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Hardinge GT Barfeed Interface Help...

DanASM

Hot Rolled
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
I am slowly getting my cnc lathe up and running as I have time. I need to get an air dryer before I feel comfortable running production.

I havent had a chance to power it up yet, but I just have to get a few more feet of wire. I have 208v 3 phase, I might need to bump it to 230v but I think I might be able to get it fired up without a transformer.

I got this machine with the intention of running an LNS Eco Load Bar feeder. I have seen them on these machines in the past and I have a customer that has at least 1 of them in house that I can use for troubleshooting.

I do not know much about the barfeeder hooking up to the machine. What I have read about them makes sense.

Here are a few pics of the connections available at the machine. Inside there is a note saying SMW E-Stop.

I feel like this machine is all set up for a bar feeder but I do not know if I have extra connections or if they are for 2 different bar feeders. The Eco Load that I have seen has the 2 round connections. I have also seen pics of ones with the vertical type connections above the round ones.

If anyone can walk me through setting this up I would appreciate it (search function shows Ox has/had this same setup). I dont have the bar loader yet, want to make sure I get the right one.


I got a smartphone yesterday and can now take pics. I can show off my work a little more now. Let me know if you need to see anything else.

Thanks,

Dan

Barfeed-Interface-Power-Line — ImgBB
Barfeed-Interface-E-Stop — ImgBB
Barfeed-Interface-Connectors — ImgBB
 

Attachments

  • Barfeed Interface E-Stop.pdf
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I have a Hardinge bar feeder on mine it uses the 2 connectors marked 37PL and 38PL. I think one is for power and the other is control. Mine is Hyrodynamic so I am pretty sure the hydraulic pump is 3 phase. If the feeder you are looking at is pneumatic it may only use the control side. Hardinge in the past has been very good with advice on hooking up stiff. not sure if that is still true.
 
I have a Hardinge bar feeder on mine it uses the 2 connectors marked 37PL and 38PL. I think one is for power and the other is control. Mine is Hyrodynamic so I am pretty sure the hydraulic pump is 3 phase. If the feeder you are looking at is pneumatic it may only use the control side. Hardinge in the past has been very good with advice on hooking up stiff. not sure if that is still true.

I am thinking that maybe there is 2 different connections for 2 different bar feeders on my machine.

37PL shows barfeed power on the line. I will have to look at what the other one says.
 
I got this machine turned on and I have an alarm for the collet chuck (1001) and the standard home alarm.

I cant seem to get this working yet. I got some notes on the parameters and the ones on the machine appear to be correct.

When I got the machine I was able to screw on a 5c collet to the drawtube. I must have been pushing buttons and I think I closed the collet without a collet in it. The screen says collet is open, but the drawtube is too far back for the collet to screw into.

I dont know what to do now.

Any help on getting my first cnc lathe up and running is greatly appreciated fellas. I got to get this thing making chips.

Thanks,
Dan
 
Look for 2 proximity switches around the drawtube, one for forward (open) and one for backwards (closed). If the machine says the collet is open but the drawtube is back, find the prox switch for open and move it away from the draw tube, so it's no longer triggered. Then see if you can toggle open/close on the controller.

Note, I'm in no way familiar with your machine, aside from having operated one for a few days, but that's the standard method for a machine to know if the drawtube is forward/back.
 
Look for 2 proximity switches around the drawtube, one for forward (open) and one for backwards (closed). If the machine says the collet is open but the drawtube is back, find the prox switch for open and move it away from the draw tube, so it's no longer triggered. Then see if you can toggle open/close on the controller.

Note, I'm in no way familiar with your machine, aside from having operated one for a few days, but that's the standard method for a machine to know if the drawtube is forward/back.

There is only so much that can go wrong on a 2 ax lathe. That is why I bought this. I knew I could figure out how to get it running.

The drawtube is definitely pushed back. I will try to get this going tomorrow.
 
I accidently reset the parameters (I think). I thought I was resetting something else but I am under the impression that holding down Reset + Del on startup is what got me where I am now.

The control starts up and goes into PWE mode (I think). I am lost on this one now. Its going to take too much of my time to figure this out, I have too much to do elsewhere.

If anyone can walk me through this I would appreciate it.

Thanks
 
I can not walk you through it but I am fairly certain there is a parameter for changing the draw tube direction of travel. The draw bar has about 3/4 travel so if the parameter is wrong you will not be able to screw the collet with the tube retracted. Maybe try closing the collet with the button to see if it toggles to the open position?
 
I can not walk you through it but I am fairly certain there is a parameter for changing the draw tube direction of travel. The draw bar has about 3/4 travel so if the parameter is wrong you will not be able to screw the collet with the tube retracted. Maybe try closing the collet with the button to see if it toggles to the open position?

I actually screwed up by pressing the wrong 2 buttons on startup today. I erased the parameters and need to start over fresh. It looks like I need to contact Hardinge and get the Parameters list so I can enter them correctly.

I am not very good at this and I am worried I will screw something up. I am sure getting someone from Hardinge on the phone will make me feel a little better about the situation.

Unless anyone here has the parameters available for a Fanuc 18T.
 
I have the parameter listing for a GT27 with an 18T that I just bought and am awaiting delivery. PM me and I can get the file to you.

