Replacing Okuma LB15 window.

wrustle · May 27, 2010

I just got in a quote for replacing the window and the window gasket on my Okuma LB15.

I almost fell off my chair! :eek:

H1023-0002-75, door glass, $495.32, in stock Alabama

H1023-0002-75, window gasket, $51.06, in stock Alabama

Are you friggin kidding me!!?? :nutter:

It's an 18" x 21" piece of gosh darn plexiglass!! WTF?! :skep:

The window in my machine is all pitted and scratched from chips and it looks like someone cleaned the outside with Windex and sandpaper....I can't even see into the machine the way it is now, so I have to replace it.

I think I'll just buy the gasket and get a piece of 24" x 24" plexiglass from McMaster Carr and cut it to fit.

Anyone ever replaced their window? Does it require any special tools? Is it as easy as it seems (that's a loaded question)?

Later,
Russ

Gary E · May 27, 2010

Russ
Go to a local AUTO Glass shop... with a pattern...
Get a LAMINATED SAFETY PLATE pc cut...
This might break again if you loose a part from the chuck, but it wont shatter, it comes apart in little pea size chunks and are all held together with a film.

I dont know what's on the inside of your machine, but the Hitachi Seiki had a 3/16 maybe 1/4 thick steel plate with square or rectangular holes cut in it so you could see through it and see the chuck.. Sorta like looking through a grate of 1/2 wide bars... Anyway...one time I lost a real big chunk of alum and that hit the grate which pushed far enough to break the window... Replaced as above...never happened again...

wrustle · May 27, 2010

Hi Gary.......that's a pretty good idea! I will definitely add that to my list of options! Thanks.

ARB · May 27, 2010

I don't know about the Okuma but on our Hardinge the window is not what it appears. It is a piece of 1/2" Lexan laminated to a piece of safety glass. I could not believe how heavy it was. IIRC it was about $650 for the kit which had some new hardware for the Upgraded window.

If you go DIY then be sure to get Lexan instead of plexiglas.

If you have ever seen what a broken door glass looks like you would not go light on replacements. :eek:

alliancefab · May 27, 2010

ARB said:
If you go DIY then be sure to get Lexan instead of plexiglas.

If you have ever seen what a broken door glass looks like you would not go light on replacements.

I have seen the repercussions of using plexiglas over lexan, lexan won't shatter into knife like shapes when it gets hit. :eek:

Jason,

wrustle · May 27, 2010

ARB said:
I don't know about the Okuma but on our Hardinge the window is not what it appears. It is a piece of 1/2" Lexan laminated to a piece of safety glass. I could not believe how heavy it was. IIRC it was about $650 for the kit which had some new hardware for the Upgraded window.

If you go DIY then be sure to get Lexan instead of plexiglas.

If you have ever seen what a broken door glass looks like you would not go light on replacements.

Thanks for the heads up Adam, I'll check into that as well.

The window in the machine now I doubt very much is original. It appears to be VERY thin and very flexible (easily bows when pushed against). If I had to guess I'd say it's no more than .125" to maybe .187" thick.

Anyone know how that gasket comes off of there? Is it one long piece wrapped around the window, or is made up of two, with one piece on the inside, then you set the window in that, and press in the front side?

Does that even make sense? I've been working too many hours..... :willy_nilly:

Tonytn36 · May 27, 2010

Guarantee you that thing had safety glass in it originally and that is what Okuma is quoting you. It'll be probably 1/2" thick or so. That's about the cost of a new Mazak window also.

Mickey_D · May 27, 2010

I do a lot of Lexan windows for control enclosures and used to have some scratching problems with it. I got the customer to switch the material from standard Lexan to Lexan MR10 (mar resistant rated for 10 years UV exposure) and everyone is happy with it. I like it because of no rejects from scratching and they like it because their assemblers don't have to be so careful. Costs about 15% more than standard and well worth it. I need to change the windows in my new Okuma mills and it is what I am going to use.

Milacron · May 27, 2010

wrustle said:
Anyone know how that gasket comes off of there? Is it one long piece wrapped around the window, or is made up of two, with one piece on the inside, then you set the window in that, and press in the front side?

I replaced the glass in an LB15 a few months ago.

To remove old gasket, there should be a lock strip on the back side that you pry out and then glass and rubber will pop out when you push.

Bought new rubber from Okuma. It's one piece, comes longer than needed, so be careful not to cut it too short. It is quite a PITA to install, can't really describe the method in a short post other than to say until you get the hang of it, you might have the glass 3/4 finished and then the whole thing pops out and you start over ! And this with the door removed....will be even more difficult with the door still on the machine !

