Haimer 3d Sensor - New Generation 80.360.00.ng Edge Finder

Mark
Thanks for the response.
I may have to settle for another ES12 on my lathe if I can't find a lathe specific readout that I like. Every thing in the this field is difficult in Au and I usually have to end up purchasing sight unseen from overseas usually China /Hongkong/Malasia or Singapore. Thanks for the info on the cheaper digital Haimer. Lucky that I did not purchase when it first came available as I probably would have been disappointed.

The Sieg lathe does seem to be better quality than the other Chinese lathes imported into Au but it does have its issues. Oil leaks, rough unfinished castings, etc but it accuracy of machining seems OK. So far its seems capable of holding good tolerances and should only improve when I finish the final adjustments.

Your fitting of the Absolute DRO to your tailstock looks very professional- first rate upgrade. I am going to check if I have sufficient extension of the retracted tail stock barrel to allow the fitting of a clamp for the scale and still allow the barrel to retract sufficiently to eject the centre. I may have to extend the rear of all my centre and drill chuck arbours etc to allow the DRO to be fitted. The importer of my lathe is supposed to be trying to get the correct vernier for my tailstock but everything takes a long time dealing with overseas companies. Your Tailstock DRO would solve my dilemma.
How did you attach the Aluminium backing plate for the scale to the side of the tailstock?
 
The DRO reader is mounted to some 3/8" aluminum stock, notched to hold the reader and held in place from behind by 2 small (that come with the DRO). The aluminum mount has 4 small Allen set screws in the corners and two Allen cap screw mounting bolts (behind the SS scale) to mount it to the body of the tailstock (tapped). I slotted and countersunk the cap mounting screw holes in the aluminum mounting plate to allow some adjustment range in the vertical plain of the tail stock. The four small allen screws are needed to adjust the reader so the scale does not bind. The SS scale aluminum holder on the tail stock spindle is a tight fit and held on by a single set-screw in the back (no real reason to have a big clamp system/screw, but to each their own). I milled a small channel that the end of the scale end fits into, it is held in place by two opposing Allen screws. This allows one to tweak the alignment in the vertical plain of the scale if needed. The SS scale can be cut, but it is very hard material. The readings are rock solid and tracks perfectly with the tail stock dial over the full range.

I made a small extension arm to hold the readout onto the tail stock. Can swing the display up/down, and where the display mounts, you can swing it left/right.

Not sure what you are looking for in a lathe specific DRO. If you get into something like the Elctronica EL400 for the lathe, you will pay a premium for loosing a few buttons on the DRO display, it is sold to Australia by DROpros. http://www.dropros.com/Electronica_Lathe_Digital_Readout.htm
 
I have junked a bunch of Hiamer's due to their going inaccurate, every once in a while, take and move the stylus with your finger and check and see if its grinding or feels gritty. I used them to verify the calibration on some bed mills at work and a few times a year I would find the Haimer was giving me really weird/not repeatable results. They work really great, but unless you check them out once in a while, you could get one that is having problems and not know it. My work just throws them in the trash, they say it costs more to fix than they are worth.....I would gladly get one fixed if I knew where....Tim
 
The Haimer like test/dial indicators can be damaged, and repair is often more expensive than replacement. The digital Haimer would be expected to have a less complicated movement and may be more durable. Still, there are not many options that give reliable and accurate readings. I stumbled on another thread that discussed different edge finders, the analogue Haimer was overwhelmingly the preferred choice.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/tormach-personal-cnc-mill/274508-tormach.html
 
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