VFD Balancing?

[Edster]

I'd like to balance the VFD on my Fadal VMC15. I have the manuals from the fadal website. My machine is a 94 and the procedure in the manual doesn't match my VFD. Does anyone have a copy of the procedure for an older mill? The particular manual I have also says that in order to have rigid tap you need a vector drive. I hope that is just for the newer mills otherwise something is amiss because I have a Baldor SWEO Drive and rigid tap.

Any info would be appreciated.

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[Al_The_Man]

Do you have an encoder on the spindle back to the VFD? Otherwise you will not be able to rigid tap. Vector drives have the capability of encoder or pulse wheel sensor input.
Al.

[nervis1]

Your Baldor drive should have a keypad on it. If not you can get one from Baldor for about 100 dollars. The procedure for balancing is in the manual off of Fadal's website. (Maintenance manual).

[Edster]

I have the keypad, and the manual off fadal's site. When I start to go through the steps to balance the drive the screen's don't match up to what's in the manual.

When should the drive be balanced, and what happens if it's not balanced?

[Al_The_Man]

If the drive is not balanced the ±10v analogue voltage is not set to zero for the drive at zero speed.
IOW the drive has to be at zero speed when the control is outputting a zero speed signal, otherwise it will creep . This is important with the rigid tapping feature.
Al.

[nervis1]

Next thing I would do is contact Baldor, their tech support is great, at least every time I've called them. I bet they will fax you the instructions.

[Edster]

I contacted baldor and got the correct manual emailed to me.

Next question. In the manual it says the motor should be free to rotate with no significant load. Does this mean remove the drive belt and let the motor spin free when auto tuning the drive?

[Al_The_Man]

Generally auto-tuning exercises the armature of the motor slightly, not at high speed or acceleration so as long as the load is not super heavy or operate into a gearbox in low gear then it really does not matter, as long as it is able to turn freely.
Al.

[Edster]

I ran the auto tune with no problems. Baldor said to remove the belt and run the auto tune. The machine is running better, but I'm still getting a C axis fault motor overload while rigid tapping. It's an intermittent problem, and 1 out of 10 tap cycles will get the fault. It usually faults out right before the tap cycle starts when the machine is setting the spindle speed. If it gets the 4 turns to set the speed right it will tap perfect. Are there any adjustments that need to be made to the c axis card?

[Al_The_Man]

It sounds like you have a separate motor for the C axis instead of using the VFD for tapping?
This would make sense if you don't have a vector style VFD for zero speed operation?
Or is this C axis card in fact controlling the analog to the VFD?
Al.

[Edster]

I only have one spindle motor, and I'm pretty sure there is a card for the c axis. Are there any adjustments for the c axis like the xyz?

[dango]

o.k. I will try to help you
first you need to find what type of control you have -2 or -4
it can be written on the paper inside the pocket of the door in the electric cabinet that
mount from the side
also you have to check if from the spindel card you have cable conector that goes
to the baldor the card is thired from write hand
thired check in SETP
what written for the gain and the ramp
if the control is -4 it written on page 2

[Edster]

Control is a -4

I have a spindle control card, looks like axis card but in different spot, third card from right.

My current settings

RPM factor 0
Orientation factor 15
Gain 58
Ramp 100
Z tap gain High
XYZ Ramp 100

These settings are working pretty good, I've had one motor fault in probably 100 holes tapped yesterday. These came right from the manual as start points for a VMC15. The only problem is the spindle speed ramp. The machine never gets to max programmed rpm. I think this is controlled by the ramp. I set it at zero and it gets up to programmed rpm quickly, but the motor faults more frequently.

the old settings when my pulley was in the wrong range (3750 max rpm supposed to be 7500)

RPM factor 0
Orientation factor 10
Gain 58
Ramp 0
Z tap Gain High
XYZ Ramp 160

These settings wouldn't work with the pulley in the correct range.

It doesn't look like there are any adjustments on the spindle card. Is there a way to adjust the rpm to match the programmed rpm exactly? My machine is 20-30 rpm off. At first I just thought it was the rpm pot on the control, but after disabling the pots (m49) it's still off. Maybe this is contributing to the intermittent problem I'm having. Btw I verified this on the display of the vfd and with a noncontact tachometer.

