Floor load capacity: do you pour custom pads for your machine?

[MadMax]

I've been looking at some of the installation guidelines in my lathe manuals and have seen some pretty significant discrepancies between machine makers. Some of it makes sense. Not all machines have a base stiff enough to prevent warp. Still, some of the recommendations are pretty extreme, going as far as pouring a slab over 1' thick with reinforcement bars with steel inserts poking up to screw the machine down to.

I've got two lathes that are roughly comparable mass and size:

-Daewoo Puma 200 (about 5 tons)
-Hardinge Conquest T42 (about 5 tons)

The Hardinge manual doesn't say much about screwing it down to the floor and basically says that no levelling is required. Only one foot is adjustable so it doesn't wobble like a restaurant table.

The Daewoo calls for cast in anchors to pull the base down into a very thick pad with a schedule of levelling inspection.

So far, I've had very little settling on my Daewoo which is sitting on a concrete floor pad that is only about 4.5" thick with no rebar. Seems nice and level even after over a year of service with only one adjustment made about 6wks after initial placement (not counting the 2nd levelling after 24hrs after placement).

The Hardinge seems to be happily rumbling away after basically dropping it onto the floor and cranking down the single foot.

Now I've only been running my gear for a year now. I'm planning to move to a bigger space so I find myself thinking about floor specs. Should I be breaking out the floor to pour thicker pads where the machines should go? Do many of you run your machines on plain concrete floors?

[rock4xfab]

NO you dont need to pour a new base pad, unless you only have a 1" thick floor.. Most concrete slabs in a garage or industrial space are min 4" thick.
My industrial shop has 6" in the center and 24" at the door openings.. The building was used to work on heavy equipment. My 17,000# VMC is setting on a 4" pour. Afte the unit sat for 3 weeks I checked level and turned the leveler up just about .008" on one corner. It has not moved since. Same goes for my Puma and Cholchester lathe.

[neutronics]

We had an automotive lift installed at one of my old jobs (it was for building magazine project cars, not general mechancis). When the installers came to put it in they drilled through the floor to insert RedHeads and found that the slab was not quite 2” thick and said we had to pour pads.

I was dreading the job, but did it myself and it wound up being very easy. I think I had four hours into it including time to rent the jackhammer (110 VAC type), mixing the concrete and cleaning up.

I’m not into this construction-type work, but I seriously think the job was easier than epoxy-coating my garage floor…

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

5 ton machines aren't all that heavy. I always isolated poured foundations, no matter what size. Probably overkill like belts + suspenders (braces).

In my own defence, these were always machines doing very fussy work and I personally didn't have to pay for them.LOL

If you have a 6" floor, I think you'll be OK with those machines.

Dick Z

[MadMax]

Thanks for your replies guys. It's very helpful getting a little perspective on this issue.

[Algirdas]

maybe my opinion will help also. It's good to have Your guideways straight even in case, when You don't need high accuracy. Sliding parts with guideways will wear less. Good leveling is highly important for accurate work, of course. It's essential for long lathe with tailstock or sub-spindle.