Gallery, Projects and General > Project Logs
Oh Blimey I bought a CNC Lathe !!!!
awemawson:
Well a bit more tarting up whilst twiddling thumbs waiting on US parcel service. I decided to try and force start the hydraulic pump as an easy way to prove the phases were giving correct rotation, but when I looked at the hydraulic power pack I decided it needed a clean up first! Years of spills when topping up had resulted in the top tray being awash with oil which in the hotter bits had baked to a nice thick pancake. First I used my tried and tested method of getting the liquid oil out of the way - loads of fine sawdust (I use this method for cleaning out sumps of coolant in machines) then suck it up with the workshop vacuum cleaner. Then a good scrubbing with white spirit and an old paint brush, more sawdust, then a wash down with sugar soap, more saw dust, then a wipe over! Came out quite nicely - still not tried the rotation direction yet as it's time to feed the pigs, geese and chickens.
awemawson:
Well a tiny bit of progress today while waiting for spares (which are now in the Customs hands at Heathrow according to the tracking info!).
The parameter memory (MC465) and the spindle drives have 3.6v NiCad rechargeables to retain memory when powered down. This beast had been off for probably over a year so they are knackered. The original batteries are a special made by SAFT - A GB250H-3F, which is a 3 cell lump with bolt down 3mm lugs, and are unobtainable. Later ones are NiMh technology and I'm not sure the on board charger would cope - so I've ordered some hand held telephone batteries that are still available in NiCd and will make up an adapter plate for them. The good news is that I've found parameter sheets detailing all the required information to reset their parameter tucked into each of the three spindle drives. The axis drives aren't so equipped so that will be a hurdle to jump in times to come.
Meanwhile turned up two leveling 'feet' that were missing from the swarf conveyor, and investigated the missing 'castor' from this heavy lump, that made it so hard to install. It's a cast iron 3" wheel, mounted so it's mounting plate is 4" off the floor - so please check your scrap bins and see if you have one!
Here is a photo (off the web, not mine)) of one of the special batteries:
Swarfing:
Give these guys a call
http://www.bristolbatteries.com/site/contact
They would make you an exact pack for not too much. I used them in the past for welded bat packs for my RC stuff.
awemawson:
Well, parts still showing as in Customs, so did a bit more poking and prodding.
Powered the hydraulic power pack up by manually operating it's start contactor. Fortunately they are the sort where the armature moves sideways, with a tell tale peg at the top that can be nicely wedged with a small screwdriver, and the overload is a separate unit so is still able to function. Motor did turn the right way, so I got my phases in the right places (!) and developed a nice 55 bar on the gauge. Daren't use any of the hydraulic operators until more stuff has been tested. Did the same with the swarf conveyor so was able to clean out the insides a bit. Also checked its reverse facility which I assume is to clear blockages rather than turn swarf back into bar stock :clap: The local authority 'green recycling' wheelie bin conveniently fits snugly under the output! (Why would we want a green recycling bin on a farm, we compost everything locally, anway it was an old bin with a broken lid so my conscience is clear)
Another revelation came whilst pouring over the manuals. The third 'axis' drive is actually the rotation of powered tools in the tool carousel so you can drill, tap & mill (Not to be confused with rotating the carousel itself to select a tool). I had previously imagined that the main spindle orientation C axis was a separate motor from the main spindle turning motor. WRONG - the 18.5Kw main motor apparently can stop on a sixpence as and where you want it. It has two encoders built into a single unit (a Heidenhain ROD2271 1024 / 18,000 line encoder that Traub describe as 1024 / 90,000 line. Maybe there is some multiplication going on somewhere ????)
Lots still to learn :beer:
Never know, I may get some spares soon, customs permitting.
awemawson:
Even the colour matches :clap: :clap: :clap:
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