Planer Mill - way covers

motion guru · Nov 9, 2017

We are cleaning up our planer mill and there is no shortage of chips / swarf that has worked its way into the gears on the table drive. Not a ton, but more than I like to see. Also, the area between the ways had a fair amount of chips as well. The unit has a CNC control and we do a lot of milling / machining on it and we are using it more often.

We have the auto retracting window blind kind of covers fastened to the ends of the table. Can these be made more "chip ingress proof"?

I'd like to keep this area cleaner without having to take the covers off once a month to brush / vacuum out.

What are some ways to keep this area as chip free as possible?

Tyrone Shoelaces · Nov 9, 2017

If it's just a Plano-mill and not a Planer normally the manufacturer will fit steel box concertina bed guards. Not cheap but they work great.

Regards Tyrone.

motion guru · Nov 9, 2017

Its a converted 1940's Cleveland open side planer - I think the manufacturer has been out of business for at least 50 years.

I wonder how difficult it would be to make these ourselves? I can see if they have sliding seals / wipers that we could keep the vast majority of chips out of the works.

Looks like you have a neighborhood company that makes them . . . Telescopic bedway cover refurbishments. - Denholt Steel Fabrications LTD

These have a scissors linkage for uniform overlap . . . Telescopic Way Covers & Slideway Covers | Hennig Inc.

TDegenhart · Nov 9, 2017

Got a sheet metal shop?

Tom

Tyrone Shoelaces · Nov 9, 2017

motion guru said:
Its a converted 1940's Cleveland open side planer - I think the manufacturer has been out of business for at least 50 years.

I wonder how difficult it would be to make these ourselves?

Looks like you have a neighborhood company that makes them . . . Telescopic bedway cover refurbishments. - Denholt Steel Fabrications LTD

I've never dealt with them. " Frederick Crowther " in Halifax was the big one in the machine tool game over here. As far as I know they're still in business. There was another British company that made way covers that weren't as good but cheaper. They also refurbished old ones but I forget their name now. " Hennig " in Germany were very good but expensive.

" Beakbane " and " Butterkriet " were two other company's that made guarding over here. You could get the wrap around bellows type but the sections fill up with scarf. I suppose they're more suited to grinding machines.

You could make your own but it wants a bit of thinking about. The wipers need to be right and the little sliders that bear on the ways have to be just right.
Most British firms used little pieces of ferrobestos, " Hennig " used little roller bearings - classy engineers.

Best of luck with it.

Regards Tyrone.

motion guru · Nov 9, 2017

I downloaded the Hennig brochure - we have a local laser cut / sheet metal shop that we do a lot of business with that could do the covers - the internals, sliders and seals/wipers would need to be just right.

Richard King · Nov 9, 2017

I used to use AA Mfg company who is now owned by Telescopic Steel Way Covers | OEM or Replacement - Dynatect

Like I told you make new way wipers with wedges behind the way wipers that you should install on your machines that snow plow the chips off the ways and use way covers. Rich

Milland · Nov 9, 2017

MG, have you considered pleated way covers, like this: Thermiseal Bellows | Welded Thermoplastic Bellow - Dynatect In my ideal world, I'd have something like these to fully seal out dirt and chips, and a "roll up" (like a pull-style window shade) secondary cover over the upper bellows to keep most of the chips out of the folds.

Fairly simple and fast to make, not as prone to fitment issue as "not quite right" metal way covers, and when treated correctly pretty long lasting.

ewlsey · Nov 9, 2017

I've always worked with Metal in Motion in Rockford, IL. They can sell you the lip seal sections and bronze sliders. You just spot weld them in.

Making way covers is far more involved than it looks. I rebuilt a set for a large VMC and it was much, much more work than I ever expected.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Nov 9, 2017

Milland said:
MG, have you considered pleated way covers, like this: Thermiseal Bellows | Welded Thermoplastic Bellow - Dynatect In my ideal world, I'd have something like these to fully seal out dirt and chips, and a "roll up" (like a pull-style window shade) secondary cover over the upper bellows to keep most of the chips out of the folds.

Fairly simple and fast to make, not as prone to fitment issue as "not quite right" metal way covers, and when treated correctly pretty long lasting.

What are they like with hot blue chips coming off the milling cutter ?

Regards Tyrone.

Mud · Nov 9, 2017

Here are some links I saved during my search to replace some unidentified covers on my machines.