I also have a friend that worked for Hardinge and has his own CNC repair business - he is intimately familiar and may be able to guide you through the barfeed setup, but he'd likely charge for the service since that is his livelihood.
 
I have the parameter listing for a GT27 with an 18T that I just bought and am awaiting delivery. PM me and I can get the file to you.

I also have a friend that worked for Hardinge and has his own CNC repair business - he is intimately familiar and may be able to guide you through the barfeed setup, but he'd likely charge for the service since that is his livelihood.

Message sent. Thanks for the help.
 
I installed the parameters given to me by Rick and got the lower control operational again. I am getting lots of alarms though, probably have the wrong parameters somewhere. I double checked and couldnt find anything out of place.

417 servo X axis parameter...
417 servo z axis "

another spindle alarm, cant remember which one.

I did notice the parameters given to me were for an 18T-B, I found that mine is a 1993 version 18T-A. I dont know if the parameters are different or not. I am still getting no where.
 
Mine is a little later machine with absolute encoders. Those messages do not look like the ones I get when I loose zero and have to reset them. Maybe getting the specific manuals could help with the correct error code numbers. Tom Sheehy at Hardinge was able to walk me though some trouble shooting. He has contributed within the last couple of years in the Hardinge sub forum and was willing to help out where he could. A search of the this forum might find Tom's contact info. Or a call to Hardinge may be in order.
 
Otherwise the sister machine to that one was an 18T-A and we should be moving it soon; I can grab pictures of the parameters.
 
Otherwise the sister machine to that one was an 18T-A and we should be moving it soon; I can grab pictures of the parameters.

I was browsing the web a bit yesterday and I am wondering if I should call Fanuc instead of Hardinge. Either way I dont see any problems getting the original parameters eventually.

I just have too much going on and dont have the time to spend on this right now.

Keep me posted Rick. If you get any more info, I will try it out.

Thanks,
Dan
 
Hey DanASM, I have an EcoLoad that I bought brand new in '00. I have the manual in case you need anything on that end.
 
A) NO - I don't have this set-up.
I don't have a GT27 at all.

B) Your '93 GT has an 18 on it?
Really? Wow!

C) I never had a (working) ECO loader either.
However, I did just remove one from a machine and set it outside for scrap.

D) Boy, I intentionally DO NOT tell someone how to doo just what you did, so that they don't cornfuse that with CAN/P.
You just caused yourself a whole lot of heartache that didn't need be!

E) No - I think that you need to stick with Hardinge. Your Fanuc guy won't have the correct param and Keep relay list, and the Hardinge guy can likely help you with your barfeeder set-up as well.

F) Booze - will that Eco Loader know if the bar didn't feed out to length?

G) You need more help than Tom can really help you with over the phone. I don't think that he is in "Service" anymore.
I know that he got a new role in the last cpl years, and he hasn't been on here much at all since then.

H) Ping Hardinge Service for the param list on your machine. Pull the ser# off the back when you doo. (or just take a pic of it)
They just mailed me an electrical schem for the Swiss lathes that I just got in.
Hardinge Service ([email protected])

I) I have entered all the params and bits and everything on a dual path 18i by hand before. It can be done.
(likely at least 2wice as many as you would have on your machine)

J) If the answer to (F) is "no", then go fetch a better feeder now, and not invest any time into the ECO.
Having a barfeeder know when the cut-off is blown is a real nice feature!


-------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
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A) NO - I don't have this set-up.
I don't have a GT27 at all.

B) Your '93 GT has an 18 on it?
Really? Wow!

C) I never had a (working) ECO loader either.
However, I did just remove one from a machine and set it outside for scrap.

D) Boy, I intentionally DO NOT tell someone how to doo just what you did, so that they don't cornfuse that with CAN/P.
You just caused yourself a whole lot of heartache that didn't need be!

E) No - I think that you need to stick with Hardinge. Your Fanuc guy won't have the correct param and Keep relay list, and the Hardinge guy can likely help you with your barfeeder set-up as well.

F) Booze - will that Eco Loader know if the bar didn't feed out to length?

G) You need more help than Tom can really help you with over the phone. I don't think that he is in "Service" anymore.
I know that he got a new role in the last cpl years, and he hasn't been on here much at all since then.

H) Ping Hardinge Service for the param list on your machine. Pull the ser# off the back when you doo. (or just take a pic of it)
They just mailed me an electrical schem for the Swiss lathes that I just got in.
Hardinge Service ([email protected])

I) I have entered all the params and bits and everything on a dual path 18i by hand before. It can be done.
(likely at least 2wice as many as you would have on your machine)

J) If the answer to (F) is "no", then go fetch a better feeder now, and not invest any time into the ECO.
Having a barfeeder know when the cut-off is blown is a real nice feature!


-------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox


The machine says it was programmed in October/November of 1993. It has the guys name on it who loaded it.

I did email Tom and hes out of the office until Monday (auto response).

Thank you,
Tom Sheehy
Gloabl Turning Products Specialist

Sounds like the guy who would know what to do.


I have been busy but I will attend to this during the week.

I have seen these machines with LNS Eco Load barfeeders on more than 1 occasion. One of my customers has one on an Okuma and said they dont have problems with it. The hookups look the same as mine. That is what I had in mind for my machine.

Thanks for the help guys I will keep you posted as I move forward.
 
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