Starturn trouble

Gerrythewelshman · Tue 28 Mar , 2006 20:02 pm

Hi out there,
My mate who is 80yrs old has a Starturn .The machine has a problem ,when the spindle z axis goes down, the spindle stops for about 10mm of its stroke at around 80mm hight. It starts up again as it lowers below approx 70mm ht. It used to have a tool changer but now it does not
could this affect the machine some how?

Mr Magoo · Tue 28 Mar , 2006 22:18 pm

Hi...

I am guesing you mean a Starmill milling machine (Starturn is a lathe) as you talk about the Z axis going 'up and down'

The Starmill spindle motor is mouned inside the Z axis column and travels up and down with the Z axis. The power cable attaching the Spindle Motor to the machine body moves too, having a loop in it to allow it to travel freely as the Z axis moves.
It sounds like this cable could have a break in it, so that as the cable is moving it is making and breaking contact. There may ba a plug and socket inside the column too that could have come loose. Run the spindle then wiggle the cables inside the column to see if you can reproduce the problem.

Mr Orange · Tue 28 Mar , 2006 22:19 pm

Atfirst I thought this sounded like a broken wire that makes and breaks as the Z axis comes down.
Then I saw that you were talking about a lathe - not a mill

The only thing I can think is that you maybe have constant surface speed (CSS) turned on, and at 80mm, then surface speed is too low to get any revs ? - does the spindle speed up towards the center ?

Mr Orange · Tue 28 Mar , 2006 22:20 pm

SNAP

Gerrythewelshman · Tue 28 Mar , 2006 23:20 pm

Whoops,
Sorry Mr Magoo I do mean Starmill.

It is consistent , stopping the spindle went at the Z hight descrided but starts up when the X axis travels along, this can happen at different distances. When the spindle kicks into the speed programmed it keeps going.
This is only a problem with certain a lenght tool and part.It is just annoying the old guy.

Mr Magoo · Thu 30 Mar , 2006 21:46 pm

Wierd sypmtoms Gerry...

You say the machine used to have an Auto Tool Changer fitted. Was this an arm fitted to the Z axis column that swung in from the side, or a unit mounted on one end of the X axis table? It's possible the machine still thinks it has a tool changer attached and is stopping the spindle because it thinks the changer is aproaching the spindle nose.

I also need to know the EXE name used to run the software. Denford made a few variations of starmill so it may be STARMILL.EXE or FANUCSMD.EXE or something else. Let me know.

Cheers
Mr Magoo

Information