I'd also like to get my ramp time dialed in. I think the machine should have some ramp but never getting to programmed rpm isn't right. What do you guys run for ramp settings?

[dango]

first off all when I have any kind of problem with the inverter
I am loading again the parmeter
I will explain how to do this
push on the baldor keypad LOCAL then PROG and you got on the display PRESET SPEEDS
go with the UP key till INPUT and press ENTER
then with UP key till ANA CMD OFFSET and write the number there
then push twice RESET the DOWN ket once for programing exit
then again LOCAL and PROG
go with the DOWN key till LEVEL 2 BLOCK press ENTER
and go with the DOWN key till MISCELLANEOUS and push ENTER
go with the UP key till FACTORY setting and push ENTER
change the NO to YES with the UP key then press ENTER
now it will load the PARAMETER
then again twice RESET then one DOWN ENTER
and again LOCAL PROG
DOWN to level 2 BLOCK ENTER
then DOWN till AUTO TUNING
make the AUTO TUNING and finish
I assumed that you know to do the TUNING
for the ramp that you written about I did not understand please explain
the ramp is only for rigid tapping
if the baldor fail after 60-100 holes it came from the DISCHARGE unit
check your brake resistor
or get from FADAL bullitin that talk about this problem and explain
that some of the capacitor have to be removed and how to do that
the only thing that change the RPM is the RPM FACTOR change it to let say
5 and you will see on the baldor that in 300 rpm M49 that the speed was going up
300 rpm it 20 HZ on the baldor

[Edster]

Thanks for the reply dango,

do you know if the factory parameters are the parameters from baldor (the vfd manufacturer) or fadal?

Anyway I went ahead and had fadal send a service tech out. They sent me a new guy that was grabbing for straws, and hacking up my machine. The best part was when he tried to install a software upgrade. It was from a dash 5 system. My dash 4 control didn't like that one bit. He also swapped the controller cards for the c axis and another axis. The c card says right on it rigid tap only! The machine didn't like that either. At one point I could hear, from my office, something energizing and tripping repetedly for about a minute strait while the tech stood staring at the screen. Needless to say he won't be coming back and there sending me another tech later this week. Hopefully he didn't damage anything. Before the tech came out the machine would tap, but ocassionally get an error from the encoder, or ocassionally break a tap. Now the machine won't tap at all.

[dango]

the parameter inside the baldor made by Fadal
this is the software
and on the baldor outside it written the version like 2.18-FA6
Fadal part number ELE-0181
but about your problem ask at Fadal for KIRK KORDI he know
about this problem
I found FADAL BULLETIN
the Symptom:
Rigid Tap problems: where the spindle cannot accelerate quickly on the upstroke on small 32-40 threads per inch holes,leading to pulled threads.Also,
Power Base Faults have been seen on the Vector Drive display
PROBLEM:
Baldor series Vector Drives have too many capacitors installed on the main board
if this is your problem then write to me and I will scan and email to you this
they proceed with explaned how to remove the capacitors

[Edster]

Dango,

I don't know if this is my problem, but I'd definitly like to see the bulliten.

edster75@earthlink.net

If I reload the factory parmeters does that include the parameters set by the auto tuning procedure? I read in the fadal service manual that if I'm getting overloads some settings adjusted in the auto tuning procedure need to be manually adusted.

Another service tech came out yesterday and replaced the encoder with the updated one, and checked everything the other tech was messing with. The mill was working perfectly when he left

Still won't rigid tap, and I'm still getting motor overloads error #7

I talked to him on the phone after he left and he is thinking it's a problem with the relays that switch the motor windings. I have three old ones that are buzzing and the newer machines only have two. He's is coming back out to install two new relays in the current configuration. Hopefully this will get us closer to the solution.

The tech also installed a spindle motor filter and an updated filter for the fan on the electrical cabinet near the coolant tank. This is great! I hated cleaning those pita fans! They were pretty cheap and it's basically a car air filter, so replacements are very cheap.

[dango]

again if you reload the factory setting you need to get out and then go back for making the auto tuning beacuse when you load the factory setting this will set to zero all the parametter that setting by the auto tuning
if you get M19 problem then you need to set the ANA com OFFset in the input
on the relays there is small switch this can cause the problem with the rigid taping
the buletin that I promise you I put it some where and can not find it but give me some days and I will send it