cnc ?

[ihbuilder]

I'm looking to buy a bridgeport/romi ezpath lathe in the future . I'm trying to get my ducks in order so I know all I need to go from autocad file to the machine . I've been use to the computer in my skull :p And it seems I have to upgrade my autocad to 3d , yes/no ?

IHSteve

[SonoranWraith]

I'm looking to buy a bridgeport/romi ezpath lathe in the future . I'm trying to get my ducks in order so I know all I need to go from autocad file to the machine . I've been use to the computer in my skull :p And it seems I have to upgrade my autocad to 3d , yes/no ?

IHSteve

Well the noggin has been turning out some awesome stuff but you can't beat the computer for repetition! :D

[pugs]

The lathe should only really need 2d contours. I ran one of those back in tech school, can't remember much about it other than it was fairly simple. Alot of the radiuses and angles and that can be programmed right at the machine in fill in the blank type formats IIRC, and you typically can leave one or 2 of the "blanks" blank and the comp will compute it from the other entries.

I'll check some of my old stuff, and see if maybe I don't have some lit on that lathe for ya, can't promise anything, but just maybe I got something yet.

[ihbuilder]

yea you may be right Matt but the machine the noggin is attached to can't keep up :p got an outsource figure and It came up almost double what the market is . so the family tradition is , keep everything in house :rolleyes:

thank you , Jeff , I was going to look at 1 in MD over the summer ( good price ) but the uncertain future held me back :( Anyway the guy told me the same , the machine shop that I goto occasionally has 1 and told me it is easy 1 to learn on from doing everything manually . I just want to make sure while figuring my budget , I do not come up short .

IHSteve

[tc1cat]

Hi Steve,
The lathe I run at my primary job has 3d capable graphics as it has live tooling in the turret- mill heads in some of the tool pockets. The older lathes just have 2d graphics. You really only do things on a lathe in 2d. X and Z points are all that are needed.
Hope this helps you decide what to get!

Lynn

ps- You could make your wheels in 2 setups on the lathe I run now!! Your hubs would only be 1 setup. Unless my figuring is wrong you could make your wheels out of aluminum in about 5 minutes per wheel or maybe a little faster. This will let you know what your out source provider is trying to make per hour!

[ihbuilder]

Lynn , yea I pretty much figured that :eek: :( he got to keep his guys working :rolleyes: You just answered another ? live tool on the turret which is the intention , do the whole process on the lathe . I still would be getting a mill later to make other products ;). I figured a lot of you cnc guys would be a great help in me overcoming this cnc phobia I have :):D

IHSteve

[tc1cat]

Don't know what your bank account is like but the machines I run are well into the 5 figure catagory. Then you have to buy the tooling! Some of the angled milling tool holder are over $3000 each! It is very easy to spend more on tooling than what you did for the machine.

Lynn

[pugs]

Not sure you can add live tooling to a Romi lathe, but have seen Darex auto indexing turrets on them. For starters though a good Aloris QC toolpost is about all you need, and a paint pen to number your tools.

I looked through my stuff and all I could find is a single sheet on how to set tools up on the EZPath. If you want a scanned copy of it just PM me an email addy and I'll get it to you. It's pretty straight forward.

The EZPath is a good lathe though, has a good gear head and decent handwheels that you can still "feel" for manual turning. If you get it, you'll never look back, as threading is just a few button pushes and away it goes.

IIRC you can even set it up to run an angle or curve on the profile as you turn the carraige feed wheel. Plus you can drill center holes from the carriage, which is a strange feeling the first time you do it, after being used to having to use the tailstock to drill holes on manual machines.

