Accu-rite MillPower

[ddwiers]

I'm new at this CNC stuff and don't work with it everyday, so usually have to learn everything over everytime I go to use the machine in CNC mode.
I had an Accu rite Mill-Pwr 3 axis system installed on my old Bridgeport mill and am looking for sugestions on CAD/CAM programs that interface easily with this unit. I don't need anything too fancy, just would like to do it at the computer instead of at the machine.
Also, I'm having problems with the Z-axis continuosly giving fault messages and it's driving me nuts.
Any suggestions would be welcome.

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi,

I sent you a PM with some information that may be helpful.

John

[barclay]

I also have a accurite millpwr 3 axis mill and I am constantly getting a servo shutdown fault. It does it at random times throughout the programs, one day it may happen 1-2 times and the next it happens 20 times. How can I fix this? Its getting very frustrating...

[Dean0017]

You guys might what to check the wiring on the Z-axis limit switches... I've had the exact same issue at one time and it turned out to be broken wires.

Also there is a servo calibration for the axis. I called a service tech one time and he told me to calibrate the machine by using this method.

Hope this works!

Dean

[WESTERNTOOL]

Hello barclay,

Dean0017 is right.
The wiring inside the black box on the quill is very susceptible to breakage. There is a pair of limit switches in there.

Hope you are making chips again.

John Vukonich

[fixer2]

Anyone have an idea as to the calibration method Dean was talking about?

[WESTERNTOOL]

HI fixer2,

THE TESTS ARE IN THE CONTROL AND ARE AUTOMATED. YOU WILL NEED THE CODE OUT OF YOUR BOOK TO USE IT. BE VERY CAREFUL IN ANYWHERE THAT REQUIRES A CODE.

LATER JOHN

[Nawrocki4Life]

Hello I worked on many of these through my time. Is the system AC or DC motors?

AC motors and you might be in trouble, DC motors can tune and keep it pretty easily.

Z-axis faults can be cause by a few typicall problems.

1.) Broken wires from any of the 3 rollor contact switches.

2.) Dry ballscrew... has it been greased lately?

3.) improper alignment. Does the quill nut (when you engage/disengage the 3rd axis does it meet up with the ballscrew's nut smoothly?) People knock the alignment out alot when they rotate/tram in the head.

4.) Tuning the motor never hurts.

Tuning procedure for AC motors....

1.) Setup white soft key.
2.) Arrow down till you highlite "installation setup"
3.) Hit enter softkey
4.) Key in passcode "8891" (standard)
5.) Arrow down till you highlite "Servo tuning"
6.) Enter softkey.
7.) Select "Auto tuning" and Which axis you want to complete.
8.) Gain test first. Will move selected axis 2 inches both direction from where it sits from 0-100% rapid back and forth.
9.) Wait for it to complete test.... 5-15mins
10.) If message comes up stating "Manual tune/ call Acurite" Tuning failed
11.) if you dont see anything simular to that message and table isnt moving anymore.... tuning is complete.
12.) Then complete the balance test. Corrects holding voltage to motor. (same rules apply to this.)
13.) If both tuning complete w/o problems then select " save new setting"
IMPORTANT!!! if this step isnt completed, control will not take new info.

If it wont auto tune you might need to replace the motor.... there is a manual way to tune these but I will not explain this..... The manual that came with the millpower option should contain all this info. Or the acurite website will provide this as well.

For DC motors......same apply.

Hope this helps out. I haven't done this for quite a while and some of my discriptions of selections in my steps may be off a tad. But I got it as close as I can w/o any control in front of me.

[bigbadtom]

hi guys just posted this here as this seems like a very useful thread for acu rite controller.

we are having issue with a acu rite controller fitted to a bridgeport mill, the problems started with the machine loosing it 0,0 position while machining parts and then the maching would move at an angle through the part. we found a broken wire on y axis sczle and got it fixed. now the machine will not hold the y axis position and also the y axis rapid button would not function.

the y axis limits have been reprogrammed into machine, and now the y axis rapid button are working. the problem we having now is that when finding home after turning on controller, the y axis zero is not where was previously set.

does anyone know the cause for this and anyway we could trobleshoot this.

[Nawrocki4Life]

Tom is this a AC or a DC system. Easy to tell is.... DC is a circle motor and ac is a square motor. The only way the machine positions or knows its position is the scale. There is a tach in the motor but thats for velocity. If machine isnt holding position, its either mechanical or the scale. Since you found a broken wire I would suggest changing the scale and taking it from there. You could check backlash and the gib in the machine. You could also try re-tuning that axis. I have posted a description in a post below. but truely sounds like the scale is the problem. If you get a new scale, new software is also needed to use the finer (1UM) scales. Where ever you order the scale will be able to provide you with this. good luck!

[ppascuzzi]

Originally Posted by Nawrocki4Life Hello I worked on many of these through my time. Is the system AC or DC motors? AC motors and you might be in trouble, DC motors can tune and keep it pretty easily. .

A few years ago when Accurite tried using the AC motors on Millpwrs they ended up sending out DC replacements for most of them. Of course by the time Accurite admitted there was a problem we had burned up all the profit we made on the machines in the near endless warranty calls to tune and retune the drives. At the same time they stopped selling AC drives and went back to the DC drives. To my knowledge they still use the DC drives

Seems like too many companies push products out the door with little or no testing to see if it even works, and sometimes knowing it doesn't work.

[mrzero]

Hi all,
I am running a 2008 Wells-Index knee mill factory outfitted with the Accu-Rite (Heidenhain) Millpwr 2 axis controller and my question to this forum is.
Upon loading any DXF file via floppy disk, a message displays saying the file is too large. Sometimes a part of the file will load (what a tease) but, never all.
Even a simple square or a circle will fail to load.
My DXF files have been generated from a multitude of different CAD programs thinking that was the impasse, I am most comfortable with Turbo-CAD v9 though.
Anybody have a Millpwr running DXF files?
What CAD program works?
I’ve known of Drip feeding though the RS232, But never tried it, My PC is too far from my machine.
How do I get them files into it’s brain?
Any input will be appreciated.