Link apron covers | TSUBAKI KABELSCHLEPP
Aprons & Roll Ups - Flexible Machine Covers | Hennig Inc.
Industrial Roller Blinds by Machine Covers - armoured aprons
Range of Products: EITEC
Way Wipers div of Ameropean way wipers and way wiper parts
Standard Chip Deflectors - Troy Michigan - Bermar Associates
Protective Covers & Equipment Guarding - Dynatect
Flexible Armoured Aprons | Bellows | Machine Guarding | Machine Guards | Way Covers | Mach Guard

Dynatect absorbed a few other companies, including A&A and Gortite.

It's amazing what can be bought if you know where to go. it's also amazing what some of this costs. Having said that, I've repaired and rebuilt a couple guards and pieces of guards and it's amazing what it can take to make even a lightly damaged guard work properly again, and how complex making one fit properly can be with all the little fiddly pieces underneath. I think this is an area where lots of experience pays off in making it work.

CBlair · Nov 9, 2017

Mud I copied your post and posted it as a sticky, let me know if you dont like me doing this and I will take it down.

Charles

motion guru · Nov 9, 2017

I just put in an RFQ to Dynatect . . . we will put it all back together with the roll up covers for now and see how involved getting new covers made vs buying them costs and how busy we are with our customer's work. Mud - thanks for all of the references!

Milland said:
MG, have you considered pleated way covers, like this: Thermiseal Bellows | Welded Thermoplastic Bellow - Dynatect In my ideal world, I'd have something like these to fully seal out dirt and chips, and a "roll up" (like a pull-style window shade) secondary cover over the upper bellows to keep most of the chips out of the folds.

Fairly simple and fast to make, not as prone to fitment issue as "not quite right" metal way covers, and when treated correctly pretty long lasting.

We just replaced pleated way covers on a customer's machine with new and that experience pretty much convinced me that I would never want them on one of our machines.

The Haas VF3 that we have has metal covers that seem to work smoothly although when we bought it, I wouldn't say they kept all of the chips out of the ball screw area by a long shot!

motion guru · Nov 22, 2017

$14k for telescoping covers . . . I’ll wait to see how the control retrofit goes.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Nov 23, 2017

motion guru said:
$14k for telescoping covers . . . I’ll wait to see how the control retrofit goes.

Mm, not cheap then. What style and manufacturer was that quote for ?

Regards Tyrone.

AlexO · Nov 23, 2017

motion guru said:
I wonder how difficult it would be to make these ourselves? I can see if they have sliding seals / wipers that we could keep the vast majority of chips out of the works.
]

It's easy 2nd time. Bending press and guillotine plus experienced operator a must.

motion guru · Nov 23, 2017

Tyrone Shoelaces said:
Mm, not cheap then. What style and manufacturer was that quote for ?

Regards Tyrone.

Telescopic Steel Way Covers | OEM or Replacement - Dynatect

192 inches of travel / 2 covers @ 13 sections of 12GU Box shape . . . includes extensions to hold the segments when the table travels to extreme ends.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Nov 23, 2017

motion guru said:
Telescopic Steel Way Covers | OEM or Replacement - Dynatect

192 inches of travel / 2 covers @ 13 sections of 12GU Box shape . . . includes extensions to hold the segments when the table travels to extreme ends.

Thanks. Quite a bit of thinking in making 13 sections, and a fair bit of weight.

Regards Tyrone.

cash · Nov 24, 2017

I think whatever way you go- box type or roll up they will be $$$.

But- what is the cost of fixing gouged ways or mechanical items due to chips getting in?

I will be interested to see what you do. I bought a Rockford Planer Mill this summer and maybe next year will be setting it up. This would possibly be a modification I would make.

motion guru · Nov 24, 2017

cash said:
I think whatever way you go- box type or roll up they will be $$$.

But- what is the cost of fixing gouged ways or mechanical items due to chips getting in?

I will be interested to see what you do. I bought a Rockford Planer Mill this summer and maybe next year will be setting it up. This would possibly be a modification I would make.

I know this sounds crazy, but we are putting an 840D on it and we have considered linear motors for the X-axis to eliminate backlash. We have already converted Y and Z to ball screws and all axes have linear encoders . . . will stick with the rack and pinion drive for now on X, but after we have everything sorted out with the control upgrade and have a lull in the shop, we will likely put the linear motors on X along with way covers to keep the swarf off the magnets.

We are recontrolling and now rebuilding more knife making grinders and as such, this machine is becoming more critical for reconditioning ways on these machines.

Planer Mill - way covers

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