FANUC 6T/B starting spindle causes alarm without code

[BodoW]

Good evening,
Yesterday I ran our CNC Lathe without any problems.
This morning I switched the machine on, homed it and when I wanted to start the spindle I got an alarm.
S97 S400 M04
No code, only what i could see was that instead of "LSK" there was "not ready" down on the screen.
I looked in the diagnose screen and I saw that on 0004 bit 7 was blinking which I assume is the LED from the alarm.

I've tried it several times and even inching spindle causes the alarm and it only helps to switch off the machine.
I have no clue what this can be.
It's totally strange since yesterday was no sign of a problem.
Where can I look for the problem?
Everything else is working, chuck clamping, tailstock, Turrret.. Everything works.
I've texted our technician but he had although no idea (over the phone) and has no time to come in for couple of days.
I will parallel write a mail to FANUC to see if they have some idea but I feel that's very strange.
Could somebody give me some advice pls what I can check tomorrow?
It would be a great help because it's my last week before I go on vacation and have couple of things to do before. I guess like it will be in every company so.

Regards
Bodo

 

[Vancbiker]

Alarm LEDs on the spindle drive lit?

 

[BodoW]

nope, on the spindle drive is no LED on.
When I inch the spindle it starts to move and directly error.
After the alarm lit up I can rotate the spindle by hand which I can normally not do in the low gear.

 

[NAST555]

From the sounds of it you have a lathe with gear ranges.
Are the limits hit when it is in a certain range? I would start there. Check those if they are working correctly and if it recognises that it is in the range you select.
If all is good there I would check if the machine knows that the chuck is in a clamped state.

 

[Dan from Oakland]

It would help to know what machine the control is on. Kinda hard when there are hundreds of possibilities and hundreds of possible machines that are all different..................
BUT you did write above "S97 S400 M04". IF you did MDI that the control is probably expecting a G97, not an S97. Putting two speed commands in the same command line will throw an error......

 

[BodoW]

From the sounds of it you have a lathe with gear ranges.
Are the limits hit when it is in a certain range? I would start there. Check those if they are working correctly and if it recognises that it is in the range you select.
If all is good there I would check if the machine knows that the chuck is in a clamped state.

Ya the machine has gear ranges but that is not a problem. I can be in the lowest gear and type S2000 then it goes only with 280. There comes never an error (experience). Mostly I go in the highest range and can still go with 20 rpm and there is no error.
The clamping I checked with M50 or M51 (interior/exterior clamping) and there is no difference.
If it things it should be clamped the OD but it isn't and when I switch to ID clamping it will thing it's clamped.
I've checked it when it is not clamped the chuck light is not lit (so jaws are open). I change to ID clamping with open jaws and the chuck light lits up.

 

[BodoW]

It would help to know what machine the control is on. Kinda hard when there are hundreds of possibilities and hundreds of possible machines that are all different..................
BUT you did write above "S97 S400 M04". IF you did MDI that the control is probably expecting a G97, not an S97. Putting two speed commands in the same command line will throw an error......

It's a NISSIN NST 40/150 from 1984.
Ya my mistake while typing, I' meant and typed in the machine G97. The machine would overwrite the first S command in this machine.
But I said too that the alarm comes when I hit the "inch spindle" button.
The inching button will only move the spindle a little bit and when I hit it twice the brake steps in.
I use the inching function when I adjust the jaws so that I always have the jaw which I adjust in front next to me.
With a 18" chuck it's very inconvenient to hang so far into the machine. ;-)
The machine is a big bigger. Last time I machined a 62" long Pipe, that's around max length.

 

[BodoW]

UPDATE:
We've found the problem. The Lubrication Pump for the Headstock (Spindle) didn't work cause the fuses were blown.
We replaced them and it worked yesterday but today the same happened. Fuses blown.
It never happened before so I think it's the motor or the pump but my higher ups think temperature so they installed another fan in the cabinet
and want to increase the Fuse amperage a bit.

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

@BodoW
Thoroughly check the pump itself.
I had a waylube pump lock up and it caused all manor of havoc.

 

[NAST555]

UPDATE:
We've found the problem. The Lubrication Pump for the Headstock (Spindle) didn't work cause the fuses were blown.
We replaced them and it worked yesterday but today the same happened. Fuses blown.
It never happened before so I think it's the motor or the pump but my higher ups think temperature so they installed another fan in the cabinet
and want to increase the Fuse amperage a bit.

Yeah... I would rather suggest that you check why the fuses are blowing before putting bigger one's in. They are blowing for a reason, it could even be a loose or a few loose or dirty connections.
Upping fuse amperage could lead to blowing something next in line...like the pump which isn't as cheap as a few fuses

 

[MwTech Inc]

and want to increase the Fuse amperage a bit.

Oh, so they want to burn something else up too..........

 

[Garwood]

UPDATE:
We've found the problem. The Lubrication Pump for the Headstock (Spindle) didn't work cause the fuses were blown.
We replaced them and it worked yesterday but today the same happened. Fuses blown.
It never happened before so I think it's the motor or the pump but my higher ups think temperature so they installed another fan in the cabinet
and want to increase the Fuse amperage a bit.

Speaking from experience here, don't do that.

Megger and Amp clamp the motor. If the motor meggers fine check the contacts in the contactor that feeds it. Is the contactor buzzing? That can indicate a weak coil or an overload.

I have a few headstock lube pumps squireled away from machines like these. If it's bad, post up pics of the pump and I'll see what I have.

 

[BodoW]

So, yesterday was a guy here who really knows his stuff.
The windings of the motor are not good anymore.
Every phase draws a different amount of amperage so the motor is unbalanced and maybe it stalls once in a while and then the fuses blow.
We will get a new motor and let the old motor rebuild.
Anyway the fuses are added from someone before. Originally there were no melting fuses.
Thx for your input.