[ihbuilder]

Lynn , I'm thinking (I know ) it'll take me awhile to get to that point :( I'm at least hopping to speed up the process I have now . making the actual wheel is a walk in the park but when it comes to the hubs , is what slows me down to get the accuracy for the bearing and hex seats and keeping consistent

IHSteve

[ihbuilder]

dumb ? maybe :o My mill takes NST # 40 tool holders . Now , is it possible to use a cat 40 if I lengthen the draw bar ? I'm looking around at various places and it's hard to find the NST #40 . now I didn't go where I usually find stuff yet , they got a bunch of used tool holders . I do not see an issue with finding them for the larger end mills but for the mini end mill with 1/8" and 3/16" shank :confused: . Hmmm , thinking as I type :rolleyes: maybe I'll just make an adapter to go in the larger end mill holder . BTW Pugs , thanks for that link you sent me good deals on end mills :) .

Steve

[pugs]

Not postive on the Cat 40 in a NMTB 40 spindle, might work, if the drive keys are same etc. I'll check the handbook and double check they are the same tapers etc.

As for holding smaller tools, typically use a collet holders like a Er-32 or ER-16 or TG100. I only use solid endmill holders for roughing tools as they engage the flat on the endmill (if it has one). The collets will hold more concentric which makes all the flutes take the same cuts resulting in smoother finish and more accurate size, as well as longer tool life as all the flutes are cutting.

[pugs]

It should be the same taper, and if you can lengthen the drawbar it should be good, although I seem to remember someplace had a "pullstud" with female threads in it that fit in the NMTB spindles, put it may require shortening the drawbar a tad.. You may have to remove 1 drive lug for proper alingment. If this is the case you may want to add a modified lug to where you removed the one so as to keep the spindle balanced yet, but not to engage the toolholder.

[ihbuilder]

OK thanks Jeff . I wandered if the solid holders where a running fit or just a little loose . I may go scrounging tomorrow see what I find . Maybe get lucky and find what I need :) I'm getting antsy to get this baby making chips :p and not being a 3 ton shelf :p

Steve

[tc1cat]

Steve,
Any end mill over 5/16s I would use in a solid holder. Anything smaller can be held in a collet holder. This is the primary way do things where I work. Just be careful that you get holder that are rated for the higher rpms that the smaller end mills can br used at. One of the CNC mills where I work goes over 20,000 rpm but they only have holders rated to 18,000 rpm so they stop programming there. Still is scarey running tooling at that rpm! You never hear anything wrong until it is too late:( Most of the time you do know anything is wrong until the program ends and you get to look at the part. Then you start replacing tools and try to save the part.

Lynn

[ihbuilder]

18,000 rpm :eek: I don't have to worry about that my mill will only get 4200 max . I was thinking that on the tool holder but only going to 1/4" on the collet . It'll be awhile till I get a VMC , I'll prob. have a manuel BP before that for that 1 time job unless there's angles and radi in it .

Steve

[pugs]

Steve, if you can find it, may be difficult. Try and find a manual mill that uses the same toolholders as your CNC, saves a TON on tooling costs.

And most toolholders (Cat40 anyway) come balanced to 10k rpm, so you shouldn't have to worry about that at all.

[doodlebug]

Hey Steve, have you considered signing up for www.IndustrialMachineryDigest.com , to see what's on the used market. It's free, just fill in the blank's and sound like yer a job shop. later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug

[ihbuilder]

thanks Neil 2 :)

well I went scrounging today since my kids had a 1/2 day at school and low and behold 3 collet tool holders and 2 solid end mill holders + a box set of 18 collets some missing sizes and = amount of repeates ($125.00 + tax for all of that :eek:) couldn't pass it up :) The guys kid gave me the price and his old man looked up and told him "just 1 of those is worth 125 .00 " I just kept my moth shut they were both wrong ( 1 new = around 88.00 )so now no sleep to make up for it :confused:

Steve

[Operator]

R-8 tooling is all you need, and is everywhere cheap. Make a power drawbar for about $50 out of a small air cyl, and a HF butterfly air wrench. This is about as quick as it gets to changing tooling. Unless your running a production shop with employee's, save your dough for extra endmills, you will need them though your cnc programming learning.

