I just purchased a manual bridgeport series 2. I want to retrofit it to cnc. Does any one have plans or drawings to make your own X,Y servo brackets. or any places that are selling them at a resonable price. I also need to now where I can get the pullys and belts from.
Any information you guys could give me on any aspect of this would help out alot. I want to make a web site and Show all the steps of my build. So any contacts or helpful links would be great so I could include them.
Thanks in advance, Scott

I found pullys at www.mcmaster.com
Now I need to now what size pullys to use. do I use 1 TO 1, or 2 TO 1 ratio. I figure the X,Y brackets won't be to hard to make. Does any one now what size ball screws bridgeports use for cnc. I need all specks Dia, Pitch, ETC. Also what size servo motors do you recomend. I was thinking Nema 42 around 560 in/ounce does this sound about right.
Thank you, Scott :)

This might help...

http://www.elrodmachine.com/x&y.htm

Keep us up to date on your project..

I looked at the link and what I saw was all the series 1 stuff.
Elrod makes the current Z axis conversion for the Bridgeport EZTRAKS.
Series 2 special was a replacement for the very expensive series 2. It allowed the same weight to be supported by the table but used the series 1 head, ram and turret.
Thus the motors and drives for the "series 2" EZTRAKS (R2E3, R2E4,etc) were speced to match the mass that would be expected to be accelerated and decelerated. I will try and find out some data on this the next time I will be in the office.

George W.

Go back to Mcmaster Carr and buy the ballscrew set. It is a complete XY, just drop it in. I guess the only problem with this is that you dont get the extra screw length for coupling your servos on to.

I have purchased and installed the Rockford Ball Screw Series one retro kit on my Series I. You might try calling them to see if they can help you out on the series two. Tjhey'll be more help than McMaster. The McMaster kit is for a series one too at least that's what it looks like. I was just looking at a Series II, whole 'nother ball game.

http://www.rockfordballscrew.com/pbrkits.htm

Hope that helps.

You get what you pay for. There are ball screw sets out there that at "rolled" and others that are "ground." Check to specs to see how accurately they have been made which sldo means how accurately they will make parts. This assumes rotary encoders on the motors vs linear scales on the table.
Ball screw conversions are very common on series 1 machines. If you have ever ran one, they are slick! Be carefull when climb milling though, the machine will have a tendency to run away. But I have NOT seen a series 2 conversion and I have serviced Bridgeports for 23 years. It may exist but demand would be very low and thus pricing high. The old Bridgeport NC2s had ball screws on the X, Y, and knee. The Series 2 Specials sold by Bridgeport as the EZTRAK 2 has ball screws on the X and Y and on the quill if it is the 3 axis version. What you are trying to do may not be practical. But good luck!

George W.