Initial cleanup questions?

[thackman]

I have a lot questions about the initial cleanup of the mill. It's still on the pallet and I want to tear it down, clean it up and lap the ways over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was planning to take the mill apart of the ground, clean it and put it back together on the bench (less weight to move at one time).

The Getting Started guide explains how to disassemble the saddle but I wasn't clear about one line. "It would greatly aid in the ease of this by running the y axis to it’s highest y travel first."
1) Does this mean I have to connect all of the electronics and get Mach3 up and running before disassembling the mill? Or should I take the steppers off and rotate the ballscrews by hand?

2) Where is the point of highest Y travel? Toward the operator or toward the column?

3) There is a switch on the mill labeled "CNC Mode" but it's not mentioned in the users manual nor “The black magic of G-Codes spindle” guide. Normally I would guess that the switch was CNC Mode / Manual mode but I don't see the point of a manual mode since the mill doesn't have handwheels. The Spindle Control Manual hint's that it might be for CNC/Manual control of the spindle speed only but the English was so poor I thought it was worth clarification. Is there some case where I would not want to use Mach3 to control the spindle speed?


4) I was planning on cleaning the entire mill and but it occurred to me that I would be removing a perfectly good rust preventative from nonmoving surfaces like the motor mounts? Should I just clean the ways and leave the nonmoving parts like the motor mounts alone?

5) How do I go about removing the head to clean and lap the column ways? It's not mentioned in the manual and appears to be more complex than the disassembly of the table and saddle. Do I just slide it up and off the dovetails or do I take the side plates off? What about the pneumatic cylinder and ballscrews? The size of the head doesn't look encouraging either any guesses as to what it weighs? The cables don't appear to be long enough for me to set the head on the floor once it's off. Overall it looks like it could have a lot of opportunities for mistakes. Any suggestions?

6) What is the process for adjusting the Z-Axis gibbs? I was expecting it to have set screws but it appears to have a single large screw that holds it in.


7) Can anyone explain what this line means? It's from the Spindle Control Board manual.
"Through jumps the line to brave, may cause the engine bed kneading board the rotational speed value, demonstrates original two times."

8) The drill chuck is covered in grease and doesn't open or close freely. I was considering soaking it overnight in k-1, cleaning it well and leaving it in a can of oil for a while. Any issues with that?



Any timesaving tips you might have are appreciated.

[metalworkz]

Hi,
1)You do not have to power up the machine, you can simply rotate the motor couplings by hand after removing the guards to move the X and Y axis.
2)I believe you will want the Y towards the column, but be careful removing the carriage not to damage the home switch. I think they are not using the optical switches so it may not be a problem anymore.
3)The CNC Mode switch on the front of the machine allows you to use the machine either in manual mode or CNC mode. It will need to be in CNC mode for it to be controlled through the program and G-code. You could use the machine in manual mode for some drilling, tapping, 2nd ops. etc where you will not need the movement of the axis I guess.
4) I don't think it is necessary to clean the non-moving parts and did not see much protective grease on the motor mts etc.
5)I only removed the X and Y axis and cleaned the Z by lowering and raising the head to access the rest.
6)You nay not need to soak it, it will probably clean up easily without soaking.
Just make sure what you use to clean the protective grease off is not too corrosive and be sure to relubricate all the surfaces right after cleaning and any lapping you do. Good luck with the cleanup and I hope you get it running and making chips real soon!
Regards,

[neilw20]

Heres my 20 cents worth:

Originally Posted by thackman I have a lot questions about the initial cleanup of the mill. It's still on the pallet and I want to tear it down, clean it up and lap the ways over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was planning to take the mill apart of the ground, clean it and put it back together on the bench (less weight to move at one time).

The head will still be heavy.

