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Changing grippers/arm for sidemount tool changer from CT40 to BT40

rpseguin

Stainless
Joined
Jun 28, 2006
Location
Napa, CA
A friend and I are looking at changing a VMC with a sidemount ATC from CT40 to BT40.
It uses 45 degree pullstuds.
The pockets in the ATC use 4 spring loaded balls which grab the pullstud to retain it. We manually inserted both BT40 and CT40 holders in and they both went in fine.

BT40 and CT40 side by side:
25b9b832c1c92d334b065961aba34271.jpg


Inside an ATC pocket with 4 spring loaded balls:
25e92882679bf65ca726eb1847814449.jpg



So, I think the only thing that needs to happen is to change the arm and/or grippers on the arm to grab from the ATC at the correct position and probably adjust Z axis position for tool exchange.
Anybody have some wisdom?
Videos? (I didn't find enough on a web search, including PM, even though there is discussion of switching from BT to CT).


The other question is getting the machine under an 84" top clearance garage door.
We measured it at 86.5" at the top of the manual recovery bolt on the swingarm motor. So, we were thinking of removing the swingarm motor to get vertical clearance to get it through the opening.

How are these motors typically fastened?
Spline connection? Or, does the motor shaft go all the way down to the toolchanger arm?
How much work would is it to pull the motor and then reattach it?

After doing that, the next highest thing is the Z axis motor, but we think we'll have 1 inch of clearance with just leaving it installed... :-)
 
Picture of arm/gripper:

e82db54509c7ebb03751097554a58054.jpg


It looks a lot like it could hold a BT40 if flipped with that wider flange slot currently on the bottom if you look close.
 
When I was doing field service we changed CT to BT and vice-versa regularly when customers bought stocked machines. Most machines just use different claws and a tweak to the Z.

Don't recall seeing a spline connected toolchanger drive motor. Usually just a keyed motor shaft into a coupler. Sometimes the motor is a gear motor and other times the reduction is done with gears driving the cam(s). If it is a servo motor it might use a spanring (fancy name for a taperlock). If it is servo driven then you will need to know how to set its zero point on re-assembly.
 
I've bought a couple older Mori VMC's that came with both BT and CT grippers. I've never seen a difference in the pots either.
 
Like vance said never seen one you have to change pockets on.
on my old 2002 excell 14t we didnt know if it was a cat 40 holder or a bt40 holder. we were able to use both cat an bt with only adjusting the height of the swing arm. By both I mean you could either use Cat holders or BT holders Not both at the same time.

Umbrella holders requier fingers and the carrier plate to be flipped(fadal), some need a new carrier plate also

motors are easy to take off and put back on. to make it so you dont have to dick with anything mark alignment marks on the couplers and shafts dont move them if you dont have too
 
What was the final outcome? I am following in your footsteps here. I purchased a 4020 with a cat40 setup but pickup up BT40 tool holders for a killer price from an auction.

Flip over the dual arm and adjust the "Z" of the spindle?
 








 
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