Fanuc Quatromill Conversion

[darrylh]

About to undertake a Fanuc Quatro conversion to Mach3 and will doc my findings here.

The basis is a control box by RoutoutCNC utilising the existing Fanuc motors, which I will re-wire into the new control box. The company have converted Triacs successfully on the same lines. I believe PNC and possibly Heidenhain Quatros have been converted to Mach (using other methods) but I am not aware of any Fanuc-based ones that have been converted, so this may be new ground. Rare in any format, I have seen only 1 Fanuc Quatro to date.
Until now, the thought of replacing the existing axis motors with say, Nema drives, has put me off any such conversion.

I will need to wire the auxiliaries separately, as there is no provision for them via the control box. This will mean the spindle motor (1.5kw/2HP), column motor (1/2 HP I believe), coolant and lube motors, plus work light. I will source an VFD for the spindle (probably with single phase input). I may not really need the column motor operational, since the Z drive Fanuc motor gives about 4 inches of travel, which is all I need.

I have been advised by Routout that it may be possible to leave all auxiliaries "as is" and run off the old cabinet (the Fanuc control, which has coolant, Spindle inverter/On/Off, will of course be in error as soon as a drive axis is disconnected, but the column motor say, may still be operational).
More when I get started and receive the control box.

[angel-tech]

This should be an interesting thread, i've not heard of the fanuc version until now.

Does your version have a dc motor driving the head up through a leadscrew ?

[darrylh]

Right. The turret is on a dovetail slide like a Bridgeport and gives about a foot of additional travel. Once set right I found it best to lock the head entirely or the resulting vibration on the slide was enough to chip carbide cutters. Took me a while to realise this but once locked the improvement in cutter life and decreased resonance was significant. This is not mentioned in the Quatro manual!

[angel-tech]

i run the full head as the z axis with 500mm of travel and had no issues at all with vibration or tool life.

[darrylh]

Yes, I couldn't really understand it, since the machine was like new when I got it and the sideways were pristine, but noticed considerable improvement when the column was locked. It may be because my work is thin sheet and liable to resonance/vibration at the best of times.

Have been looking at the spindle motor options, but could not see anything in the cabinet that looked like an inverter and could be utilised in the new set-up. However, with a modern inverter it may be possible to get more than the 3000 RPM max of the old system, which would be good for brass cutting.

[angel-tech]

the inverter is on the back of the pillar on some models, but i guess it would be in the cabinet on a fanuc model.