster but having less torque than the originals (3300 v's 2000 rpm and 1Nm v's 1.2Nm) I have changed the original reduction of 1.86:1 to 2.5:1. This is theory gives me more torque and speed than the original setup.

One motor plate has already been re-machined to suit the new motors.

Also shown in the pics is the Pneumatics compartment with the 5 port valves etc.  These all have to be replaced, and they all leak, and the seals are no longer available.   I hate these things!  so confusing...  They cost an arm and a leg too!

Wayne...

258

General Mach Discussion / Re: Hardinge HCNC Retrofit

« on: August 17, 2006, 01:31:10 PM »

Has anyone actually retrofitted a Hardinge HCHC with the Allen Bradley control, 4Hp spindle motor, 8 position turret,5C Spindle? I have a few of these machines I would like to redo as repairs to the AB controls are getting silly.

Hi.. Not doing a CHNC but a 16C HXL-S which apart from the turret and control is fairly similar.  I shall update the thread on this forum as I progress.

I chose to dump the original DC spindle as I've seen more than one of these go bang over the years.  I replaced it with a 3Kw AC motor and VFD.

My turret is only 4 position and operates with a air operated rack rather than the motor used on CHNC's.  I see no problem controlling this with Mach3.

Due to the original servo's being worn out I have bought brand new brushed servo's and am evaluating the CNC Teknix drives from Austrailia.  These take step/dir signals which mach obviously supports.

You may be able to use your original drives, but I'd recommend fitting something newer.   A lot of modern drives accept step/dir.

Be eager to see your progress ;-)


Wayne...

259

Tangent Corner / Re: Spam

« on: August 06, 2006, 01:23:09 PM »

I also get them, but not sure if this site or the yahoo forum is the reason.

I use Mozilla thunderbird as my email client these days.  If the built it spam filter doesn't catch them, I generally make a custom filter to filter this crap out.   I never filter on sender information, usually use something in the body.

Investor Alert or Invesotr Alert has been in all the recent ones.

Wayne...

260

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

« on: August 02, 2006, 12:24:52 PM »

NICE LOOKING LATHE!!!!! That is going to be a GREAT lathe!!!!!

Well Brian I've always been a sucker for Hardinge's ;-)   I first used them (chnc's) in the mid 80's, and there was nothing else that could touch them for accuracy.  They really could hold 2 tenths all day as Hardinge claimed.

They were never cheap though!  The machine I have cost around 40k UKP in the mid 80's :-o

So far I've taken out all the Seimens control, including the HUGE cabinet on the back.   Replaced the 4Kw DC spindle drive and motor with a New Seimens 3Kw AC motor and VFD.

Just picked up the new servo motors, the old ones were in bad shape.

I have a CNC Teknix drive here for evaluatiion which we will try on this project.

All the top enclosure is being removed right now, for bead blasting and a new powder coat job.  I learnt a valuable lesson on the repainting of the Leadwell VMC enclosures, that was not to bother wet spray painting, it takes far too long!

Wayne....