Denford Software & Machines

Hi guys,

I've had a bit of an issue with my Cyclone today. I called up a toolchange in "jog" mode, the procedure started and then for some unknown reason the machine shut down into "stopped" mode I guess the estop loop was interupted?? Anyway, the machine wouldn't start up again until I was doing something else in the workshop and it sprung back into life! Yay! or perhaps nah!! The tool turret now seems to have lost index with the machine... I call up a tool and it will only move 1 position clockwise, which isn't the correct tool. The tool field in the jog screen is also blank "----" instead of "T101" for example.

I somehow need to "sync" the machine with the tool it thinks its about to receive next. The question is: what caused the machine to shut down in the first place? I have the manual for the TOE80 and it seems that there is a proximity switch that is active when the tool position is locked. Could the machine be caused to shut down if the proximity switch isn't satisfied once the tool position is *achieved*. In other words, once the time has elapsed for the tool change and the proximity sensor hasn't fired because of a mechanical malfunction for example, will this interrupt the safety circuit?

I could do with a wiring diagram if anyone had got 1 please? My machine is a Cyclone U with the denford servo dos software.

Thanks in advance.

Ok, a little more investigation has shed some light on the issue...

I managed to get the machine powered up again, it appears that a loose cable in the estop loop caused the safety module to shut everything down.

I still have a problem with the tool turret though. I haven't used the machine properly yet, I bought it a few months ago from a school, where it had not been used for a number of years I gather. When I first powered it up everything seemed to be ok, but I'm finding little bits that are indicating otherwise.

The tool turret will now index in the clockwise rotation, but I've had to make a few adjustments to make this happen... The proximity switch wasn't functioning and so required half a turn to detect the locked position of the turret. What happens now is that I can call up any tool that will require a CW rotation, but if I call up a CCW rotation the motor wines as if it can't rotate, also the electromagnet isn't allowed to pop back out. I have removed the top cover of the the turret also to enable manual winding of the turret and the reverse motion locks up as if something is binding.... Has anyone ever had one of these apart before? I've studied the manual and it doesn't look an easy task, but I guess its got to be done, otherwise the machine is useless.

The tool turret seemed to be working perfectly before any of this happened, so I'm finding it strange that it requires any adjustment now, unless when the machine shut down during a tool change something got jammed??

Any advice would be helpful, thanks.

Have you tried swapping the phases? Just swap 2 of the 3 motor wires over. The TOE80 is phase depenable.

Martin wrote:Have you tried swapping the phases? Just swap 2 of the 3 motor wires over. The TOE80 is phase depenable.

Thank you for your reply

That is an interesting point you raise there. I have had a bit of confusion with the 3 phase orientation. The manual suggests that if the coolant pump is rotating in the correct direction then the phases are correct. However, the coolant pump rotates correctly, but the spindle motor is the reverse, so it stands to reason that the turret motor might be as well.

I will check this asap, this could be a really easy fix (fingers crossed)

Thanks

Not sure why the spindle would be running in reverse. It is run through a inverter drive so the phases should not effect it. Also some pumps were as the manual says & others only ran one direction depending on what is fitted.

Martin wrote:Not sure why the spindle would be running in reverse. It is run through a inverter drive so the phases should not effect it. Also some pumps were as the manual says & others only ran one direction depending on what is fitted.

Hmm, well its a bit strange. My turret motor is also controlled from a vfd, I have 2 KEB drives in this machine. I have tried inverting the phases and the problem is worse, I think the electronics are functioning correctly.

I've investigated a little further and got a better understanding of the mechanics going on inside the turret (the drawings in the manual aren't that clear to work from).

From what I can see by manually simulating a tool rotation, I wind the motor by hand in either direction, the locking pin locates in a tool position, but the hirth coupling doesn't mesh. What seems to be happening at the moment is the electromagnet is pushing the locking pin, which locates and holds the tool head, but the hirth coupling isn't locating and the locking pin isn't allowed to release. I'm wondering if the reversing action of the motor isn't correct, or the timing is slightly out, or an internal malfunction.

What is responsible for the reverse action of the turret motor once the strobe signal from the encoder is received? Is there a relay controlling this or is the KEB vfd responsible?

It seems a bit odd that the turret was seen to be working in both directions prior to the shutdown that occurred during a tool cycle. Now its only cycling in 1 direction and not terribly reliably at that.??

There should be a TPR (Toolpost forward relay) & a TRR (Toolpost reverse relay) that controls the KEB Inverter. You could try shorting the output of TRR to check it works the toolpost.

Martin wrote:There should be a TPR (Toolpost forward relay) & a TRR (Toolpost reverse relay) that controls the KEB Inverter. You could try shorting the output of TRR to check it works the toolpost.

Yes I think everything electronically is working, it seems to be a mechanical problem. I haven't had a chance to investigate further, but I've made contact with Baruffaldi, who apparently still stock spares for these. However, they are on summer holiday, so I have to wait until the service department get back to me.

Will update my findings incase anybody else has similar problems.

Do you use coolant? You can check the encoder by removing the end cover on the right.

I think the problem has been narrowed down to mechanical wear. It seems that the shock absorbing pads within the turret need replacing. My initial problem occurred when the machine power shut down mid tool change. The turret lost position as it didn't complete the cycle. Tool changing attempts after this seem to have caused excessive force onto one of the shock absorbing pads now resulting in poor locating of the internal hirth coupling. It seems that the shock absorbing pad thickness determines the alignment of the hirth coupling teeth during a complete tool change cycle. The tool changing operation seems quite straight forward from the outside, but on further investigation it is very complex, with crucial synchronisation of mechanical and electrical components.

Hopefully, I'll have mine back up and running asap.

Hello drumsticksplinter
I wanted to ask ......do you find the solution to your problem. I have a similar problem as you. Regards