How can you tell what options a Fadal has?

I know someone trying to sell 3 of them and I'm trying to help out.
2 are the older CNC 88HS control and one of them is the newer MP control.

Is there a command that will tell you?

Thanks

open the back and look at the cards, it will tell you everything you need to know.
for rigid tap look at the spindle drive.

'ME' command will tell you about the installed memory on the 88 controls, otherwise not much from the control.

Knowing spindle drive type (maybe fujitsu, hitachi, baldor, glentek; cabinet in the back) and servo type (AC or DC) is important. AC machines do bring more, but are less common.

If you go into the cabinets, and pull a few cards on the left end of the cage, you should be able to find some numbers on them to determine what control version. Important one to know is the main card ... 1400-X. The X will likely be '2' (old, not HS), '4' (less old, HS) or '5' (HS, most recent). 'HS' stands for High Speed, but was adorned to the Fadal control around 1995, so at this point it ... Isn't.

Of course, with any old Fadal the options won't impact the pricing much. Condition is really what implies what anyone could reasonably expect to get.

I am not too far from you, but already have two. Still, feel free to post or PM some photos.



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Great, thanks! Does that apply to the MP control as well?

No idea, but it's worth trying.

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Couple of them that we had you could open the back of the control and there was a "build sheet" stuck to the cabinet door....I imagine if something was ever added later the tech would need to update that sheet for accuracy....probably hit or miss there.

Volitan said:

I know someone trying to sell 3 of them and I'm trying to help out.
2 are the older CNC 88HS control and one of them is the newer MP control.

Is there a command that will tell you?

Thanks

Click to expand...

The only options on a Fadal are hardware related.. This isn't a Haas or
Fanuc based machine where parameter 3,465,291 has to have the 8th bit turned
to a 1 to turn on rigid tapping.

The year will pretty much tell you if its an AC or a DC machine. The model will
tell you the size and if its linear or box (or a combination "A" designation).

Rigid tapping, you can tell by the e-proms on the board (you can't tell by
parameter).

If it has a hydro-sweep, your eyes will tell you.

The control will tell you how much memory it has, as will looking at
the boards.

An MP is an 88HS with a PC hanging next to it, essentially. It was
supposed to have Gibbs cam on it, but I've never messed with one..
Just something else to go wrong.

A few things to "Double Check". Sometimes a machine sold as a 2004
(or pick your year) isn't. Its a refurb, it could be an 89 or a 92 or a 97.

A lot of people selling Fadals don't realize they have the extended Z. Check
that. It would be in the parameters as a 28"Z, or if not powered you can tell
because the tool changer has a cutout in the top of the enclosure sheet metal.

There was a servo turret option at some point in the later years instead of the
geneva drive (which is Horribly Slow, how I think the 88 got its HS designation).

Some of the later later ones had a swing arm tool changer, though that is pretty
rare and VERY obvious.

4th axis ready. The basic wiring is there, on EVERY machine. But you still have
to buy a whole lot of shit to hook one up. On the flip side I've seen quite a few
that have all that stuff already there, and the people selling the machine aren't
advertising it in the ad.

There are no software options. None. Its all there, every single control can
do 5 axis simultaneous (SLOWLY), every machine can do rigid tapping with the right
hardware. Every machine has 48 fixture offsets, and a shit load of tool offsets.
Every machine is fully macro compatible.

Somebody had mentioned the spindle drive, and to me that is important. Fadals
had quite a number of different ones from the factory, and quite a lot of them
have been fitted after failure. A still supported spindle drive can be a selling
point, as opposed to one that is so old the manufacturer won't even acknowledge they
made it.

That is a ton of information to sort through, thanks!
I’m pretty sure the newer MP one has rigid tapping because I tried a G84.1 and it worked. I haven’t been on a Fadal in 15 years I’m surprised that came back to me.
I will check out the cabinets. The ME command wanispissd mentioned brought back a memory too. Pretty sure I used to type that in sometimes to see if I had room for another program? Does it tell you that too?
I remembered MU, PR and PA right away. DF and DT came back to me on the ride home lol.

I’m probably going to put them in the for sale section when I know more about them.

Volitan said:

That is a ton of information to sort through, thanks!
I’m pretty sure the newer MP one has rigid tapping because I tried a G84.1 and it worked. I haven’t been on a Fadal in 15 years I’m surprised that came back to me.
I will check out the cabinets. The ME command wanispissd mentioned brought back a memory too. Pretty sure I used to type that in sometimes to see if I had room for another program? Does it tell you that too?
I remembered MU, PR and PA right away. DF and DT came back to me on the ride home lol.

I’m probably going to put them in the for sale section when I know more about them.

Click to expand...

UT command too

toolsteel said:

UT command too

Click to expand...

UTility? That's where the tool heights and fixture offsets get put in iirc.

Volitan said:

UTility? That's where the tool heights and fixture offsets get put in iirc.

Click to expand...

I dont remember exactly......its been a decade since i have ran a Fadal. But UT sticks in my head for some reason....lol

I was going to go there this weekend to get more specifics on them before posting them in the for sale section, but he already has them on eBay so here they are. If anyone wants to know anything specific about any of them (other than why don’t they clean them), let me know. I can either ask or check it out if I go there this weekend.

The 4020 and the 3016 have a noise in x, not sure why or how bad.

4020:
FADAL VMC4020HT Vertical Machining Center (2004) | eBay

3016:
Fadal VMC-3016 | eBay

I have a question. Why does the 4020 say its a 2004 when the
machine says 2000?

And yeah.. Tell him to get a kid in there to at least wipe down
the outsides so they don't look like he just found them out in
the back alley next to the dumpster.

I know the dirt on the outside means nothing, but it just looks
really bad in pictures.

Good eye Bobw! I told him. AGreed on the dirt, a little Simple Green wouldn't hurt.

Also, I think I should point out that if anyone thinks they might be interested, don't be afraid to contact them and make an offer. If they aren't out by (I think) the end of January they could be headed for scrap and we all hate to see that.