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tnik

On 11/15/2011 10:41 AM, wrote:
On Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:38:13 -0500, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
I posted a while back that I might be buying a Fadal mill and running
it from a phase converter.

Don't use a ****ty out-of-the-box converter (even name brand), as they use
start caps that are never switched out, causing a wild leg that can be 30 V
over line V.

Separate the start caps from the running caps, which will be lower value
caps between both L1-L3, and L2-L3 (L1-L2 = line).

Also make sure the voltage taps on the Fadal are set for your local
voltage.

Well, I'm buying it. I'll write the check tomorrow.

What year, whadja pay?? What's yer location?

It's a model VMC-15 and has rigid tapping so I guess I'll
need that parameter changing info. Also, just what is the advantage of
rigid tapping over tapping heads?

There are *complete* online manuals, good qual. pdf's, I think from MAG.
*Identical* to the hard copy, ceptin now you can search'em. Free.

Tapping heads on a drill press? Their advantage is torque control, for less
breakage.
Don't know much about other tap methods on VMC's.

But the rigid tapping is fast, clean, accurate, you'll be spoilt forever.
Also, I believe rigid tapping can handle roll taps better, which I now use
on alum almost all the time.
I'm rigid tapping as we speak.

Post to alt.machines.cnc (what's left of it), and also the
PrecisionMachinist forum, which has forums in various categories. No Fadal
forum per se (iirc), but lots of fadal users there.
Year 1996, $18,500, comes with4th axis, Whidbey Island WA. The phase
converter I'm runing is a good one that has proven itself for years
running CNC machines. How is rigid tapping faster? Do you program the
machine to back out faster than going in? As far as form taps go, I've
never had a problem with them being used in tapping heads.
Eric

Rigid tapping.. Once you use it you'll love it.
First, most machines with rigid tapping will retract faster than when
they go in, this is normally a setting in the parameters. Second, you
can re-tap a hole because of the machine knows the clocking of the
spindle. This comes in really handy when you tap a large number of holes
and think you went deep enough but find out that you didn't. But you
don't want to do this if your using a floating holder. You must use a
rigid setup to do this.