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Know anything about DMTG Colchester CKE 6140 or 6150 CNC Lathes?

Barron

Cast Iron
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Location
Somerset, KY
Visited the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville this week and came upon a vendor selling these cnc lathes. The story is they are NOS (new old stock) from 2008 with Fanuc 0i controls, been sitting in a warehouse, blah,blah blah.....No warranty, but lots of parts are available at reasonable prices....

I didn't actually lay eyes on the machine. They only had manual machines at the show,but they are local and I may visit their business for a closer look.

I saw an internet add for the smaller 6140 priced at $30,000, these are priced at about 1/4 of that. I've read enough to know that the chinese iron isn't highly respected, just wondering if anyone has any experience with either of these lathes and would share their thoughts.

Thanks,
Barron
























t
 
This thread looks old but what the heck. We purchased one of these in 2008 or 2009 one of the first in the country. We had to convert the controller language from Chinese to English ourselves, no small feat. Yes it still runs and we have purchased another new of the same model year 8 years later. It does not give you a warm fuzzy feeling to still be able to purchase the same model year lathe, eight years later, brand new. But it was at a bargain price and came in a deal for a purchase of a mill with the same name. All still run, they are not something to write home about but function all the same. Be prepared for a long arduous journey if you need spare parts. I suggest any parts that will wear such as ball screws or bearings be keep in stock. In our case we learned to purchase items six months to a year in advance. With every bargain comes a price.
One thing our lathes came with Fagor controls and you will want to keep a spare controller power supply on hand. They do not seem be very robust and tend to go out fairly often. They can be rebuilt with better capacitors and they do have a tendency last longer that way. But they still seem to fail over time .
 
Hi, I recently purchased a DMTG CKE6136Z/1000 with a Fagor 8055 control. The machine generally works well but it turns unsupported work to a taper, about 0.001"/1" of length, even when leveled to spec. This amount of taper is unacceptable for some of my work. I have the mechanical manual but there is no mention of how to adjust the headstock to make the machine turn true. I have successfully made this adjustment on another Asian lathe by loosening the headstock mounting screws, adjusting and retightening. Does anyone know of a similar process for the CKE? It is much more complex and obscure than the one I adjusted before.

TIA,

Mark
 
DMTC CKE Adjustment

I got a rapid and detailed set of instructions from Ingersoll (DMTG). I'll update this again after I adjust the machine.

Mark
 
DMTG CKE Adjustment

OK - here's the update.

I am now able to turn an unsupported 1.4" diameter 6061 test part over a 4" length with no measureable difference in diameter using a "tenths" micrometer. Prior to adjustment, the error was on the order of 0.001"/1" of turned length. Needless to say, I'm quite pleased with the result!

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

Here's a write up of what I did - hopefully, it will help others.

To adjust the CKE headstock so it turns true:

1. Remove the outboard (z-) end cover from the lathe.
2. Remove four bolts from the z-axis ball screw cover (you will have to move the carriage to find all the bolts).
3. Move the carriage as near the spindle as possible.
4. Remove the ball screw cover.
5. Remove the spindle cover safety switch assembly.
6. Remove the spindle cover and mount ring (this may require removing the chuck).
7. Remove the small sheet metal cover below the z-axis ball screw.
8. Remove the large sheet metal cover which surrounds the spindle.
9. (replace chuck if required and) Turn a length of about 4" on a test piece approximately 1.5-2" in diameter and measure at the inboard and outboard ends, recording the difference. Leave the stock in the chuck.
10. Mount a dial indicator in the turret and move the carriage and cross slide to zero the indicator near the outer end of the test piece.
11. Loosen the socket head bolts (12mm Allen wrench) at the z+ end of the headstock base. This may require a "cheater pipe" as they may be quite tight.
12. Loosen the bolts at the z- end of the headstock. One takes a 12mm Allen and one is 10mm Allen. They may also require lots of force.
13. Use a 6mm Allen wrench in the set screws in the adjusting block between the z- end mount screws to drive the headstock in the x+/x- direction required. Note changes in the dial indicator to find a starting point for adjustment.
14. Retighten all four headstock base mount screws.
15. Take another light cut on the test piece and measure the result.
16. Iterate adjusting and testing as required.
17. Final tighten the four mounting screws and replace all covers.

Notes:

1. I started with a 12mm "L" shaped Allen wrench that was about 8.5" long. That was too long to fit in the outboard end of the headstock and, also, the z-, x- bolt is too close to the base casting to use a conventional "L" wrench very well. I cut 1.75" of the long end of the wrench off. I used the remaining long piece conventionally and used the short cutoff in a 12mm socket on a 3/8" ratchet. That worked well on the z-, x- bolt.
2. On my machine, it seems like the (notional?) pin around which the headstock should rotate on the z+ end is missing or loose. I ended up leaving the z+, x- headstock base screw partially tightened during adjustment in order to use it as a pivot point.
3. I either jammed the adjuster on the z-, x- end or ran out of travel near the end of my sequence of adjustments. I used a large screwdriver in the slot by the adjuster to wedge the headstock over for the final adjustment.
4. In my case, it took 5 iterations to zero the machine.
 








 
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