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  1. G

    How not to sell a collet closer

    We purchased a collet closer for a Colchester 13” lathe and I was asked to help install it. First read the instructions, then look carefully at the drawing. Closer sticks in the open position and one cam is stuck. Give the handle a hard yank and it comes free. I call the factory and explain the...
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    PRoud grandpa

    My grandson's birthday is the 26th of December when he will turn 20. He finished his undergrad degree in Civil Engineering at NJIT back in May. He did it in two year by cramming like hell in high school, night school and summer school. He worked as my assistant at my job for a summer building...
  3. G

    Automated pipe lathe

    I've been wating quite a while to show this. It is a lathe that auto-loads polypropylene pipe right from the cutoff saw at the end of an extrusion line. It puts a groove on both ends of the pipe and cut to length and chamfers both ends. Then in brings in a new pipe as it unloads the finished...
  4. G

    OT: Diabetes awareness, what would you do?

    I had a regular visit to my oncologist because I had prostate cancer. This visit I casually mention some different symptoms and he says “You’ve lost 10 lbs since your last visit. You might be diabetic!” Nurse checks my blood sugar 460! He tells me I need to see an endocrinolgist right away. I...
  5. G

    Need brazed carbide tool supplier

    We are having a difficult time finding a supplier for 2 each of 2 different brazed carbide lathe tools. One is a chamfer and cutoff tool. The other is a about an inch wide grooving tool with a step. Material being cut is Polypropylene in an automatic lathe. Suggestions?
  6. G

    Onshape Experienced Users

    Anybody here using Onshape to build assemblies? I am a FIRST mentor and we are using Onshape and I am struggling to get my head around the paradigm underlying the program. Not interested in suggestions about other CAD. Been there, done that twice, and this is where we are!
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    Linear rail recommendations

    I am designing a lathe-like grooving machine for a customer. It grooved 1-1/2” & 2” plastic pipe on each end. The goal is tovautomatically adjust the cross-slides and tail stock for 4 different lengths and 2 diameters. A pick & place mechanism will remove the finished pipe and put another pipe...
  8. G

    Last Day at my old job

    Yesterday was may last day at my last job. I went out on top. I installed a new control system on one extrusion line that is now making the best product they have ever done. Last Monday after maintenance spent two days troubleshooting a machine then I correctly identified the problem in ten...
  9. G

    I landed a new job

    Two years at my previous employer was enough. I started looking when they let me buy a Fadal 3016 on Ebay and after we paid for it and were arranging shipping they ordered me to cancel the order and get our money back! So it was back to making, modifying parts with basic handtools. Two years of...
  10. G

    Servo Control, step & direction control hazards

    I am building this automated drilling machine that has Yaskawa servo drives and using Step & Direction control from a PLC. Suddenly the X axis stopped responding to the reverse signal and runs just one direction. Imagine that happening when it is running in auto! Checked all wiring right to...
  11. G

    FIRST Robotics, I need a Conpound Bow Limb

    Its a new season and our team is battling Covid in the schools and we are still trying to build a robot in just 8 weeks. We need the fiberglass limb from an older style compound bow. These limbs are like 18” long with a bolt hole at one end and a fork at the other. The forked end has a cross...
  12. G

    Yaskawa Servo programming

    I’ve got 3 Yaskawa sigma 7 1.5kw drives and motors to program for the drilling machine. One has a 8:1 reducer driving a rack gear for the X axis. The other two drive ball screws with 5mm pitch for the two Z axis. There is no Y axis. Each Z axis has 7 - 2.2kw spindles and a single 7.5k spindle...
  13. G

    Source for Damaitian lube fittings for chinese machines

    I need a couple of 4mm tube fittings for the distributor block and can’t find a source in the US or a chinese site I can read.
  14. G

    Energy Chain Lubrication

    Building a machine where the energy chain is quite full and the machine will make millions of cycles. Anyone have experience lubricating the cables in the chain so they slide easily against each other? I am thinking a wax based pulling compound that dries to a slippery film.
  15. G

    Time to find a new job

    I’ve been at this job for 1-1/2 years and I don’t think I can take much more. A few months back I got permission to bid on a Fadal 3015 and won the bid. We paid for it and the vendor packed it up for shipping and while waiting for it I gave him a list of tooling needed to make it efficient for...
  16. G

    Maybe we need a different approach to automation

    It occurs to me that we are trying to automate machining by using robots to do things the way a human would. VMCs have a moving table which works well with a human loading. However if you want simple low cost automation we really need machines with a stationary table. If the table doesn’t move...
  17. G

    Fadal tool programming

    We just bought a VMC15 with a 21 tool changer. I want to use a standard tool load of common tools with some pockets left for specials. I’d like to be able use the remaining pockets for various tools by using the tool# with different tool length offsets. I intend to have our cam program select...
  18. G

    Trouble with hand power tools, chucks in particular

    When I bought my first 18v drill about 20 years ago I spent several hours comparing different brands in Home Depot. From years of experience with corded drills I knew that a good chuck was just about the most important component. Based on that I wound up with a Dewalt with a keyless chuck that...
  19. G

    OT, Covid acronym to keep you safe.

    There is a new 4 letter acronym to help you remember how to stay safe during the Pandemic. It stands for Test Isolate Trace be Safe. I think I am going to get that on a T-shirt.
  20. G

    Repairing and Allen Bradley servo actuator

    We had an AB servo actuator fail last week on a plastic welding machine. AB doesn't offer repair of these units and a new one will take over 30 days to get. So half of our operation is shut down. With no drawings or manuals I took it apart to see if we could fix it. I wound up taking a lot...

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