[fhhhstix]

R-8 tooling is all you need, and is everywhere cheap. Make a power drawbar for about $50 out of a small air cyl, and a HF butterfly air wrench. This is about as quick as it gets to changing tooling. Unless your running a production shop with employee's, save your dough for extra endmills, you will need them though your cnc programming learning.

I was at my local machine shop yesterday and watched him work for a little while and he has the butterfly wrench set up on his mills and it is a real slick way of changing tooling.

Travis

[Operator]

I was at my local machine shop yesterday and watched him work for a little while and he has the butterfly wrench set up on his mills and it is a real slick way of changing tooling.

Travis

Slicker than snot, for cheap


http://home.insightbb.com/~joevicar3/cheap_drawbar.htm

[doodlebug]

Thank's Matt, the picture explained everything! Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug
P.S. Which crusher's do I need to look at next month ( conexpo/conag/ifpe show)?
I will be taking picture's!

[ihbuilder]

R-8 tooling is all you need, and is everywhere cheap. Make a power drawbar for about $50 out of a small air cyl, and a HF butterfly air wrench. This is about as quick as it gets to changing tooling. Unless your running a production shop with employee's, save your dough for extra endmills, you will need them though your cnc programming learning.

already have the quick change w/draw bar and R8 wont fit this baby , It takes NST#40 . what I got yesterday for $125.00 is worth up to $1000.00 now I just need more cutters and a 3 phase converter .

Steve

[doodlebug]

Hey Steve, do you want to buy or build the 3 phase converter, Let me know, I can steer you toward's DIY if you are interested.
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

[ihbuilder]

Hey Steve, do you want to buy or build the 3 phase converter, Let me know, I can steer you toward's DIY if you are interested.
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

Neil , I may be going that route since the quote I got on a VFD/inverter :eek: . I had a 20 hp RPC and sold it a month before I got the mill ( kicking my own azz :mad:) the prob with that 1 it took all the amps I had supplied to the barn every time I fired it up . I saw a place in NY that sells panels already wired up you just get the motor . Now , I've been reading that your ph converter should have more hp then your load I'm thinking of going 10 hp for 5hp .

Steve

[pugs]

Double is the recommended for CNC stuff, also make sure the legs are balanced under load

[doodlebug]

Steve you are correct, Now the thing that I don't know how to do is? Add capasitor's to the rotary convertor, and make it more efficient. The home brew rotary convertor's are like briggs & strattons, pull the rope, then throw the power switch. Hope this help's a little bit. Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

[ihbuilder]

Aw heck I'll just go find as big a 3 phase motor I can find And put it behind a 400 bc3 cummins :p my wife just said to me today " will you just make parts and not tools also ! , we'll get the converter ! " :eek: :p my impatience are a killer :( . I'm starting to understand the programing :eek: I read my manual once and it didn't stick now second time around :)I'm working on programing back side of hub , hex and bolt pattern . taping I'll do by hand for now .

IHSteve

[ihbuilder]

Double is the recommended for CNC stuff, also make sure the legs are balanced under load

Jeff I was told that to , also that you should separate the control power from the motor ? Which I did and the control works well . I may have to up grade the Z card in the future also want to put a 4th axis on it some time . I just got to find the parts .

Steve

[doodlebug]

Steve I have 3 phase in my shipping container/shop, But I'm not a 3 phase expert! I still call the sparky when I have questions!
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

[pugs]

Steve, won't be long you'll be doing parametric programming with subprograms and variables and custom macros ;)

Good luck

[ihbuilder]

Arrhhh I want to cut my dozer pads I can't wait much more :p

Neil I'm lucky to have a bunch of sparky friends from the construction industry + my parents neighbor is an PE in EE ,ME and some others they have a plant design co. where they set up assembly lines although they have no experience with phase converters but thats not taking me long to get straightened out .

IHSteve

[doodlebug]

Hey Steve, sound's like thing's are under control!
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.