BTC clubhouse!#*$!

[Kevin Taylor]

How about everybody with a BTC1 afliction chime in so we can all know each other. Ive already become aquainted with several of you steve,jonp,helibuilder and machinetec seems to have more service bulitens than the local BPT dealer ever had . I know Helibuilder is doing a retro including TC. cartizanXYZ has mated a 4th axis to his, and so on. Everybody must have a tool holder they need or one they have more than they need . Deralict machines for parts ect last one I found was 1200 mi. away.
Im still looking for TG100"s holder's for a BTC1 my tooling manual show's pn.s but havent found anybody with any. Even the serisII BTC guys should join in I know of Our kind who have bought MT40 holders by mistake who would like to sell and maybe a II guy has done the same "some Ebay discriptions and pic.
are vage, Ive found a 6" scale in the pic. does wounder's so in the words of larry the cable guy GED. Thank's for listening. Kevin Taylor [aka Jaws]

P.S. Pm. me if your shy I try to check Emale twice a day

[MegaMoog]

Are those the #30 tapers with the built in pull-studs?
The ones with the larger body that the collet snaps into the cap and then assembled to main body?

We have two BTC 1's just barely pluggin away with a reasonable amount of extra tooling just laying in our tooling crib!

If ya got a tech print I can take a look and spare some tool holders!

We even have some floating tap holders, end mill holders!


Let me know!

Larry

[Jonp]

Howdy Kevin,
If you happen to find any of thoes TG100 collet holders for the BTC1 I may be interested in one. About the only other spares I wouldn't mind having are a spare spindle and maybe some diaphrams that go in the pots on the head. Otherwise I have quite a collection !!

[Cartesian-xyz]

Good Idea Kevin,
Count me in on the club. I am still looking for a spare axis amp and servo motor. After getting my SMW hooked up to the BTC I ran a job drilling and tapping 733 parts 3 tool changes for 2199 tool changes! The only failure to change tools was when my compressor motor died. (Wow these machines sure use a lot of air!!). I eventually would like to retrofit the control with the Ajaxcnc system. However to retain the tool changer will require some PLC work. I talked with the reseller and he estimated $14000-$16000 to fit the M400 to BTC with the tool changer. DIY parts are only about $5000-$6000, so they want a lot of money to get the tool changer to function with new control. This has prompted me to begin to learn how to program PLC's. In addition to the PLC taking over the tool changing logic I would like it to run a small stepper motor to run the geneva gearing and replace the air motor. I plan to use the T100MD2424+ PLC made by Triangle Resarch Technologies. Any incite into this endeavor will be greatly appreciated.
Has anyone replaced the factory servo motors (I believe I have SEM) with say, Clevland Motion Control servo motor or similar?

Stephen

[machintek]

Check carefully, the motors may be Powertron.

George

[vebers]

I have two of the machines and a limited inventory of tooling. I have currently stripped down one of the machines for a retrofit. The machine I am rebuilding has contraves servo motors, and I have got them moving using rutex drives and the original 100v DC power supply. Phase two is the spindle. I am replacing the volkman with an updated VFD and I intend to script the gear change and spindle orient into Mach 3. (wish me luck) The rest of the tool change function will be PLC driven. For starters I will probably leave the air motors and see what happens. If I am straying to far someone with more experience please slap me back onto the straight and narrow. Other than that we will see how it goes. Nice to meet you fellas and I am sure I will be calling on your collective knowledge before this is over. Thanks in advance

Vince Ebers

[Cartesian-xyz]

Hello Vince,
Sounds like your already heading in the general direction I would like to go with my BTC. You say you have 2 of these critters, Are you currently running the other machine? Have you picked out the VFD you are going to use to replace the Volkman?
I am very interested in your project Vince, keep me posted on your progress.

Stephen

[vebers]

Stephen

No neither of my machine would work when I brought them home. The first time I saw the table move it was Rutex powered. No I haven't picked a VFD yet. The spindle orient has me a little befuddled. I have never seen one of these machines run so I have a hard time imagining how slow the spindle is turning when the shot pin shoots in. I am going to try to control the spindle gear change from Mach 3. Past that I am not sure how I want to handle the orient. I am confident that if I can get this part worked out well the tool change won't be much of a problem from a PLC. I do intend to output the tool number using mixed outputs to a PLC much the same way the tool changer currently works however I am going to allow tool mumber all the way two 254. I figure I can call slot 1 for tool 1,25,49,73, etc. all the way up and the control will recognize the diffrent tool numbers/offsets and it won't matter to the changer.
Well off to read more about VFD's

Vince

[machintek]

Please remember the amount of switches involved with the tool change, from orient verification, arm position, ground plane engagement, tool release pot firing, moving to the next tool, etc, there is a lot going on and timing is critical.

George

[Builder]

vebers,

Here is a video link that Grifftek posted on another thread of a retrofitted BTC 1 with a AHHA controller. You should give him a call his # is in the video.
http://tinyurl.com/a6a8p

Tony

[vebers]

Hey guys thanks for your input. You are right there is a lot of input to get this right. I am howerver less concerned about the I\O once I get to the PLC. I have done several PLC projects before. What concerns me is the script writting. I have never done that before. I had never done a servo project either and so far that is going well to my relief. I do have a question. I am considering going to 120V AC on the inputs. The micro switches are rated for 120 V but I don't know about the Reed\Hall effect sensors on the shot pin cylinder. I can't read the numbers on them to look them up. I also don't know about the Proximity switches on the tool changer. No part number I can find on them either. If they are 24 VDC then I will put everything else back that way, but I prefer to wire 120V. Is there another way to get to that video I was unable to open it. I kept getting a communications error.

Vince

[Builder]

Hello all,

Kevin, asked me about my spindle speed since I increased it to 6500 RPM. I told him so I'll share with rest of you.

I installed a Safetronics 3P7 5 hp VFD 3ph in/out in between the control cabinet / spindle motor. It only regulates spindle speed when I want it to. Machine controls everything else as normal increase/decrease, forward/reverse. I use it for LIGHT finishing passes in aluminum ONLY!!! I would not recommend it for heavy roughing since the spindle bearings are probably originals in your machines. A friend of mine rewound the motor and upgaded the bearings (motor only) to handle the extra speed. The spindle seems to be fine with the increased speed but like I said finishing light passes only.

As kevin stated in his opening post I am doing a retro on another BTC 1 but it's slow going as I have alot on my plate at the moment but that is another thread.

Tony