Karl, I am starting to like this idea. I know nothing about CNC lathes. I believe that some people on the EMC2 IRC channel refitted a Hardinge CHNC or some such. I know that EMC2 handles ladder logic and can do tool changes, though I am sure that it is complicated.
So, let me say something and you would say if it is true or not. I can buy a Hardinge NC lathe, in a decent condition, throw out the entire cabinet with electronics, refit it with EMC2 and parallel port I/O controller (like Jon's), do some configuration work like on the mill, and I will end up with a decent hobby CNC lathe. No need for taper attachments and other B/S. Right?
Yep, and you should sell the spare stuff off and have less in to it that you got in your mill. I paid $1200 for mine when prices were high and sold the spindle drive for $500, the X and Z drive for another $500, and IIRC, the other stuff for another $50. I should have tried harder - had too much $ in this unit.
No such thing as taper attach on CNC. But don't try to run a lathe without a complete collet set and collet closer. I think step collets are mandatory also. And you'll want three jaw and four jaw chucks. So, like any machine, you buy it again tooling it up.
The overload clutch on the Bridgeport Series I power feed is supposed to be set at 200 Lbs. I took that as a guide, and designed my Z axis to be fairly weak so it would stall around there. I have plunged into a vise jaw once. Since it was hardened, it just left a polished ring on the jaw, and did bad things to the cutting edges of the end mill.
The X and Y axes are quite a bit stronger. I have broken off a 3/8" end mill while jogging around and the spindle wasn't running.
3/8 and 1/2" cutters will probably fail without doing serious damage to the spindle bearings. If you have a really solid crash with a larger tool in the spindle, it could damage the spindle bearings, the QC socket or maybe bend the spindle.
The Bridgeport is pretty tough, so a minor crash with modest tooling will just break the cutter. You may have flying debris in that case.
There are several Hardinge machines running with the PPMC interface. So, it would be quite similar and familiar to you. One detail is that most Hardinges have resolver feedback, but you've already seen how to do that, too. Yes, usually an 8-position tool turret, with a magnet/reed switch encoder. I can refer you to the guys who have done the retrofit. EMC2 has all the features in the tool table to handle both Z and X offsets for lathes. On the older machines, you really don't want to save much of the original control, on some of the later ones, you might keep the servo amps.
My machine has the original round-ram swivel joint with a modified adaptor to hold the 1J head I put on it. I have had a couple crashes or overloads where the swivel slipped and I had to re-tram the machine. Your machine has the rigid ram, so it doesn't have that "safety mechanism". I suspect the Series 1 head/spindle can withstand 500 - 1000 Lbs of radial force on the spindle without major damage, but above that it could cause damage to the spindle or bearings. Your servo amps may be able to deliver more than 1000 Lbs linear force to the table, so damage is possible.
I think that there is a little potentiometer on the amps to limit torque (current), I should try to adjust this so that no more than, say, 500 lbs is delivered to any axis. I will look into this.
I had this safety addition recently to inhibit amps when EMC is not controlling position (due to following error, or just being turned off), and that made me very happy. This would be another useful safety feature.
I want to finish everything with 3 axis before adding spindle encoders or moving into other esoterics like 4th axis.
AMC servo amps are so easy to use, that I do not see the point of keeping the original servo amps. Selling them off will easily pay for the new ones, so it is a no brainer.
To do a full retrofit, from an unstripped machine to a fully functional machine ready to make parts...is about 8-10 hours. About 4 hours stripping the machine, pulling the 1.5hp motor and sticking in a 5hp, adding the control, coolant pump controls etc etc..is about 5-6 hours.
Course Ive only done a couple hundred...shrug.
Not "needing" another machine..but "wanting" another machine.....snerk !
Id love to have a decent Lablond.
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
Id not toss the cabinet...thats where all the relays and control lines are. Id GUT OUT the stuff you dont need though.
And yes.
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
Im always amazed by the guys who can be chatting with me at the soda machine..and suddenly will c*ck their heads, excuse themselves and walk down the line to a machine, make an adjustment, and come back. Now granted..my hearing is nearly kaput...but...these guys..particularly the Swiss screw machine guys are outragious in what they can "sense".
Tornos mechanical screw machines..walking into the shop..sounds like you are inside a 2 million pound pocket watch...a wall of noise...and these guys can hear something "funny" from 50' feet away.
Davenport guys...well..they are all deaf early on...so...shrug
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
Indeed. As you are not running the same parts day after day IE..a commercial shop....you can drop torque limits quite a long way and not have an issue with the front office
Make the machine last longer too WHEN you do something wrong.
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
Anyway, I am very happy after having gutted the BP cabinet and all the relays as well (though I re-added one contactor later). There was a lot of weird relay logic that I personally did not want.
LOL..looks like Mike screwed up the video before uploading it.
Ill call him Monday and tease him about it.
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
A kit includes a 5hp motor, spindle encoder (based on machine type), the slide/ways/servos, control and all cabling and associated Stuff needed to install one on a carcass. Typically Hardinge, HC, AHC, DV-59, DSMA, etc etc. But Ive installed them on Pratt and Whitney turret machines, old Hitachi lathes, A couple Hardinge HLV-H tool room lathes..including one that came as a crated BRAND NEW HLV-H tool room lathe, that I stripped all the gear off, and installed a OmniTurn on. For the engineer at Guidant. He was making heart transducer couplings on it. Taking a secret metal, . 50" in diameter and turning ..in a single pass..down to a .020 needle 3" long..then drilling a hole in the needle..length wise. .005 in diameter. 3" deep.
We finally changed the order of process though..we drilled a .005" diameter hole in the center of that .50 metal bore, then turned it down to .20
We kept bending the secret metal needle the other way.
I spent a half day (on my own time) taking all the brand new HLV-H parts off gently, wrapping them up and putting them in storage, before doing the retrofit. The lathe cost $40,000 and they were simply going to chuck the slide and tailstock and whatnot in the trash.
Brrrrrrrr.....
Then I installed 2 at RockShox factory.
Busy week that week
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
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