I am looking at purchasing an Escomatic D6 machine. Its probable around 30 Years old? IT's Cam driven

They are a bit new to me. Anyone know what to look, problems, etc with these beasts.

Ian

The unique feature of an Escomatic is the ability to feed wire in coil form. The tools rotate as the stock is straightened and fed. For simple parts, you can attain high production rates and long runs. We just purchased an elderly D2 machine (5/32 in. capacity) and have learned quite a bit. The escomatic is a compact, robust mechanical marvel. The machines are cam driven though there are CNC models available. You will need cams for the stock feed and part profile as well as guide bushing, counter collet, custom ground form tools and straightener components. The tool head is the most critical component and can be quite costly to rebuild. Southwick and Meister (ph. 203-237-0000) can provide most of the parts you may need,or alternatively, you may get most anything you need as well as a wealth of information from Swisset Tool Company. (ph. 603-524-0082).

Good luck.

Hello
Did you get your new / old Esco yet?
Most older machines that have not been rebuilt recently may have some slop on the main shaft. Take ahold of the main shaft on the turret end (where the drills and collet are) and twist it back and forth. If you see that some of the shaft can move but not the other end near the feed cam (in front of the straightener) then you have some wear in the drive couplings.
I have seen machines run for years with this slop but have also run into problems with the pressure on one cam where a tool or collet may be dropping out and a drill is going in on another cam, and the sudden jump of the shaft can break drills or leave steps on the part from the sudden movement.
Other things that wear are the opening and closing of the feed and hold collets, this can lead to short parts. All of the items that wear are normal wear but quite expensive to replace.
Look for areas that you have metal to metal contact and look for wear.
Put a tool scope on the tool head and focus it on the bushing, take a wooden screwdriver handle and place it under the tool head and carefully lift the tool head up slightly to see if you can see play in the bearings through the scope.If you see it move more than the thickness of a line on the scope, you need bearings. You can also rotate it by hand looking through the scope and watch for movement.
At least some of this will forwarn you what you may need to spend on the machine after you plug her in.
And yes, Swisset Tool guys are great guys to deal with.

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