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Turret Alignment Procedure - Mazak Quick Turn 350

Arc-On

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Location
Holland, MI
I have a 2002 Mazak Quick Turn 350, and ever since I got the machine used, the turret has been high, maybe .02". Most of my parts are plastic and I have been able to get a way with just adjusting offsets and the inserted drills don't complain if they're a fuzz off in delrin or nylon.

I've been able to deal with it either by working around it, shimming tools or various other work arounds, but I need to fix the machine. I'm doing more steel and stainless parts and now I'm starting to see issues with drills not on center and boring bars not clearing in small holes, etc.

I have loosened the bolts and bumped the turret around with a mallet and an indicator and made it a lot better, but I haven't been able to get it totally correct.

From what little I can find online, there probably are some taper pins that are bent and need to be removed? I suspect this is the case, as I can feel an almost hard stop when I am adjusting, and then it won't go the rest of the way. I'm planning to pull the turret and investigate, but I don't know what I don't know.

Can anyone point me toward either a guide, procedure, or something to assist? Or if anyone has done this job and can contribute some advice I'm all ears. I can stumble my way through this for a while, but experience goes a long way in a job like this.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
Do you still parts manual for this machine? Does it show those taper pins? Not all Mazaks have them, but if your has them than u just have remove all tools, remove milling head, remove turret, find which part of the index coupling has bent pins and replace them.
 
Do you still parts manual for this machine? Does it show those taper pins? Not all Mazaks have them, but if your has them than u just have remove all tools, remove milling head, remove turret, find which part of the index coupling has bent pins and replace them.
I do have the parts manual and it does show taper pins in the turret diagram.

Are they required to be there? I’ve heard of guys leaving them out once they’ve been damaged.
 
Have you seen this video? Also, you may not have taper pins if the machines have been worked on before. I just aligned an integrex milling spindle alignment, and there were no taper pins at all. Don't loosen the bolts up entirely. Crack them loose and then align them with a dead blow. Once you're aligned, slowly tighten down the bolts while keeping the indicator on the turret to ensure it's not moving while you torque it back down.

 
Have you seen this video? Also, you may not have taper pins if the machines have been worked on before. I just aligned an integrex milling spindle alignment, and there were no taper pins at all. Don't loosen the bolts up entirely. Crack them loose and then align them with a dead blow. Once you're aligned, slowly tighten down the bolts while keeping the indicator on the turret to ensure it's not moving while you torque it back down.

I just watched it, thanks for the link.

I miss Wes around here. I loved his content with machining and working on old farm equipment and rusty trucks just doesn't have the same allure as machining...
 
I have a 2002 Mazak Quick Turn 350, and ever since I got the machine used, the turret has been high, maybe .02". Most of my parts are plastic and I have been able to get a way with just adjusting offsets and the inserted drills don't complain if they're a fuzz off in delrin or nylon.

I've been able to deal with it either by working around it, shimming tools or various other work arounds, but I need to fix the machine. I'm doing more steel and stainless parts and now I'm starting to see issues with drills not on center and boring bars not clearing in small holes, etc.

I have loosened the bolts and bumped the turret around with a mallet and an indicator and made it a lot better, but I haven't been able to get it totally correct.

From what little I can find online, there probably are some taper pins that are bent and need to be removed? I suspect this is the case, as I can feel an almost hard stop when I am adjusting, and then it won't go the rest of the way. I'm planning to pull the turret and investigate, but I don't know what I don't know.

Can anyone point me toward either a guide, procedure, or something to assist? Or if anyone has done this job and can contribute some advice I'm all ears. I can stumble my way through this for a while, but experience goes a long way in a job like this.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
Make sure you are using the outside bolts and only break them loose, but yes it can be a bit of a pain replacing those pins… if yours has live tooling you will need to realign that as well when you are done or it will stick to tools.
 
the problem with this statement:

Are they required to be there? I’ve heard of guys leaving them out once they’ve been damaged.

is that when the damage is way too big, to replace taper pins you need (once they are removed ) to drill a bit deeper and use taper reamer to create new place for them to sit tight, otherwise it is all pointless.
 
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I'm only familiar with two CNC lathes, both totally different as far as alignment. One had two sets of dowel holes. One set was to align only. Once aligned, those dowel pins were pulled. Then ream the run dowel holes and install the pins. This way you have a way to easily get the turret where it belongs when needed. Never run the lathe with the align pins in place.

The second one had the turret sitting on a ground plate that was attached to the slide. There were several hold down clamps top and bottom. These held the turret down and allowed for adjustment.
 
I had to sort out my SQT 250 after a bad sub spindle crash. Used a very stout employee pushing up on an 8 foot 4x4 against 2 of the 1.5" boring bar holders. Twice. First crash knocked the sub chuck slightly out and re bored all of its jaws and kept on going. Second crash sorted the sub chuck out and had to re bore them again.
 
I do have the parts manual and it does show taper pins in the turret diagram.

Are they required to be there? I’ve heard of guys leaving them out once they’ve been damaged.
We also have a 350-MY, and we just had a tech work on our turret. He left the pins out because he says they cause more trouble than they're worth.
 








 
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