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Phase converter help!

heliyardsale

Plastic
Joined
May 25, 2007
Location
USA
Hello folks!
I'm finally getting around to my Bridgeport mill that has been sitting around since it was delivered over five years ago!
Quick run down, I have no history on this machine. My former neighbor gave this to me, he had no place to set it up, so he donated it to me with the agreement that he could stop by and use it on occasion if the need arises. A year after he gave it to me he took a job in another state and hasn't been seen or heard from since! So, free Bridgeport mill, no knowledge of its history or condition... He never fired it up, or told me much about it.

Like most home hobbyists My shop is setup with single phase 230. I'm hoping you experts can help point me to a phase converter that will work with this mill. I have no idea what condition the drive/head or motor is in, the table and knee seems ok. I'm thinking I will need to power it up before I can figure out if it is functional or needs work.

Here are some photos of the mill head and the motor tag. Can anyone suggest a digital phase converter that would be a good match for this mill? I was originally thinking FM50. Looks like the motor is 1-1/2 HP 3-phase. Do I need or would I benefit from a variable speed unit with this model drive?
Thanks in advance for input/advise/help!

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I do think a variable speed style VFD would be of much benefit with the variable speed head. Personally I'm running both my BPs of a 3HP rated static converter. I have a rotary 15HP on the other side of the shop, the static does the job for me.
 
John, I wouldn't think so but wanted to check. I think I can just use the basic converter. A reasonable thought with this head right?
 
Just get either a rotary or static converter. A vfd with a vari-drive head is not the best way to go. With a static phase converter reversing the motor may not work unless you let the motor slow down a bit before reversing. A rotary phase converter will allow you to reverse rotation just by switching to reverse. I ran my Bridgeport from a static converter for a couple years and if I didn't turn the motor off, then wait a second or two before reversing, the motor would sometimes continue spinning in the same direction. One reason for switching from forward to reverse without stopping the motor first, known as plug reversing, is when power tapping without a tapping head. I do this on a regular basis. With a vfd you have to use the vfd to do the reversing and it may not, depending on the size, be able to reverse the spindle very fast. Furthermore, with a vari-drive head slower spindle speeds give you more torque, which you need when drilling large diameter holes. A vfd does not give you the same torque advantage. You can easily build a rotary phase converter. You can also build or buy a static converter and later convert it to a rotary converter.
ERic
 
Thanks for the info Eric. If I go with something like a Phase-a-matic I can't imagine the HP drop would effect me that much. This is basically a hobby machine and will only get used occasionally. I'd like to be able to use the mill's standard controls.

At one time this machine had power feeds and a working DRO. I'm hoping to find parts and get those features working too.
 








 
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