Originally Posted by thackman The Getting Started guide explains how to disassemble the saddle but I wasn't clear about one line. "It would greatly aid in the ease of this by running the y axis to it’s highest y travel first." Originally Posted by thackman 1) Does this mean I have to connect all of the electronics and get Mach3 up and running before disassembling the mill? Or should I take the steppers off and rotate the ballscrews by hand? With the power off you can rotate screws by hand. Else you need power and Mach3. Originally Posted by thackman 2) Where is the point of highest Y travel? Toward the operator or toward the column? Toward the operator I think. That exposes the limit switch etc. Originally Posted by thackman 3) There is a switch on the mill labeled "CNC Mode" but it's not mentioned in the users manual nor “The black magic of G-Codes spindle” guide. Normally I would guess that the switch was CNC Mode / Manual mode but I don't see the point of a manual mode since the mill doesn't have handwheels. The Spindle Control Manual hint's that it might be for CNC/Manual control of the spindle speed only but the English was so poor I thought it was worth clarification. Is there some case where I would not want to use Mach3 to control the spindle speed? Yes. Because there is no tool changer, it easier just to stop/start/adjust speed. Great for drilling holes with the PC off, because it has a quill. This is also a safety feature. Mach3 can't start spindle while you have the chuck key in it if you turn the switch to manual. Originally Posted by thackman 4) I was planning on cleaning the entire mill and but it occurred to me that I would be removing a perfectly good rust preventative from nonmoving surfaces like the motor mounts? Should I just clean the ways and leave the nonmoving parts like the motor mounts alone? Yeah. Just clean the ways, reassemble and adjust the gibs. Make sure the limit switch cable goes around the left of the column looking from the front, else it will eventually get eaten by a y move towards the column. Originally Posted by thackman 5) How do I go about removing the head to clean and lap the column ways? It's not mentioned in the manual and appears to be more complex than the disassembly of the table and saddle. Do I just slide it up and off the dovetails or do I take the side plates off? What about the pneumatic cylinder and ballscrews? The size of the head doesn't look encouraging either any guesses as to what it weighs? The cables don't appear to be long enough for me to set the head on the floor once it's off. Overall it looks like it could have a lot of opportunities for mistakes. Any suggestions? It is heavy. The gas strut is STRONG. Be careful. Big rat-trap. I would just give a good clean moving it to the extremities, then lubricate slide. I have not removed the head. Ask someone who has. Originally Posted by thackman 6) What is the process for adjusting the Z-Axis gibbs? I was expecting it to have set screws but it appears to have a single large screw that holds it in. The gib is tapered. Adjustment screw at top and bottom move it (the tapered gib) along the taper on the column. This is best done when all powered up, with Mach3 running it. Use a dial indicator. When backlash is least thats probably about right. Mine backlash is 0.02mm which is mostly head tilt when the screw overcomes the friction. For accurate work I move 0.02mm below the target Z level then back up to the required spot. Even had this problem on big machines. Friction, and no proper copunter balance does not help. I am going to make a dynamic screw operated balance (one day). This does not have the inertia of counter weights. It will also means the head will go down much further, with no strut to stop it. Originally Posted by thackman 7) Can anyone explain what this line means? It's from the Spindle Control Board manual. "Through jumps the line to brave, may cause the engine bed kneading board the rotational speed value, demonstrates original two times." Chines translution solution. Funny way to think about voltage to frequency strategy that does not work correctly. Originally Posted by thackman 8) The drill chuck is covered in grease and doesn't open or close freely. I was considering soaking it overnight in k-1, cleaning it well and leaving it in a can of oil for a while. Any issues with that? Spray a bit of WD-40 or CRC, or soak it in solvent off the machine and re-oil Any timesaving tips you might have are appreciated.

Initially is a time bandit, but that's a part of the learning process.

[SyilAmerica]

Wes did a good job answering, but here are a few additions / corrections.

2) You want the Y axis as far away from the column as possible.
4) Not nessasary to remove the grease from non moving areas. Just a cosmetic thing.
6) Tappered gibb. Push pull arrangment, loosen one tighten the other to go directions. You can take both screws out and pull the gibb out for cleaning and inspection.
7) That was a jumper on the version 2, to increase spindle output. You have version 3, and that function is not on it.
8)A few shots of carb cleaner or such will take it all off.

You shouldn't have to remove the head, but removal of the gibb for cleaning would be a good thing.

[thackman]

Thanks for the info. I've started the cleanup process and it was much quicker and easier that I thought it would go. Using a shop towel and some kerosene the grease wiped right off. I'm used to cleaning greasy engine parts with a tooth brush and scraper, the fresh grease was a snap to take off.

The mill came apart much easier than expected as well. The only issue that I had was that the saddle and table ways were frozen to each other and I had to use a rubber mallet to break the seal. I had a bit of a shock when the table came off. The ground surfaces were rough and covered with rust stains. I scrubbed at them with paper shop towels and kerosene and the shop towels were being shredded because the ground surfaces were so rough.
After 10 minutes of scrubbing the rust stains I was convinced I was going to have to lapp them out so I went on cleaning the rest of the mill.

At the end of the night I double checked the instructions noticed that and they recommeded that acetone be used for cleanup. I had a gallon of it on hand and gave it a shot. Unlike the kerosene the acetone will disolve the red paint on the mill but it also took the stains and rough spots off of the ways. It was almost like a varnish but they sure looked like rust stains. There was also a line of dots on the mill that the acetone would barely disolve. With some effort and a scraper they peeled up. Felt like a glue or epoxy of some kind. They can be seen clearly in both pictures. The ground surfaces now feel as smooth as I expected them to be. It was the varnish/glue that had frozen the table and saddle and reqired a rubber mallet to break free. There were matching spots of it on the base.