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Generator Powering a 30hp vfss

Shawn_Laughlin

Aluminum
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
I know this is more of a general category question but since I want to be able to power my haas I’m asking here. The past couple years we have lost power more times than I care to remember and one of those times a friend of mine was telling me how bad the place he worked for needed emergency parts made and couldn’t find a place with power to do them.

Now this was before I had my machine and shop up and they eventually found a place so it didn’t effect me but it could now and I don’t want to be kicking my self in the ass for not being prepared. It will also be nice to pretty much go on like normal like we had never lost power. I’m wanting to power my house and shop.

So my question is, does anyone have any experience running their machines on gen power? I know people do/have but would like to know your experience? Did you run into any major or even minor problems with the cnc control or anything else that I need to be aware of?
 
I know this is more of a general category question but since I want to be able to power my haas I’m asking here. The past couple years we have lost power more times than I care to remember and one of those times a friend of mine was telling me how bad the place he worked for needed emergency parts made and couldn’t find a place with power to do them.

Now this was before I had my machine and shop up and they eventually found a place so it didn’t effect me but it could now and I don’t want to be kicking my self in the ass for not being prepared. It will also be nice to pretty much go on like normal like we had never lost power. I’m wanting to power my house and shop.

So my question is, does anyone have any experience running their machines on gen power? I know people do/have but would like to know your experience? Did you run into any major or even minor problems with the cnc control or anything else that I need to be aware of?

Welll. I have often had more money than good sense ...ergo piss it way on whims, so I HAVE a Diesel that can probably run any TWO of my heaviest-consumer machines if / as/ when. My case, that's two of only 7 HP *at FULL load*

And am even looking at a second, smaller one.

Shop isn't really on the priorities list.

- PRIORITY ONE is my multiple fridge/freezers, year-round.

- Next is air-Con, summers for we fragile oldsters - or just spoiled. OTOH, some recent heat-waves have gone DEADLY HOT, and that will get WORSE for many human generations before it ever again gets better.

- and for heat, winter, though that has multiple backups of its own.

As to making parts in an emergency? CNC code can be run lots of places. You'd be competing with transportation. The guy the other side of the state or continent who still HAS power. Not the shop across the alley who has a gen set.

"All manual' machine-tools able to do a one-off REPAIR.. those cover "REAL emergency".

- You'd want a gen set loaded to 60-80 % of rating for best fuel economy and least crud and nasties build-up needing extra maintenance. Might be a 40 to 60 kVA, your case?

- You'd want a gen set loaded to half or less of that sweet spot - 30% to 40% - for least issues as to responding to changes in consumer-device load. Might be a 60 to 100 kVA?

Not easy to satisfy contradictory parameters at the same time.

So do it if you want to. No NEED to guess.

Just RENT one, try it and see --- before you make a buy decision.

Don't kid yourself there is either of a rational justification nor a monetary "payback", either.

I mean.. Texas is too cold and the power is out?

Yah simply saddle-up and ...fly to Mexico, yah?

Poly-tit-shun gets roundly damned for that.
Joe average is congratulated as a freakin' GENIUS!

"T'was ever thus.

:(
 
Gen set does work BUT, a 30kw will cost 6 bucks an hour for fuel, needs oil changes, makes noise and ugly smoke, and will weer out...Phil

Anybody's Army in the field - ships at sea, blue water OR brown -lives off 'em. Even more so, running Oxygen & Acetylene plants 24 hour days, remote sugar refineries, fish or beef processing plants, major construction projects, "etc".

We get to know them.
We appreciate them.
We take good care of them.

We HAVE NO OTHER OPTION

Ergo... we LOVE it .. "back in the world".. when all we have to do is pay the utility bill ...flick a switch.. and NOT have to f**k with the amortization nor routine maintenance of the buggers, keeping the fuel clean for dreadfully intolerant injectors... and changing all the filters and oil at several times the rate of a common motorcar!

And that... is with "Big Corp" and/or "Uncle Sugar" and the suffering taxpayer... picking up every last DIME of the cost, transport, fuel - even frequent outright replacement, plus rather decent training for full-time Diesel mechanics.

You don't REALLY want to "volunteer" for all this s**t if you do not HAVE to do.
 
Amp clamp it at full tilt starting the spindle to max rpm during a 100% full 3 axis move and see what pixies it's really pulling down.

Take that number, add some buffer and go shopping. You need to upsize enough that it will handle the starting load without dropping voltage. However, too big and the generator will use oil and lose compression quickly.

