Thissideup
Plastic
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2019
In a previous post you may have seen my 14/40 lathe that I did a 3 phase 3hp vfd setup on. If not, here’s a link to a video YouTube
Now I’m on to the next steps. The plan is to convert this machine using centroid acorn and clear path servos. I will be using a mini mill similar to the grizzly g0705 which I will be attaching to the end of the bed by its mast. I will not be using the milling table but rather the lathes saddle and cross slide which I will build a custom t slot top for. This gets me a mill and lathe out of one control system with one axis to spare for future. This machine will be used for aluminum almost exclusively. Now, this is where it gets tricky. I plan to retain all the manual functions of the lathe, feeds/ speeds etc. From what I understand putting a ball screw in the cross slide means it won’t hold position very well and replacing the lead screw for the saddle eliminate manual threading so..: I have decided to hybrid this machine using leads and ball screws. For the saddle I will attach the ball screw to the back side and for the cross feed I will actually mill a second dove tail into it and mount the custom t slot table to it that way. By locking the two tables I’ll be able to use the cross feeds lead screw for manual movements and by unlocking them the ball screw can move only the top table for cnc operations. This will also give me a greater range of motion on the cross slide. But though I have the rough mechanics figured out, I still have a few questions.
First with motors powered off, will the ball screws back feed on their lead screw easily when I’m pushing it around manually or will they add significant resistance? If thy will feed easily I’ll leave them connected but if not I will devise a quick coupler for them.
Second, I plan to run clear path servo motors but I have no idea how to size them, anybody have any suggestions for a 14/40?
Now I’m on to the next steps. The plan is to convert this machine using centroid acorn and clear path servos. I will be using a mini mill similar to the grizzly g0705 which I will be attaching to the end of the bed by its mast. I will not be using the milling table but rather the lathes saddle and cross slide which I will build a custom t slot top for. This gets me a mill and lathe out of one control system with one axis to spare for future. This machine will be used for aluminum almost exclusively. Now, this is where it gets tricky. I plan to retain all the manual functions of the lathe, feeds/ speeds etc. From what I understand putting a ball screw in the cross slide means it won’t hold position very well and replacing the lead screw for the saddle eliminate manual threading so..: I have decided to hybrid this machine using leads and ball screws. For the saddle I will attach the ball screw to the back side and for the cross feed I will actually mill a second dove tail into it and mount the custom t slot table to it that way. By locking the two tables I’ll be able to use the cross feeds lead screw for manual movements and by unlocking them the ball screw can move only the top table for cnc operations. This will also give me a greater range of motion on the cross slide. But though I have the rough mechanics figured out, I still have a few questions.
First with motors powered off, will the ball screws back feed on their lead screw easily when I’m pushing it around manually or will they add significant resistance? If thy will feed easily I’ll leave them connected but if not I will devise a quick coupler for them.
Second, I plan to run clear path servo motors but I have no idea how to size them, anybody have any suggestions for a 14/40?