Need Help!- Bridgeport 720H

[MSpre]

Hi,

I have a slight annoying problem with my tool changer. When the toolchanger grabb the tool and pull down its sounds like the air is not enough and i get a warning - Air pressure low-, but its not low i have enough the gages also show its enough. Air is set acording to manual. Sometimes it works w/o problem but 8/10 times its like this.

It works fine when it retracts up to set tool and goes back.

Right now im at a job that requiers 9 toolchanges to get done. Its very irritating to klick 4 times to get it running again each time it shifts.


Is it problem with the booster or what can it be?

Thanks,

MS

[machintek]

Usually these machines have a air blast to clean the tool. When this comes on, the air demand is high and if a 1/4 inch ID line is used the pressure will drop and machine will fault out. It may also be that the switch is set too high.

George

[MSpre]

Thanks George for your reply.

We got compressor tank just beside the machine (about 10 feet) and between that we use 1/4 ID tube.

I will try get a larger tube today if possible and ill reply with the result

Thanks again,

/Göran

[MSpre]

I changed the tube to larger one but result is worse, now it also stop just when it put in the tool in spindle.

Where do i decreas the airblast flow? It might be a problem there that it takes to much air.

Ihave a 150liter air tank and its 10 bar. Machine airguages is set on 5 bar so should be enough flow?
I can do atleast 15-20 toolchanged before it start build pressure again.


I have had the machine for about 5 months and it worked fine the first 2 months. After that this problem accured.

Thanks,

Göran

[machintek]

I have to mention this because it happened to me. I had a Bridgeport VMC but with a DX32 control that would give me a invalid switch state when doing a tool change. Removing the covers around the head, I noticed that when the air blast fired, the draw bar would come up thus giving me the switch state error. I found that this customer had black pipe full of rust scale coming to his machine. The air passages were restricted causing the problem.
Try watching the draw bar during a tool change.
Try pulling the wires off the coil that does the air blast to see if that helps.
I have had many machines fault due to a lack of air volume to a machine. That is why the first item to try is the larger air line.

George

[MSpre]

I will check on it as soon as i can. I got a small toolmaking company with my brother and we started about 1 year ago. Our ide was just to do something for our selfs and do something we like and are proud of.

We didnt have any customers just an old Maho 800... But we are careful with expences etc now have Deckel FP4Nc, Maho 700C, Maho 1000C, Bridgeport 720, 2 manual lathe´s (VDF) and a SIP 5 Jiggbore.

Today we mostly do spareparts from scrath with drawings och repairs.

Little bit of short history

Bridgeport is now making moulds for rubber and will be on 24H untill monday, then i will take a good look at the airsystem.

Sadly this Brideport only got a 4000rpm head so all moulds etc take abit longer time.

I didnt know when i bought it but i got it for a very good price with lots of tools. Spindle have barley gone any hours so it spinns like a kitten.

Thanks again George for your tips


//Göran

[machintek]

The conversion to 6K is very easy. 2 pulleys, a belt and some parameter changes.
In your case probably cost effective.

George

[Kevin77]

Is this conversion possible on an Interact Mk.2? Better spindle bearings needed? Does the motor have sufficient torque?

Kevin

[machintek]

The VMC machines could be ordered with either speed spindle and there was a service bulletin listing the part numbers for each. That was NOT the case with the INt1Mk2.

George

[MSpre]

I have finnaly found the problem, and it was like You said. It was not air into the machine. I did a complete cleaning on all filter etc and they where clean.

After a day of cleaning i checked the compressor and connected the air straight to the tank. Before it was connected to the regulator on compressor. And now the toolchanging works perfectly. I dismantled the regulator in anger and i found some seal gasket that was filling the air hole. It wasnt machine problem after all

Thanks for the help George.

I called the Swedish service folks for Bridgeport about upgrading from 4-6K and they know its possible but not really intrested in doing it.
They promised to call last week but havnt, ill give them a poke again and see what they say.

Thanks

Göran