High speed machining?

[JimDawson]

Jake, this is the first time I've see a picture of your machine. It looks like it wouldn't take much mechanically to put hand wheels on it. You just need to move the monitor, mouse, and keyboard to a position so they are comfortable to use when standing in front of the machine. My keyboard and mouse move with the table. The DRO works when the machine is E-Stopped. At least you would have X & Y manual. A little software mod would allow you to turn off the X & Y programmatically and keep the quill under jog control. We could make that almost a full manual/CNC machine.

 

[Suzuki4evr]

I can probably run 5hp without a problem in my shop. So, probably around 17 amps at 220V. I have one of those R2E3 mills that has the odd motor configuration where the spindle motor is between the Varispeed belt compartment and the solid ram. I took measurements the other day and it would basically need a short, fat motor to replace what's already in there. I thought it would actually be cheaper to make a motor relocation bracket and a idler shaft to put a more common Baldor Super-E motor in it's place.

I checked the voltage and amperage figures off of the data plate of my mill spindle motor, and it's really not 2hp but more like 1.6hp. So, by the time the power gets to the end mill, I imagine I have something like 1.4hp at the tool and perhaps 1.2hp useable without bogging down the motor to the point where it wants to stall.

Here is my mill. I hear it's a fairly common machine, but I have not really seen any of them around my town. Everyone else just had the regular J head Bridgeport's.

I do plan to run a VFD, so I would need a inverter friendly motor for it. That way I can ditch the Varispeed so I can run a little higher RPM's for the small tools.

Kind of looking like a spaceship going to take off any moment now.......... hope your roof is solid

 

[Jake2465]

It looks like it wouldn't take much mechanically to put hand wheels on it.

I wish that was the case. The detail that makes hand wheels a problem is that the ball screws don't turn on my mill. Instead, the cog tooth pulleys are mounted in one spot and when they turn, then the ball screws shift one way or the other. For whatever reason, BP set this mill up similar to a big VMC that has really fast rapids and they did not want the ball screws to start whipping around.

I do need to move that monitor, keyboard and mouse. I had them off to the side because of the chips that would fly off of the mill. I guess I am concerned that having the keyboard closer to the mill will cause more chips to get in between the keys.

 

[Jake2465]

I do that too! especially when the flycutter starts doing its thing. I like your enclosure, I actually just built some shields this weekend for mine to contain the chips from flying all over the garage.

I wonder how a fly cutter would do on my mill. I don't own one, but I do have this nice little 2" Sandvick 4 insert face mill that I picked up used off of eBay a couple years ago. I found that if I spray the surface down with WD40 and then take about a .010" DOC with it, It gives me a nice shinny finish.

 

[Boswell]

I do need to move that monitor, keyboard and mouse. I had them off to the side because of the chips that would fly off of the mill. I guess I am concerned that having the keyboard closer to the mill will cause more chips to get in between the keys.

Check out one of the waterproof, flexible keyboards. I have one from a company called WetKeys. it is a full sized keyboard with number pad and touchpad. I don't need the flexibility but it is TOTALLY sealed and water proof (chip and coolant proof). Don't expect to touch type at at speed but it has worked out GREAT for what I need to operate Mach3 and day to day computer stuff. When swarf starts to build up, just blow it off with the air hose.

 

[Jake2465]

Check out one of the waterproof, flexible keyboards. I have one from a company called WetKeys. it is a full sized keyboard with number pad and touchpad. I don't need the flexibility but it is TOTALLY sealed and water proof (chip and coolant proof). Don't expect to touch type at at speed but it has worked out GREAT for what I need to operate Mach3 and day to day computer stuff. When swarf starts to build up, just blow it off with the air hose.

I will definitely check that out!

 

[JimDawson]

Check out one of the waterproof, flexible keyboards. I have one from a company called WetKeys. it is a full sized keyboard with number pad and touchpad. I don't need the flexibility but it is TOTALLY sealed and water proof (chip and coolant proof). Don't expect to touch type at at speed but it has worked out GREAT for what I need to operate Mach3 and day to day computer stuff. When swarf starts to build up, just blow it off with the air hose.

I take the opposite approach, I buy only the finest $5 keyboards and mice, purchased from the local outlet store to use on the machines. I keep a couple in stock, normally go through about 2 per year.

