Author Topic: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill  (Read 3220 times)

Offline propforward

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #15 on: January 13, 2021, 07:14:58 PM »
Blast.

Well - back to our regularly scheduled DRO install.............(sorry for going off topic..........  :embarassed:   :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:)
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Online Kim

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #16 on: January 14, 2021, 05:35:22 AM »
Gary,
I fixed your previous posts so they link directly to the video now.

If you just paste the YouTube URL directly in the post it works.  Don't use the [ youtube][ /youtube] tags anymore.

Kim

Offline MJM460

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #17 on: January 14, 2021, 07:53:11 AM »
Hi Gary, I don’t know if there are any functions that use all three axis at the same time, though I think that separate data memory allows three coordinates per point.  Have to learn to use that later.  But there are functions that use x & z or y & z that might help profile edges of a baseplate or something.  So worth exploring, but in the end, x and y are the key ones, and the little separate scale on z certainly will do most of what I want.  But why pay for 90% of what is possible when the rest is perhaps within reach.

The other end of the table is basically identical to the end I selected for this scale, with a small advantage in cable runs, and it would also need the hand wheel removed for the last 15 mm.  More importantly, it has the y - axis lock screws, and I don’t want to loose that function.

I saw your videos when you put them in Stewart’s thread, thank you.  I think they are nicely done, so no criticism from here.  Your artistic talent shows through.  Thanks Kim for fixing the links.

Stewart, I think we had better get up a petition.  Biscuits and coffee should definitely be part of the platform with the tea.

Well, with all the excitement of getting those holes drilled by my very capable helper, I didn’t take the number of photos I should have, though drilling and tapping holes to woodworking tolerances is hardly novel on this forum.

You might ask why I did not use a wider plate to accomodate the full handwheel cut out.  You can see the reason in the first photo below.  The machine base would interfere with the lower edge of the plate.  I first thought I just needed to lap join two plates.  It would have given the required clearance, but created a swarf trap between the back of the plate and the base casting.  A 6 mm thick strip separating the two should allow swarf to fall clear through.

You can also see in this photo the end view of the bracket I made for the reader.  It is basically the same idea as the supplied bracket, but the slots for mounting the reader are the right distance apart for the scale I purchased.  I also rearranged the location of the jacking screws which hold the vertical face properly vertical.  And to help line it all up, I added two small plates on the bottom of the bracket for jacking screws to help level the bracket.  One of these has been removed now it has fulfilled its function, and the tapped hole used to mount a cable clamp.

The final critical step is to check that the alignment of the scales is within the specified tolerance.  I checked with a dial gauge horizontal first, and used a couple of shims at the scale mounting bolts to make a minor correction.  Then with the dial gauge set up vertical I was able to check the vertical alignment over the full length of travel.  Slots at the scale mounting points allowed this vertical adjustment.  Perhaps I should have installed jacking screws under the scale, but it turned out not to be necessary.

With the first scale installed, I needed to install the display unit so I could power up and check that it works. 

The bracket for the reader was quite usable.  The supplied screws were only M4, but the slots in the bracket were generous, and would take M6.  I am sure that M4 would be strong enough, but in that category where it is too small for ease of installation, and all in, unnecessarily small.  I used M6 bolts that I had.  It uses easily replaced 5.0 mm drill for tapping, the taps are stronger, and there is plenty of room to have another go if I break a drill or tap, so I tried drilling and tapping the necessary holes myself.  I managed that without any problem, so now have a little experience under my belt for another time.

I mounted the display, and rearranged the cords I have for some lighting to accomodate the display, plugged it in and switched on.  It all lit up and displayed a reading for the y - axis as expected.  When I move the table, the display changes in increments of 5 micron as advertised.  Mind you, accuracy and repeatability may be different, but I am sure that I now know the table position more accurately than I did when I had only the scales on the handwheel collars.

  I call that success for the first step. 

MJM460

The first photo seems less than clear, so I have repeated it at the bottom at a higher resolution.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2021, 08:03:23 AM by MJM460 »
The more I learn, the more I find that I still have to learn!

Offline propforward

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #18 on: January 14, 2021, 01:26:50 PM »
Nice install MJM - looks great. It's dealing with all the angles of the castings that's the biggest difficulty with these things. I like your solution a lot.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #19 on: January 14, 2021, 01:36:03 PM »

Stewart, I think we had better get up a petition.  Biscuits and coffee should definitely be part of the platform with the tea.


Please, not at a time like this! A backbench rebellion will split the party in two!

Very tidy installation so far, MJM. The plate you machined looks the business.

The y-axis locking screw - yes indeed! That would remove all doubt as to which side to install the scale on (if there had been any doubt in the first place)!

While my two videos are pretty much redundant here in your thread, thanks all the same to Kim for his intervention. However, I did try posting the links without using the button/tags when I was putting the videos up yesterday and it doesn't in fact work for me. I still can't see them - all I'm getting is a little bit of code: 't=575s' and something similar for the other video. Just for the sake of future attempts to embed videos - can you see them? I have a feeling this issue has been discussed on the forum before, but I can't remember where...

