Chinese ATC anyone have or know someone?

pescadoman said:
Most are. Automatic Tool Changing is the key.
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I have a customer who uses one. A few things you should know in case any are deal breakers:

1) The tool holders are an ISO20 standard, which only go up to an ER 20 tool collet (maximum shank of 1/2");

2) No matter what the vendor tells you, the spindle bearings will be Chinese and will probably not last very long - year or two at most;

3) Your maximum speed will be a nominal 24k rpm, meaning slower feed rates for your smaller bits;

4) The VFDs they sell to run these are actually not bad, but you will need to know how to program it (or one like it) because the documentation will be either really crappy or non-existent;

5) The specs call for 0.5 - 0.55 Mpa (~ 75 - 80 psi) to release the tool but you can count on needing more like 0.65 to 0.75 Mpa (95 - 105+ psi).

If you do decide to purchase send me a PM and I'll hook you up with a great, very easy way to provide a CLOSED liquid cooling system for very little $$$.

TW
 
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Thomas Wayne said:
I have a customer who uses one. A few things you should know in case any are deal breakers:

1) The tool holders are an ISO20 standard, which only go up to an ER 20 tool collet (maximum shank of 1/2");

2) No matter what the vendor tells you, the spindle bearings will be Chinese and will probably not last very long - year or two at most;

3) Your maximum speed will be a nominal 24k rpm, meaning slower feed rates for your smaller bits;

4) The VFDs they sell to run these are actually not bad, but you will need to know how to program it (or one like it) because the documentation will be either really crappy or non-existent;

5) The specs call for 0.5 - 0.55 Mpa (~ 75 - 80 psi) to release the tool but you can count on needing more like 0.65 to 0.75 Mpa (95 - 105+ psi).

If you do decide to purchase send me a PM and I'll hook you up with a great, very easy way to provide a CLOSED liquid cooling system for very little $$$.

TW
Click to expand...

Replacing the bearings after a year sucks. Are they 7002's? I have plenty of air and am already running a vfd. 1/2 bits will be fine. The cheapest I've found the lower(1.5) HP is around 2100.00. Can I do the bearings myself with a press? Does it need to be rebalanced after?
 
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pescadoman said:
Replacing the bearings after a year sucks. Are they 7002's? I have plenty of air and am already running a vfd. 1/2 bits will be fine. The cheapest I've found the lower(1.5) HP is around 2100.00. Can I do the bearings myself with a press? Does it need to be rebalanced after?
Click to expand...


The problem will be with the liquid cooling. Instead of using precision gaskets, the "seals" between the sections are just o-rings fitted into shallow counter-bores where the fluid channels line up (sort of). Even minuscule leakage will cause rust in the top bearing and that will quickly become ground into a fine dust which will permeate the other bearings.

The good news is, when you are rebuilding it you can engineer a better seal and it won't happen again. There also is the possibility that it may not happen to your particular motor at all.

TW
 
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