 

[spumco]

I took measurements the other day and it would basically need a short, fat motor to replace what's already in there. I thought it would actually be cheaper to make a motor relocation bracket and a idler shaft to put a more common Baldor Super-E motor in it's place.

Found a couple of tear-down images on the web of your motor. Not a standard motor at all - it appears to be a face-mount in a custom housing with a very long shaft (unless it has a sub-shaft in the photo I saw). You aren't going to find anything that fits in that hole and mounts up to the existing location. And it looks like the drive end of the varispeed parts are attached directly to the motor shaft, so you'd need to fabricate some jackshaft thing with bearings to support them and drive with an offset motor as you mentioned. Might be worth calling a motor rewind shop and see if they can build you a better 3-pase motor based on the case and stator.

Nothing is ever easy, is it?

 

[Jake2465]

Found a couple of tear-down images on the web of your motor. Not a standard motor at all - it appears to be a face-mount in a custom housing with a very long shaft (unless it has a sub-shaft in the photo I saw). You aren't going to find anything that fits in that hole and mounts up to the existing location. And it looks like the drive end of the varispeed parts are attached directly to the motor shaft, so you'd need to fabricate some jackshaft thing with bearings to support them and drive with an offset motor as you mentioned. Might be worth calling a motor rewind shop and see if they can build you a better 3-pase motor based on the case and stator.

Nothing is ever easy, is it?

It's always something . If I go that way, I plan to get rid of the Varispeed system altogether to simplify things and allow for a little higher RPM on the top end. Apparently, the Varispeed does not like RPM above 4500 and it's use tends to beat up the shaft it slides up and down on. The one good thing it has to it's advantage is that the spindle motor can remain at it's optimized RPM while the spindle can change to something else.

That's partly why I would go as big as a 5hp motor. Without the Varispeed, the motor optimization would go away and I would be forced to get a motor with more torque to handle the lower rpm without stalling. The good part is that I should be able to sling the spindle up to 6,000 rpm for use with those 1/8" end mills and such. As far as I know, I should still have use of the bull gear if I need really low RPM.

That's kinda what I had in mind. And yes, that mod would look weird. A random jackshaft where a motor used to be and another belt for the sake of getting the replacement motor out of the confinement area of the head and ram.

 

[Charcole]

I have been watching some of these guys on YouTube using their high dollar mills to machine things. I commonly see where they like to turn a real high RPM and then take the width of cut down considerably while having a full depth of cut. I am not sure if this is what people refer to as "High Efficiency Machining" or not. Part of me wonders if there is really that much of an advantage to machining that way or not. The mill has to perform tons of movements to complete it's too path. I thought "Hey, why not just drop the RPM down to something reasonable and just increase the width of cut instead of trying to make the mill run like a CNC router with a 20,000 rpm spindle?".

HEM* There is a advantage with tool geometry.
You need to consider chip clearance. If I'm going to cut a 2. diameter from .75 start with a .5 endmill with a .150 step over isn't going to take very long to perform. I'm mean cheap ass steel. I'mm talking 6112rpm and feeding at 122ipm. Add a couple of passes because of deflection and bam.

Or Cut a keyway.

.468 deep and .875 wide 4 inches long. Same part but another key but .750 key and 1.625 long and .450 deep. 3.36 minutes. Using .625 carbide endmill stepping down .025 for a doc. ANd starting .2 above the part. Its worth it. And that is being conservative.
I use the same speed and feed for helical interpretation.

THe place I currently work for buys LMT endmills. .4375 and above I run them 800sfm ranging from .0055 to .0072 witha step over of .150+ ans .025 to .250 in crappy ass steel. Now I use a different brand of end mills run them at the same speeds and feeds.

I have some aluminum end mills. I'm so fast the machine slows down because of calculating arc segments. THen I have a special .750 dia 3fl insert cutter that I run 8100rpm f800. with a doc of .025. Doesn't take long to get down through 2 inches of material. Full width of tool.

When I started out in machining it was common to crawl through material witha hog mill and clean up witha finishing endmill. Now days, because of changes in technology, just use a end mill and shallow doc and haul ass. Hog mills have a place still.