If I were shopping I'd be looking for a B series Cummins powered unit or one with an 855 or N14. Basically something that costs about $1500 to completely rebuild when it's worn out.

If you buy a new diesel genset don't be surprised if you go to start it and the emissions equipment says no.
 
I worked in a huge plant that had it's own heat treat facilities and used General Motors V-16 diesels to power the generators. I think they had about four of them and on Friday mornings the electricians would run them for a short time to do maintenance. It was always cool hearing those engines roar.

Their main purpose was to make sure that the heat treat furnaces didn't lose their power or they can blow up.

I can't really help you with how much generator you 'd need for your shop but as others have said, it isn't that difficult to figure out.

Get a big diesel tank. You'll need it.
 
Boy the house next door would like that...Phil

Two things keep my neighbours calm. The "Tactical Quiet" NATO units actually ARE. Quiet.

And the Johnson-Matthey NOS desmogger I added to an alreadyCARB-compliant unit.

Screaming-meemie "Dee Dee" sound? Never again is too soon!

I ever get THAT nostalgic ... I guess I could just call mortar fire down on my own head?

:(
 
Amp clamp it at full tilt starting the spindle to max rpm during a 100% full 3 axis move and see what pixies it's really pulling down.

Take that number, add some buffer and go shopping. You need to upsize enough that it will handle the starting load without dropping voltage. However, too big and the generator will use oil and lose compression quickly.

If I were shopping I'd be looking for a B series Cummins powered unit or one with an 855 or N14. Basically something that costs about $1500 to completely rebuild when it's worn out.

If you buy a new diesel genset don't be surprised if you go to start it and the emissions equipment says no.

Actually, Scratch that.

My super magic trick for circuit sizing a CNC is to open up the cabinet and see what size wire the maker runs out of the main breaker. Look up the ampacity of that size wire for a shorter run and there you go- That's how much juice you need.

I remember the first Haas I bought. Opened up the cabinet and just about died laughing at the 14 gauge wire coming out of the main breaker. 15HP my ass!!! I gave it a little extension cord and plugged it in just like the bridgeport.
 
Actually, Scratch that.

My super magic trick for circuit sizing a CNC is to open up the cabinet and see what size wire the maker runs out of the main breaker. Look up the ampacity of that size wire for a shorter run and there you go- That's how much juice you need.

I remember the first Haas I bought. Opened up the cabinet and just about died laughing at the 14 gauge wire coming out of the main breaker. 15HP my ass!!! I gave it a little extension cord and plugged it in just like the bridgeport.

My CNC machining center only has a 7.5HP spindle plus the other goodies but I have it running on #10-4 SOO cord and it works fine.
 
I run my production wood shop off of a Koehler 225kw genset that has a Cummins 400hp Big Cam engine. From an OpEx standpoint, it costs me around .50 per minute to operate. I purchased it used with 307 hours on it 12 years ago.

The generator is larger than I need, but my largest machine is 105hp and it’s nice to have the available power.

This same setup powers my 7.5 hp Turn-Naldo lathe and vertical mill, but quite frankly I almost always run those on a 30hp RPC because it’s much cheaper.

The problem with depending on generator power is that when it goes down, your entire shop is down. I think that your better approach would be to run off of line power and install a generator and transfer switch as a backup power source.
 
I know this is more of a general category question but since I want to be able to power my haas I’m asking here. The past couple years we have lost power more times than I care to remember and one of those times a friend of mine was telling me how bad the place he worked for needed emergency parts made and couldn’t find a place with power to do them.

Now this was before I had my machine and shop up and they eventually found a place so it didn’t effect me but it could now and I don’t want to be kicking my self in the ass for not being prepared. It will also be nice to pretty much go on like normal like we had never lost power. I’m wanting to power my house and shop.

So my question is, does anyone have any experience running their machines on gen power? I know people do/have but would like to know your experience? Did you run into any major or even minor problems with the cnc control or anything else that I need to be aware of?

I would start with putting in a smaller circuit breaker feeding the haas until you start tripping it just get a feel as to how much power it actually needs, I still have a FV2SS running fine on a 20a. I found that on a 15a breaker It would trip as the spindle ramps up to 12K, it never did it while cutting. As mentioned above the bigger generator you get the more fuel and maintenaince costs and you likely don't need it to be able to run everything in your house at the same time as you run the haas
 








 
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