Fadal Y Axis Fault

[fm.ind]

Hi,
I have a Fadal VMC 15 3 axis mill. 10,000RPM 1996.
While cleaning out the chips, I jogged the y axis to the extreme back and left it running like this. I worked for 30 mins. and then left for a 1 hour break.

When I came back the whole shop building was smelled like burned electrical components, and someone had pushed the E-Stop button. The screen on the machine said "Y Axis amplifier fault" when put in jog mode. It also listed "Error #18".

I don't know much about diagnosing or servicing this machine, but can someone give me some direction to start?

-Thanks

[oldedi]

The Y axis might have "pinched" some chips between the saddle and the back sheet metal. When an axis sits against something the motor struggles to achieve location and eventually heats up. There is a temperature snap switch on the resolver of a D.C. machine, this usually throws a #17 error, a #18 means the fault line is down for that axis amplifier. Make sure you let the motor cool down for at least a half day, a whole day is better. Check the overload on the amplifier chassis, perhaps its just tripped. Its a square button on the overload in the upper right of the amplifier chassis itself.

Probably burned up the motor, possibly the amp too. But you never know, I've seen some cool down and run just fine.

Let me know...

[fm.ind]

There is no button on the servo amplifier board.

Any chance I might have a different version of the boards than your
talking about?

[iess525]

You may have burned up the Y-axis amplifier. Swap the X & Y amplifiers and see where the problem goes. You can message me your number and I will walk you through a diagnosis over the phone.

[kappullen]

fm,

Sounds like the limits were set-up wrong.

If the limit is set to go off after the machine hits the spring stops,
She tries to go where you told her.

She sat there all that time under full load heading for the limit, against the stop,
and burned her self up.

The moral of this story is, don't rely on the limits, cause they like any other
electro-mechanical devise, are gonna fail and burn your butt.

Kap