Need Clausing cnc lathe help

[camaro_dan67]

I need some information on a Clausing A50 cnc lathe from 1998. The control is a Fanuc 21i-t. First I need to know how to home both axis. Second the owner says there is a problem with the turret but doesn't know what it is. I could physically feel play in the turret in the radial direction. Since I couldn't home the machine I'm thinking that might be the reason it wouldn't even try to do a tool change. It could be also that I don't know how to fully operate the machine. I am also looking for diagrams of the turret if anyone has them.
Thanks everyone.

 

[50BMG DUDE]

Used to have a couple 98-00 vintage storms. Not sure if they are the same, but mine did not need to be homed as they had absolute encoders on them. You can tell if they have absolute encoders by the amp cabinet door having 2 sets of "d" size battery boxes. DO NOT open those boxes without machine being powered on or you will immediately loose your encoder positions and your machine parms. The 4 place box if for the Fanuc Parameters, the 6 place box is for the absolute encoders. I MAY still have the proceedures for re-setting the absolute encoder position. It was a major PITA if I remember right. Not sure if I remember right but I believe you need air to the machine for turret clamping solenoids. Let me know what turret it has, I might have the drawings. I think they were/are Pragatti's IIRC. they are the freaking slowest turrets you will ever see. Probably 3 seconds tool to tool.

Chris

 

[Dan from Oakland]

Nah- my Sheldon 1710 had the slowest turret index by far, but it was stupid easy to work on- all microswitches and hydraulic oil.

 

[camaro_dan67]

Used to have a couple 98-00 vintage storms. Not sure if they are the same, but mine did not need to be homed as they had absolute encoders on them. You can tell if they have absolute encoders by the amp cabinet door having 2 sets of "d" size battery boxes. DO NOT open those boxes without machine being powered on or you will immediately loose your encoder positions and your machine parms. The 4 place box if for the Fanuc Parameters, the 6 place box is for the absolute encoders. I MAY still have the proceedures for re-setting the absolute encoder position. It was a major PITA if I remember right. Not sure if I remember right but I believe you need air to the machine for turret clamping solenoids. Let me know what turret it has, I might have the drawings. I think they were/are Pragatti's IIRC. they are the freaking slowest turrets you will ever see. Probably 3 seconds tool to tool.

Chris

Thanks Chris. I'm not sure what the turret is. I'm also not sure if there was air hooked up to the machine. There was two alarms on the screen one for each axis saying they needed to be homed. I did take a picture of the inside of the electrical cabinet.

 

[camaro_dan67]

Chris I found these 2 pages in the back of the machine manual. From the errors on the screen and what you said about absolute encoders I'm thinking this is what needs to be done since the backup battery was disconnected.

 

[camaro_dan67]

Thought I'd give an update on this post. I got the alarms off by doing the procedures above. I wanted to ask if anyone has had the turret apart on one of these. I was told the machine had problems with a sticking turret. After I got it up and running I did a few turret indexes. It got stuck once and threw the alarms below. I reset it and it continued to do indexes.

 

[BT Fabrication]

either the physical turrent hasn't returned home due to a bad motor, or a lock still engaged or a sensor has gone bad to tell the computer that it has moved.
taking it apart probably involves pulling the tool turret face off it. Coolant gets gummey when things sit for a while. will cause spindle locks or things to stick.
time to take it apart.

 

[camaro_dan67]

I found a thread from someone with a similar problem. On their machine it was a switch for the turret returning was out of place. You are probably right. It probably needs to come apart to see what's going on in there.