Isel PPM 0322 CNC Mill problem of intermittent stopping on job

[finka]

Hello, I was wondering if anybody knows these and could answer some or all of the following....
1.what is the most likely cause of the mill stopping halfway through a job milling wax
2.what cam software will drive this machine
3.Is the build strong enough to mill small 3d soft metal parts Gold/copper/brass
4.questions 4 onwards will somewhat depend on answers to previous but generally will be looking to get this machine functioning to produce detailed small 3d art objects and will want good software accessibility and eventually a 5th axis, so will consider a revamp of machine to achieve this and would welcome directions on what routes to take
With thanks for looking

[awerby]

It's one of these: isel PPM 3-Axis 0322 ? When you say it's "stopping" - what do you mean by that? Does it just quit working altogether, or is the spindle bogging down, or is it kicking out an error of some sort? An intermittent electrical connection can cause a machine to stop unexpectedly - have you gone through all the wiring? If it only has that 100-watt spindle, I could see it bogging down even in wax, if you are trying to take a heavy cut. That might cause it to fault out, depending on the software that's running it = what does it use, a proprietary system of some sort? If you're using an unlicensed version of Mach3, that will stop after 500 lines, which can happen pretty quickly in a 3D program. The frame is probably strong enough to support some metal milling with small cutters run at high speed, but I doubt that spindle would be good for anything more than light engraving. What are you using to write the G-code that's stopping? It might also be a software problem that's terminating your program prematurely.

[finka]

A reply!thank you Awerby...

Ok these were pre purchase feelers for an Isel PPM0322 4 axis pro MA (Systro)dated 2004 which Ive gone and bought anyway as spares or repair... Machine looks clean and good etc !.... I wish to mill light metals in the context of bespoke/one-off jewellery making.

The spindle is 500watts.

Did not come with software..but was using Editasc

it has an IMC4 v2 all in one board similar by sight comparison it seems to Isel CPM 3020.

It uses rs232 for comms.

It has a locking safety door which has been removed from its hinges.. what do I do about bypassing this mechanism

I need to obtain schematics and diagrams from somewhere...have tried Isel and Delcam who supplied machine originally and nothing so far...

I have zero previous experience with cnc..

My first priority is to see if it runs in current configuration so as to ascertain possible fault is.. hardware/software. I'm going to clean x/y axis underdeck chamber area when I've worked out how to access it and grease ball screws and z axis too.. Anything else..??

I guess I would like to know

Will Kay run this or current version of Edistasc 10.6 both trial versions available. Reason for asking I am Macbook pro based and will need to acquire a Windows PC and want to be as efficient and future proof researching/understanding and acquiring this.

Does Kay support RS232 for instance and are usb/rs232 converters real solutions

Is Editask 10.6 a long term contender/will CAM programs write posts to this...

Is there diagnostic software to test controller board...

Since my real longterm goal is to make fairly organic complex 3d parts am I just better off just changing operating system and controller and to what... Am definitely envisaging 5 axis..

Does an indexed clamp for changing angle of spindle exist to achieve 5th axis machining and is that a complicated inefficient process?

Is a fifth axis modification fitted to rotary axis mechanism possible/available?. Or what to get...

What complete 5 axis part to get otherwise. Isel one is £1500! may not be robust enough anyway.. and wish or have to progress incrementally budget wise so not a contender....

I am anticipating answer is simply to buy cheap old pc and test either of those two softwares and assuming we have good movement change controllers and drivers and move upstream software wise too... So apologies for overlong run up but I would welcome recommendations of choices of set up, best wishes to all for your considerations

[awerby]

So knowing this machine didn't work, you went and bought it anyway? I hope it was really cheap.

I don't know anything about Editask, and very little about Kay..But there's some information about it here: https://www.spline.nl/software/kay.php It seems like a way to get away from ISEL's proprietary software, but it doesn't seem to support more than 4 axes. What kind of CAM software do you plan to use?

Door locks usually have a button that can be depressed if you want to defeat the safety mechanism.

I don't know where you'd find schematics for your machine - maybe a post that specifically asks for them will elicit a response.

I'd agree that getting it to work with its existing hardware would be a good plan, if possible. If not, you can start looking into various alternatives.

The easiest way to implement 5-axis machining would be with a trunnion table, not a tilting spindle. There are some that work off a 4th axis and add another degree of motion. But the cheap ones are not going to be suitable for metal cutting to high tolerances.