Offline propforward

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #20 on: January 14, 2021, 02:16:16 PM »
The videos look good to me Gary - properly embedded now. Is it possible you have an adblocker or something? My various firefox guards sometimes play havoc with embedded pics and links on some forums.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #21 on: January 14, 2021, 03:02:08 PM »
Thanks Stewart.
Yes, it did occur to me it could be a browser setting. I use firefox too. Will have a look later.
gary

Online Kim

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #22 on: January 15, 2021, 05:17:41 AM »
Gary,
if you're not seeing the videos when other people can, you might be using a secure link to MEM - if you see https:\\ at the front (or the little lock symbol) then you've used https and you need to re-enter the URL as http without the 's'.  For some reason, YouTube won't play from the secure version of the forum pages.

See if that fixes your problem.
Kim

Offline pieterb

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #23 on: January 15, 2021, 06:17:36 AM »
Looks really nice, I installed a dro on my machines a few months ago.

After you made 2 parts on this machine you will be so mad at yourself for not doing this installation years ago.

You can check the accuracy with the longest gage block you have and a dial indicator. When I did this, I found that there was a difference of 0.01mm over 100mm. In the settings you can adjust this error, now it works perfect.

Anyway: well done and enjoy it.

Offline MJM460

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #24 on: January 15, 2021, 10:10:19 AM »
Hi Pieterb, thank you for the nice comment.  I have realised for a while that this installation should be the next major tooling project, it just had to fit into time and budget.  I was even lined up to buy it when COVID hit, and I decided on caution until things became clearer.  I am quite happy with that first axis.  I have even had some use from it already, making the brackets for the x - axis, and it is fulfilling the expectations even at this early stage.  Unfortunately I don’t have any gauge blocks, so that check will have to come later.

Now, for the x -axis.  I have already mentioned that I want to put the scales on the back of the table, as the front has the x travel end stops and also the x  - axis locking screws, and I don’t want to loose those.

The first photo is a view of the location.  In principal, it is quite flat, and the scales could be mounted directly on the table and saddle.  However, that would require hand drilling holes in accurate locations , some of them with restricted axis due to the column.  Also, the table is only 40 mm in the vertical direction, while the scale plus its guard requires 50 mm for installation.  To finish off, I have to come up with a way of reinstating the swarf guard for the rear slides.  The space required by original heavy rubber strip as it folds up when the table moves towards the column will now be taken by the scale.  Provision to mount an alternative guard and avoid crashing into the relatively light weight scale guard into the column or guard.

In order to solve the issues, I decided to incorporate a backing plate to mount the scale on, so the required accurately located holes for the scale could be drilled using the machine, allowing much more tolerance on the backing mounting plate hole locations, and still allowing them to be drilled in locations where the column did not obstruct access.   Tho backing plate mounting holes are behind the scale.  Ideally I should have used low head screws with counterbore so for the heads, however I was able to obtain some counter sunk screws much more easily, and was able to countersink the holes in the plate enough to get the heads flush.  I don’t believe countersunk screws are ideal for accurate locations, but with the final alignment adjustments made at the scale mounting screws, I am hoping it will be satisfactory.

I also decided to include a similar backing plate to mount the bracket for the reader, as this facilitated machine drilling the holes for the bracket mounting and the extra M8 tapped holes for the mounting studs for the swarf guard.

I bought some 50 mm wide aluminium bar for the two mounting plates.  Because the top one, screwed to the table will overlap the saddle by 10 mm and the two surfaces should be in one plane, I machined about 0.5 mm of the back face of the mounting plate 10 mm wide to make sure there was clearance.

Unfortunately, the mounting plate will cover the oil hole for the slide way.  I do not want to just cover that, knowing that I am unlikely to remove the whole scale to put a couple of drops in the hole.  I carefully marked the location of the hole on the scale mounting plate.  I drilled 2.0 mm from the edge of the plate down to the location of the hole and 4 mm in from the back face to meet it.  I opened up the hole in the top edge of the plate to 3.3 mm about 8 mm deep and tapped for a short grub screw.  Finally I removed the little fitting from the hole.  The hope is that I can put a few drops of oil in the hole, and that it will find its way down to the passage in the table.  I don’t know if the plate will be flat enough to ensure the oil finds its way to where it is required.  Or perhaps I have to work out an arrangement with a little sealant between the plate and the table to help guide the oil.  Will see how much mess it makes when I try it.

The lower mounting plate for the reader required a little more machining to clear the slides, but nothing to difficult, as the mill is still useable for operations before the part is screwed in place.  I also tapped holed for the guard mounting studs.  When screwing the plates in place, I used business cards as shims to make sure there was clearance between parts where required.

Tomorrow the bracket for the reader and getting it installed.

Thanks for looking in,

MJM460
The more I learn, the more I find that I still have to learn!

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: DRO Installation on a Mill/Drill
« Reply #25 on: January 15, 2021, 06:11:23 PM »
Yes, you can't beat aluminium bar. Nice to work with, looks smart, and in this kind of application you can use it to relatively easily make the mounting surface that you want rather than struggle to work directly on the machine itself. Looks like a good setup for your scale. Good solution on the oil hole - will be interesting to see what you finally settle on to make sure the oil gets to where it should.

@ Kim - Yes, that was it. Interestingly, the videos were visible when I visited the page this morning and the little padlock icon had a red diagonal line through it. Seems to have sorted itself out with no help from me. I had actually remembered about removing the 's' from https but had tried taking it off the youtube URLs, not the MEM one - which of course didn't work! Thanks.


 

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