Bar Feeder on Okuma L300-M

[Japazo]

Please excuse me as I am fairly new to CNC in general, and have never dealt with any type of bar feeder. We just purchased a new Genos(tm) L300-M mill-turn. The machine runs great and I am having a great time learning how to use it. I am looking forward and thinking about automation. I already purchased a hydraulic bar PULLER, for semi-automated runs. We had an old Traub TNM42 with a Stamag 3000 VST bar FEEDER on it, which is out of commission. I am attempting to get rid of the machine but was wondering if the bar feeder could be adapted to work decent with our new machine?

Does anyone have experience with adapting bar feeders to lathes, and specifically experience with Stamag bar feeders? I dont know if the age of the feeder is going to make it impossible to interface with the new machine, or if it simply isn't suited for the task. Also, with my relatively low knowledge of these systems and lack of significant time to tinker with them, the amount of work required to make it function is a limiting factor. I am willing to spend nights working on it, but if it is going to take 100 hours and tons of parts then it isn't worth it to me.

So any ideas, input or assistance is hugely appreciated. As always, I can supply any information you need. Thanks ahead of time to anyone who can contribute!

[Algirdas]

1. You can use bar feeder as support for small bar till machine is capable to pull it with tool in the turret.
2. You can use bar feeder as simple bar puller and machine will take required length.
1 and 2 applications don't require much from the bar feeder.
So, it is worth anyway. If bar feeder appears to be capable to work properly with many functions, then You need the machine interface. If Your lathe has bar feeder interface built in?

[Japazo]

1. You can use bar feeder as support for small bar till machine is capable to pull it with tool in the turret.
2. You can use bar feeder as simple bar puller and machine will take required length.
1 and 2 applications don't require much from the bar feeder.
So, it is worth anyway. If bar feeder appears to be capable to work properly with many functions, then You need the machine interface. If Your lathe has bar feeder interface built in?

So I should be able to position the feeder correctly and just use my hydraulic bar puller to pull from it? In other words, it should stabilize the bar while it's spinning to prevent whipping?

As far as the connections to make it work using my controller...

Has the technology of bar feeders changed drastically over the years? Will the electrical connections fit my new machine (assuming I can find the connections for a bar feeder)? If it will simply never work in an automated fashion then it is probably worth more if I sell it along with the machine that it came off of. Any more input guys?

[underthetire]

Barfeeders have changed DRASTICALLY since the early days. Most are auto loading now, still a few hydraulic ones around. You don't say what style you have. If it's just a hydraulic (oil) pusher type, then you can get it to work. An auto load, probably not, and if the Okuma does not have the barfeed interface, forget it.

Hydraulic one you will need to tie in the Estop strings, so either Estop shuts everything down. In position switch if the B/F has it, so the machine cant start till the barfeed is clamped in to position. Then there is the End Of Bar signal that should be interfaced to the machine so you dont machine off the end of the pusher. Probably a couple others as well.