We have three of these machines here and only one is operational; the other two are our parts cars. The only issues we have are the clamping heads. They all tend to seize over time where they can't be adjusted but can still clamp. I'm sure they can be rebuilt but I was thinking of taking it another step further and seeing if it can be more intuitive with clamping*. Maybe take away the adjustability portion and have it where it opens to a set point and can clamp on any size barstock while maintaining clamp pressure. No more adjusting. Just throw and go. 2" bastock to 5" with no adjusting. The trick is making sure it's always centered. Once we dial these in, they tend to run pretty well.
If I had to get creative, I was wondering what kind of mechanism I could use to center-clamp onto the barstock using pneumatics (prefer air vs hydraulic since there isn't hydraulics on this machine. It's all mechanically driven)? All the ones we have clamp pneumatically.
*In the meantime, if someone out there knows how to rebuild the clamping heads, I'm willing to send one off.
If I had to get creative, I was wondering what kind of mechanism I could use to center-clamp onto the barstock using pneumatics (prefer air vs hydraulic since there isn't hydraulics on this machine. It's all mechanically driven)? All the ones we have clamp pneumatically.
*In the meantime, if someone out there knows how to rebuild the clamping heads, I'm willing to send one off.
