Haas VF0E Restoration

I purchased a 1997 model Haas VF0E in 2017 from eBay. My goal is to use it strickly for hobby purposes, namely, for building live steam equipment (see https://ibls.org).

I got a good deal on the machine, and they had a video of it running in production. I am recording my experience here for anyone else it may help.

It became obvious after I received it that it needed some TLC. In addition, it is my first exposure to CNC machining, so I knew I had a learning curve.

My background is in computer programming and hardware development. My only machining experience with machining is as a hobbyist.

So here goes. I plan to add an entry to this thread for each section I've worked on.

The Haas VF0E (the decal on the front says VF-0E) was listed on eBay by a company in Michigan. I won the auction for $7500, which I thought was a decent price. It took three weeks to find a trucker to bring it down on a flatbed, as there was shortage of drivers at the end of summer 2017. Shipping cost was about $1200 to North Texas.

I have a large shop behind my home. The dirt drive leading to the shop from the road is uneven, so I rented a large capacity forklift, the kind with the huge tractor-like wheels. It was rated for 9000lbs, so I figured I would be ok (shipper said the VF0E was 8000lbs, but I have seen other documents that said it is less than that). Forklift rental, with delivery and pickup, was $1000.



The forklift worked great. A really neat feature is that you can adjust the level of the load so it won't tip on uneven ground, which came in very handy with this move.

I sat the VMC down on six 5" square pad of 1/4" plate metal to help protect the concrete floor and spread the load a bit more. The VMC already had nice 3" diameter feet. Performed a rough level, will fine tune the level later.

Connected 3 phase power from a 10HP rotary phase converter.

My next task was cleanup. I don't think this machine had ever been cleaned. I also found out that the chip conveyor no longer works, so I'll have to tackle that issue.

Apparently the machine had been run for quite some time with no filter in the electronic panel's door. There is a layer of grease caked on everything inside the cabinet, especially on the IO board.



As you can see it was a filthy mess. I began by cleaning the cables as best I could without removing them. I had no idea if they were labeled, and I could not see the silkscreen nomenclature on the IO board, so I came up with my own labeling system and marked each cable.

I used Simple Green to cut the grease, and a ton of paper towels. Each cable was unplugged, cleaned with Simple Green, then isopropyl alcohol, then reinstalled on its connector. That way I didn't lose track of where each cable belonged.

Once all the cables were properly label I removed all the cables and the screws holding the board in the chassis so the board could be removed. I found that some of the screws had vibrated loose and had fallen on the floor of the cabinet.

The board was repeatedly sprayed with Simple Green and gently wiped down. When most of the grease was removed I sprayed it again with Simple Green, thoroughly soaking it. Then I hosed it down was water. I repeated until all the grease was removed. The board was then thoroughly rinsed with isopropyl alcohol. This serves two purposes. First, it removes any remaining grease, and second, it flushes out the remaining Simple Green and water. Alcohol evaporates at a much lower temperature than water. I let it set for a couple of days to make sure it was dry.

Here is the result after cleaning.