Milacron · May 27, 2010

Tonytn36 said:
Guarantee you that thing had safety glass in it originally and that is what Okuma is quoting you. It'll be probably 1/2" thick or so. That's about the cost of a new Mazak window also.

As I recall the official LB15 rubber molding I got from Okuma had glass groove for 1/4" to 5/16" thickness at the most. So, no, not 1/2"... Safety glass has it's own issues for machine tool use...actually kind of rare to find it on a CNC machine in my experience.

CBlair · May 27, 2010

My new Okuma has 1" thick laminated safety glass in it, and after opening and closing the door a few hundred times a day you know it! I see a air cylinder in my future to open this door.

Russ, dont use Plexiglass, lexan isnt that much more and it is a lot safer to have it in the machine.

Charles

SND · May 27, 2010

Charles, just wondering does yours have only the 1" thick safety glass, or does it also have the steel bars inside as primary defense ?

Milacron · May 27, 2010

CBlair said:
My new Okuma has 1" thick laminated safety glass in it,

I have the impression that as the years went by the glass got thicker and thicker, probably due to worries about lawsuits from accident reports that trickled in over the years with the thinner windows. Another tactic was to use a grid of metal so that only small squares of glass were exposed, as seen on some Mazak doors.

scadvice · May 27, 2010

"My new Okuma has 1" thick laminated safety glass in it,My new Okuma has 1" thick laminated safety glass in it," :eek:

Wow!!! I feel under-protected! We are replacing ( Not an Okuma) the window in our turning center using a 3/8" piece of Lexan plus a 1/8" wear shield and sealing the edges together with Permatex's 'The Right Stuff' for a total of a 1/2 inch. ( BTW- Silicone breaks down and softens in the coolant, so its not a good choice for sealing.) I figured Having two sheets makes it cheaper to replace after its all chip worn... and the slipping action of the two sheets if it takes a hit, is stronger than one solid sheet the same thickness.
Steve :codger:

Maybe I need some bars too?

Kallam · May 27, 2010

I broke my glass on my lathe a while back they wanted $600 for a new piece . My glass was 2 pieces of tempered safety glass and a piece of lexan laminated between them.

I called calafornia glass bending and they made me a new peice ,tempered safety glass lexan laminated between them for $159 good company to deal with.
Bent Glass Home Page - California Glass Bending Corporation

cnctoolcat · May 28, 2010

I totally agree with the Lexan recommendation. But, it is a bit soft, and the chips will scratch it quick. Soooo, I do what others have said and use safety glass on the inside, Lexan on the outside "sandwich".

It is almost mandatory to remove the door to make the job doable. If you reuse the old gasket, use some good sealant to help seal the gasket to the glass and door, or you will forever be wiping the front of the door as coolant oozes out.

Oh yeah, what is it about all the new cnc lathes with heavy-ass doors?? My older Mazak Quick Turns have doors light enough to open and close with your pinky finger. Yet, the new ones I have seen require brute force to open and close.

Don't even get me started on the size of the doors on the new Mori Seiki lathes. The doors look like they would weigh about a ton or two! Open and close that baby all day...you will have earned your money.

RalphStirling · May 28, 2010

cnctoolcat said:
Don't even get me started on the size of the doors on the new Mori Seiki lathes. The doors look like they would weigh about a ton or two! Open and close that baby all day...you will have earned your money.

I saw a video at a Mori training class where they let a 6"x1/2" steel disk
come out of the chuck and catch on a boring bar in an older Mori
lathe. It blew right through the top of the door and sailed about 20'
straight up before coming down and bouncing all over the shop. I think
they redesigned their doors after that test.

-- Ralph

Milacron · May 28, 2010

Are most manuf still using that dreadful rubber molding like on the LB15 ? Gawd I hate that stuff... it warps and leaks sometimes and is a major PITA to install new. Much prefer the way Haas does it with strips of metal molding on the inside side, that are held by welded studs with removable nuts.

scadvice · May 28, 2010

Just ran across this..

Wish I knew about this stuff before. :bawling:

http://www.sikaconstruction.com/ind/...utor-agrpg.htm

Here's their web site and distributors. Its a polyurethane-based adhesive.
Neal, a guy who worked for Fadal said they used this product on their machines at the factory. He didn't say which one.

Steve. :codger:

Joe788 · May 28, 2010

Kallam said:
I broke my glass on my lathe a while back they wanted $600 for a new piece . My glass was 2 pieces of tempered safety glass and a piece of lexan laminated between them.

I called calafornia glass bending and they made me a new peice ,tempered safety glass lexan laminated between them for $159 good company to deal with.
Bent Glass Home Page - California Glass Bending Corporation

Great link, Kallam!

Replacing Okuma LB15 window.

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