PM-833TV CNC conversion kit availability?

BehemothTheCat

BehemothTheCat

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Gentlemen,

I'm looking for a source of a CNC conversion kit for PM-833TV other than Heavy Metal CNC. I couldn't find any other kits myself and doubt they exist, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

I ordered a PM-833TV for the sole purpose of converting it to CNC and got it delivered mid-December. I got in touch with Heavy Metal CNC in early January and was corresponding with a gentleman by the name of Jose, who was using Bruce Nelson's e-mail address. I was unaware at that point that Bruce had passed and assumed it was one of his employees. I placed an order for their premium kit in mid-January and patiently waited. By the end of the month I emailed them to check on the status, but received no reply. I then proceeded to text and call, all to no avail. Their website had been up until early this week, but thankfully somebody has taken it down now.

By the looks of it Heavy Metal CNC is no more and my order will never be delivered. I'm not sure what to do. I don't think I'm up to improvising a mounting kit myself, so it boils down to waiting for somebody to develop one or selling the mill.

Thanks!

Matt
 
That's rough man. I knew Bruce had passed but I didn't think the company would end. I guess it was more of a hobby/passion project for him specifically. For what its worth I have had to heavily modify most of my parts in the kit that I got from them due to changes in the castings so im really ending up modifying the parts to get it working and making my own parts. Only advice I can really give is if none of your calls or emails are being answered is to start a charge back process through paypal or your CC company, those kits aren't cheap and I couldn't let that much money float off into the sunset.

Once I'm done modifying parts I would be happy to put up the drawings for the parts I've had to redesign. you could always use the acme screws on the machine and mount motors to them so you can make all the parts you need for a final conversion.
 
I too am seriously considering converting my mill. Unfortunately I have just the 833T and not the TV so having gears is an issue IMHO. I thought about changing the spindle out, but unclear how big of a project that will be. My existing spindle is now leaking (with not much use) so I feel like I am getting to a crossroads.
I always felt that the Heavy Metal kit was too spendy for what you received.
 
Thank you for replying. I didn't realize the castings had changed so much. I would certainly appreciate the drawings once you're done with your conversion. I don't have access to any other mill, but thankfully I haven't disassembled the 833, so I might be able to use it to modify/make the parts.

Yes, ~$1,250 shipped is quite a bit, but if you consider the cost of the ball screws, I doubt I'd be able save much even if I could somehow improvise the mounts etc. I ended up filing a PP claim today as I figured it was pretty much hopeless. Within minutes Jose replied to my original message from almost two weeks back:
Sorry for the inconvenience. But I thought I’d ask again to see if you still want the kit I can ship it today which is Friday. My business partner had passed away in December and we’re still trying to get everything organized but I can have it ship by Friday if that’s OK or else I can reimburse you if that’s what you want thank you. Let me know ASAP so that I can ship it today.
Click to expand...
I wasn't holding by breath, but the tracking number came a few hours later. We'll see what I get on Monday, but I do hope I'll be able to salvage this project now even if it's more painful than I expected.
 
The kit arrived this morning. I did a quick inventory and it looks complete. The ballnut on Z-axis came with the mounting plate facing down, so there is no need to flip it on newer mills. I got lucky, but I'm sure there must be others out there in a similar situation who have missed the boat...
 
Great news! Maybe they have demystified what may have been some tribal knowledge on running the business, and will be able to move forward with business.
 
Hi Matt,
I am in that situation, purchased the PM-833TV with intentions to convert for CNC use. I ordered it in early January, and it is supposed to be delivered this Friday. I had several calls into Bruce's phone number, and didn't understand why I couldn't get a call back. I found out here about the bad news. I suppose they still have the kits in stock, and are hopefully re-grouping to keep going. But I also imagine the recovery will take time, nothing generates more grief and paperwork than an unexpected death...

I'm really hoping to salvage this project, do you have contact info for Jose, if it's ok to ask?

I have also contacted David at Arizona CNC Kits, asking if maybe one of his kits would crossover. He seems willing to work with me if I can get measurements to him for comparison. When it gets to my shop I'll see what I can find out. I don't have any experience with the other benchtop models so I don't have any clue what is the same or different between them. If anyone has the experience I'd welcome the help.

I got hooked on CNC when I worked for a shop that had a Tormach 1100 for production use. To train myself, I bought and converted one of the Sherline 5800 desktop units for CNC, using steppers, Gecko drivers, and Centroid Acorn. I learned Fusion 360 Design and Manufacturing modules and sucessfully made a lot of small parts. The PM-833TV really looked like a nice step-up option so I worked up a list of stuff to buy following the online example by Dr. D-Flo.
 
Great, I see it now. I knew all I had to do is ask, CNC is so simple ;) thanks!

I just went there and ordered the PM-833TV kit.
 
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Glad to hear their website is up again. Jose uses Bruce's old e-mail address <bruce@heavymetalcnc.com>, but as far as I can tell he still doesn't reply to e-mails. I e-mailed him to ask for the installation instructions when I got the package, but he had not responded yet. I hope you do receive your kit, but you should be ready for an uphill battle.

I was able to find another vendor that advertises a PM-833T CNC kit when I was searching for the instructions:

PRECISION MATTHEWS PM833T Mounting Kit |

High-Torque Stepper Motor, Stepper Motor, Driver, Stepper Motor kit, DC Servo Motor, DC Servo Motor kit, Stepper Motor Power Supply, CNC Router, Spindle, and other Components.
www.automationtechnologiesinc.com www.automationtechnologiesinc.com

https://www.facebook.com/AutomationTechnologiesInc

Out of sheer curiosity, I e-mailed them (and asked my wife to message them on FB) about the availability, but heard crickets. Their instruction manual has been clearly borrowed from Heavy Metal and, judging by the picture, their kit looks almost identical (mine has double ball nuts and comes with ground ball screws). I don't know if they are a reseller of if they make their own clones.

I suspect my kit came from Bruce's existing inventory and must have been sitting in storage for a while. Here is why:

1. It was exceedingly well packaged yet Jose was able to get it shipped almost immediately
2. There was moderate surface corrosion on the ball screws
3. The mounts have been machined incorrectly - the bearing "spacers" interfere with the inner race of the bearings since the diameter of the opening is too small. This is a well documented problem that was supposedly fixed many months ago.

If my guess is correct, there is no way to tell if they are really back in business or merely trying to get rid of their existing stock.

Let's hope everything works out. If it does not, I'll be happy to take close up photos and measurements for you.
 
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