Millport CNC Ebay find!

[pimpbike]

Just found a sweet deal on Ebay. $750 buy it now for a cnc millport retrofit. Just so happened that it was only a 3.5hr drive from my place so I couldn't pass it up. The machine is in great shape. The original drive was anilam but was blown. The guy stripped off the control prior and sold the parts on ebay. All ways are in great shape no scratches and the table barely has a nick. I thought the machine might have been "too good to be true" glad it was as described! I thought bringing the machine from NY back to Ontario Canada would have posed paper work issues but a quick call to Canada customs quickly assured me an easy move. They just gave me a tarrif number and the was no duties. Only had to pay the tax. Crossing the border these days is a heck of a lot different than the last time I crossed 7yrs ago. A million questions. 911 sure has changed things alot.

Does anyone here use the UHU servo controllers from http://bgmikro.com? On my Hurco retrofit I went with the larken drives which are Canadian but took a month to get. Price seems good and the specs look just as good. Just wondering if they are slow to ship too. Servos on the mill are SEM 140 vdc, 2500 rpm, 30 amp. Any other suggestions for drives that will be compatible would be appreciated.

[keitholivier]

I'm green to the gills after paying $950 for my Kent 380....

[pimpbike]

Hi Keith, I know how you feel. I've watched ebay auctions forever trying to get a bargin only to see the machine fetch ridiculous amounts of money for Junk. Then an auction that I've been watching for fun (thinking it would fetch $1000s) fetches a rediculously low price that I wish I had been paying attention to place a bid on it. That's why on this auction when I saw the "buy it now" I couldn't afford to let it get snatched away from me. I have been planning forever to retro an Old Bridgeport MOOG NC Hydrapoint. This machine originally had a control that was as big as the machine itself. The machine table and ways are in mint condition. I've been trying to score some deals on ball screws on ebay only to see the bidding go past the amount I'm willing to pay. I figured By the time I put in Ball screws, bearings, Timing belts/Pulleys and Servo motors I'd be easily over the $750 I payed for the Millport. I really wanted to drive the knee on the Bridgeport but because the Millport already has the mechanical end done I can live with the quill feed on the z axis. I'm happy about the 40 taper on the spindle also because I can share the tool holders from my Hurco CNC.

[keitholivier]

The Kent 380 was also a "buy it now" for $950 and the lowest I had seen in many weeks of searching was $1500 for some pretty beat up machines. Mills with a DRO were typically over $2000. There were a few very old (50's to 60's) Bridgeports in Ohio but I can't imagine that the ways on those suckers would be in good condition.

The fact that it was an hour and a half away was the clincher. I think I spotted the listing within a few minutes of it going online and I knew I wouldn't have much time to grab it.

But I think your machine is a lot nicer. There will be more work and expense in getting it going, but you will have a really nice piece of equipment then.

Right now I don't think I have the need for CNC ing my mill, but I would like a CNC router. I seem to have an endless list of domestic projects that need lots of accurate holes (like floor to ceiling bookshelves) and some of the stuff I am personally interested in involves carving foam to make molds for composite parts. So I can see myself building a router at least big enough to handle 4x8 sheet materials. After a lot of evaluation, it looks like the cheapest, simplest base will be a granite surface plate. Plenty rigid too.... Even the 8020 surplus stuff will cost more than 2K for the base and I have to imagine that a machine built out of that stuff will resonate like crazy.

Anyway, the realization of thse dreams is not yet on the horizon...

Keith

[pimpbike]

You may want to look at this site here: http://mechmate.com/ They have free plans for a router that looks well constructed.

Dan

[rkdygert]

Hey...that's a nice looking mill you've got there...looks familiar! Glad you guys made it back to Canada without a problem. Good luck with the retrofit, keep me posted how you make out...

Thanks again!
-Ryan

[pimpbike]

LOL, Hey Ryan I didn't know you were a member of the CNC zone, thanks again for the great deal! I need another great deal on a cnc Lathe now Email me If you come across something.

I'm still trying to get a hold of these guys http://bgmikro.com but no replies on the servo drives. I'm still trying to find a drive that will work with these SEM 140 vdc, 2500 rpm, 30 amp servo motors. If anyone can suggest a supplier of a hobby priced unit I'd love to hear about it.

Dan

[keitholivier]

Hows that again ? 140V x 30 amp = ~4.4kW = 6hp ? Per motor ? You should be able to run them at lower voltage and current and just get feed rates and rapids at a hair less than "lightspeed"...

[flyeribe]

Hi Dan how are you doing with your moog convertion I'll also have two of them and in the process in converting one right now. Have most of the items just needed to put it all together. I'll post a picture later on this week. Where are you located I'm south of Ottawa.

Luke

[pimpbike]

The Moog has been postponed until I can get a good deal on ball screws. Right now I'm almost 3/4 done my Hurco Tm-5 bed mill. Just need to get the blown servo controllers back from Larken. They rated the drives for way more than they can actually handle. The new drives Larry is coming out with should do it I hope. The millport machine should be next is line to retrofit then I just bought an Ex-cello cnc mill on ebay with 4th axis cheap, so that one will follow. Should keep me busy over the winter months.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=170153272544

I'm in Peterborough ON. about 3hrs from Ottawa

Pls post the pics of your Moog

Dan

[mjm]

pimpbike, I am jumping in on this thread way late but I also have a Ex-cello 605 that needs a retrofit. Do you know what servo drives you are going to choose when you get to it? There seems to be little choice in "reasonably" priced drives of that voltage and amperage required for our mills.

Mark

[pimpbike]

Hi Mark, If the new Larken drives we just got back for my Hurco TM-5 bed mill end up working well, we might be going with 3 more for this mill. The Excello died when the company I bought it from had a power outage. May be an easy fix to get it going in that case I won't retrofit it. I will just clean, paint and flip it. I'm going to take off the 4th axis and use it on my Hurco. I have not gone though the Excello electrical drawings yet. I may be able to use the stock drives. There was a company called Skykowww.skyko.com that Produced a board called a pixie but from what I can see they have been discontinued. This is a step and direction input, analog voltage output controller board intended to connect to a brush or brushless motor amplifier accepting analog control voltages (+/-10v or +/-5v range). This board accepts encoder inputs from the motor and commands a motor amplifier to move the motor shaft to the desired position as indicated by the incoming step and direction signals. As of yet I don't know if there are any other companies producing such a product. If anybody knows of one please let me know. I will be posting more as things progress.

Dan