This sounds odd to me...

[Eritex Inc.]

So I am moving about 450 miles away from where I have lived my entire life. The move will include both my house and my business and involves setting up my shop on my property in a 1200 square foot shop. I have a 2007 Haas Minimill that is three phase but the new property only has single phase so I know a converter is going to need to be installed. I have been trying to explode my brain with info on converters, rotary and static, for about a month and think I am more confused about this then I was before reading and talking with my HFO along with multiple converter companies.

This is what the badge on the machine reads...



I know this model could be ordered with either a single phase or a three phase spindle and I ordered the 3 phase option. To me, the tag shows for both options, correct?

Now, next question. I need a phase converter and have talked to 5 companies and have gotten prices from $1,200.00 to $4,500.00 for a converter. To me that seems to be a pretty big window in pricing and once again, confusion has set in.

Third question. I keep reading about the balance between the three legs on three phase need to be with in 5% balance but my HFO install guy acted like I was speaking Greek when I brought it up. He said the transformer in the Haas will balance the power????


So, big question is, which converter do I need and what specs should I be going off of? This machine is my life blood so cocking it up or doing thousands of dollars of damage is not an option for me.

Thank you guys so much, I get so much great info off here

[Eritex Inc.]

One thing I forgot to add, I do a lot of rigid tapping with small taps (2-56, 2mm, etc) if that makes a difference.

[Donkey Hotey]

I don't think you'll necessarily need the phase converter. First off, your plate says 3/1 phase. I think that means Three OR Single phase.

The telltale will be your spindle drive. Open the cabinet. Do you have a Vector Drive on the right side of the cabinet? If it doesn't say Vector Drive and your spindle is driven by an amplifier on the left side of the cabinet (mixed in with the axis amplifiers), it should run on single phase power.

[Machineit]

Yup, you will need a phase converter if it is not single phase, rotary not static. A 20 hp will be fine, I run my VF-2 on one right now. The one listed below is from ebay and the shipping is free. The specs on it say +-2%, which will be fine too.

My first one I built myself and ran a whole shop with it for years, it was 30 hp. My current one I bought off of ebay.

They are easy to set up and run pretty quite.

If you have any further questions, just ask.

20 HP Rotary Phase Converter - CNC / Heavy Duty - eBay (item 310286988906 end time Jan-20-11 07:42:37 PST)

Cheers---Mike

[Donkey Hotey]

Originally Posted by Machineit Yup, you will need a phase converter if it is not single phase

Whoa, whoa, he's got a minimill, not a VF. The power supply strategy is different in the smaller machines.

Does it have a chip auger? Does anybody remember if the Haas chip auger is 3-phase or single-phase?

[Eritex Inc.]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey I don't think you'll necessarily need the phase converter. First off, your plate says 3/1 phase. I think that means Three OR Single phase. The telltale will be your spindle drive. Open the cabinet. Do you have a Vector Drive on the right side of the cabinet? If it doesn't say Vector Drive and your spindle is driven by an amplifier on the left side of the cabinet (mixed in with the axis amplifiers), it should run on single phase power.

Here is a shot I just took. I do not see "Vector Drive" anywhere.

[Eritex Inc.]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey Whoa, whoa, he's got a minimill, not a VF. The power supply strategy is different in the smaller machines. Does it have a chip auger? Does anybody remember if the Haas chip auger is 3-phase or single-phase?

Yes, it has the chip auger, probe, coolant, macros, rotation, rigid tapping...

I need to pull out the invoice to see all the options I had installed.

[Machineit]

Looks like single phase. And, I might add, very clean!!!!!!

Mike

[Eritex Inc.]

How can it be both single and three phase? Also, is there any drawbacks to single phase operation? I thought I heard it would cog at lower RPM, run hotter, and have a little less power and torque with the single phase spindle so that is why I picked the three phase spindle???

LOL, I sound like a real idiot right now...

[underthetire]

TM's and mini's can run single phase. They will use more current in single phase, but since all modern drives convert to DC, then back to ac, they work fine. According to your tag, 25 amps three phase, 40 amps single phase.

[helix77]

I would get the phase converter... it is cheaper to run. the rule of thumb i was told is always double the horsepower needed when you buy the converter i.e... mini mill hp (non super)= 7.5.. so buy a 15hp

[underthetire]

Thats not always true. It will take power to run the phase converter. I'd bet it equals out.