Newbie- Spindle cooling system (and ball screws)

[GM81]

A month or so ago I noticed the cooling line to the spindle was severed on our 3016. I replaced it and added fluid and fired the machine back up to find the fluid level dropping fast. Come to find out the lines going in and out by the X servo motor have been cut. So now I think someone did it to the spindle also intentionally.

So the question. Why would someone do this? I am surprised nothing has went wrong. I don't know if a random maintenance guy would do that, or if it has been like that since the machine was bought long before I worked here. Is there any reason it should be like this?

Also, where are the other lines going in and out at? I am assuming there is no reason you wouldn't want cooling...



Thanks for reading,

Garrett

[Neal]

Some people have disabled the cooling system because thewy thought it wasn't really needed.
They simply just did NOT understand the importance of the system and its possible damage to the machine when disabled.
Unfortunately some people don't think and do not bother to check it out before doing anything.
There is also the possiblity of sabotage! You would need to make that determination.

Neal

[alex gitzel]

The lines go from the pump to the sensor under the rear cabinet then to x axis,up to z axis,then to the spindle bottom,out the top then to y axis and back to the cooler and tank.check all fittings+hoses then you can put in some food coloring to spot any other leaks,the balscrews are the most common leaks and they can be bypassed without damage but the spindle needs to be cooled.the coolant in the screws only keeps the temp.even so the wont grow during operation but it is a fadal and you probably will not notice any differance.

[Neal]

If the ball screws are NOT cooled you perhaps have an issue. From a cold machine to a warm machine you can easily see a drift of your home position by 0003" to .0012". This drift normally takes place during the first 10 to 15 minutes of running. After that the drift become much smaller BUT is does still drift. It dpends on how tight your tolerances aqre whether or not this will cause any grief.

Neal

[GM81]

I've got it patched up to Z. There is a mount where the Z axis motor is located, and what appears to be a manifold where the Z ball screw is located. It has two ports with nothing threaded in, One port is higher than the other. I would suspect the top port is in and the lower one is out? Anyone by chance know that for sure, or does it matter?

Thanks for reading.