Converting B40 Taper to a CAT40

[11toma]

I just bought a Fadal 2216, the specs said it was a CAT40, and after getting the machine I come to find out it is a BT40 Taper machine. I have plenty of CAT40 holders and would hate to have to invest in BT40 now. Does anyone have a procedure for converting a BT40 to a CAT40? I was told that you have to drop the tool carousel, replace the tool fingers flip over and reinstall. Than you have to set the tool change height, this is where I need help, not sure how you do this. Supposedly this is all it takes to convert. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Neal]

If you have a standard ATC and NOT the dual swing arm style, then remove the Turrent plate and flip it upside down. Remove all the clips for the pockets and replace them with the CAT-40 clips. Reset your Z axis cold start position so that the clips in the turret line up with the groove in your tool holder in the spindle.

If you have the DATC style, replace the clips in the swing arm and reset you Z axis cold start position.

Neal

[CANTREMEMBER]

11toma, I bought a 2216 less than a year ago, it has BT and I was planning to convert to CT. I bought all of the clips, and then decided to purchase all new tooling. I have the clips, unopened, if you want to buy them a little cheaper.

[11toma]

I wish I would of known 3 days ago, I ordered them on Monday and they are in transit. I should have wrote this post first. Thanks anyway!

[11toma]

Neal,
I have the standard ATC. I can handle everything except the following (Reset your Z axis cold start position so that the clips in the turret line up with the groove in your tool holder in the spindle). Can you explain how this is done. Thanks, Tom.

[alex gitzel]

If this is a dc motor(round) machine you will need to loosen and turn the resolver to line it up.if it is ac(square motor)you can move the cold start by changing the zero offset number in the survey (command sv brings it up).you may also need to take the motor off and turn the coupler 180 degrees to get it close.bring the atc over by hand,have a tool in the spindle and look at how the clips line up to the tool and adjust as needed.

[Neal]

Alex is correct. I don't think that rotating the coupler will be necessary.

Neal

[11toma]

I have the round motor, so that would make it a DC. So I need to manually rotate the resolver, I am assuming that this will move the -Z- axis up or down. I will also need to manually move the tool carousel in to line the fingers up with the tool loaded into the spindle. Does that sum it up? And prior to all this I have to flip the carousel and install new CAT40 fingers. Thanks for any and all help. Tom.

[Neal]

There might be an issue with the rotation stopping location of the turret plate. The pocket needs to stop so that it is line up with the center of the tool holder. To accomplish this simply adjust the parameter "Turret Factor" in the SETP parameters up or down in value. This assumes it is a geneva style ATC.

Neal

[jpcaputo]

I ended up doing the something, buying a bt 4020 thinking it was cat. Do you still have the cat clips for sale ?

Thanks

JP