[E_MCC_ME]

First let me say this is my first Thread/Post I've done on a forum and lead into my motivation:

My work has a 2J Bridgeport (BP) [1.5 HP motor] with a modified Quick Change Erickson 30 Spindle and I've been put on a mission to clean it up and make it operational. At one point or another it was converted to a CNC using big bulky NEMA 42's and transformers from the late 60's. These were removed in an attempt to make the BP a manual mill once again. This was done without the forward thought that the previous retrofit meant that the lead screws were switched for ball screws. So instead of replacing the ball screws with lead screws and buying some handles my employer has opted to turn it back into a operating CNC.

Currently my issues lie in that we want to do the retrofit on a budget of under $4000 USD for the motors (X,Y & Z), motor controller, breakout board, power supply, all cables, user interface, and limit switches. My suggestion was to get a complete retrofit kit from somewhere like FlashCutCNC, or MachMotion however the estimate was just over $4000 and my employer wouldn't go for it due to cost (personally I think its crazy cause the amount of man time retrofitting this thing with different parts, doing the wiring, making environmental enclosures for electrical components and extra research on HOW to do all will cost nearly $4000 when all is said and done).


So to make things clear let me put my final thoughts/questions into a list

-What components do I need to retrofit a BP aside from what I listed above?
-Has anyone used the "stepper killer" ClearPath Teknic servo-motors to operate their machine?
-Is it possible to keep this budget (excluding user interface)?
-Can someone direct me to a link where a retrofit has been done on a BP using servo motors and drivers?
-Are the flashcut CNC (and others like them) worth buying over customizing (while on a company driven budget) a CNC retrofit?


Thank you and have a Great Day!!

[holbieone]

have a look at ajaxcnc.com

[mactec54]

E_MCC_ME

Post a photo of the machine

[hanermo]

Everything is possible.
The problem(s) are many, with the biggest being a good high res, reliable machine controller, with ethernet interface.

A CSMIO-IPS is the best, but it will break your budget.
The small CSMIO might be enough, at 256 kHz, and 4 axis.

(Brushless AC) servos are about 290€/ 400W / per axis.
These NEEED a high speed controller like the one mentioned. High resolution = high pulse rates.

My mill uses a Pokeys (very good) at 125 kHz. However the motion engine is limited to 4 axis.
I use brushless servos, on a shop built VMC.

Rapid speeds are immaterial, imo, ime.

I use belt drives, now at HTD 5/15, and will go to HTD 8/30. 4x more rigid.
1:3.75 ratio.

[Tkamsker]

Hi i have done similar on an Bridgeport 412 I using Linuxcnc and keeping the old Servos ,.. Depending on the Physical conditions and your willingness to invest time (like in my case to learn and gain knowledge) it may be possible. I used General Mechatronics board , Granite Deives Boards but the Servos where given So maybe there is an better Servor Controller option good for your needs.
Do you know the force you need to overcome and the nominal speed at the spindle ? (Servos ? )
then it may be possible to go and calculate and double the time you have estimated -

[123CNC]

Many, many, many Bridgeport Series 1 manual and CNC mills have been retrofitted with aftermarket controls.

Many BP Series 1 CNC mills came factory with NEMA 42 steppers. Know there limits and they work fine.

You need to evaluate what are your needs from the machine, and what is the condition of machine mechanicals. How are the ways, ballscrews, table, how is the quill or z-axis drive setup?

The retrofit can be done for way more or way less. Depends how much you can retain or have already available to you and how much of the install and troubleshooting you can do in house, and what your performance goals are.

I have a set of the Teknic motors, but have not had the chance to use them yet. It looks like Novakon offers them on some of there mills as well. You might want to look through that forum for any first impressions or troubles had.

Good Luck.

[WilliamT4450]

Sorry to join in on this old thread. I know it's been a year from the previous post, but I hope my comments are still relevant.

You can complete the retrofit under $4000 since you have the ball screws. Otherwise to retrofit a Bridgeport will be about 5K from my experience.
Spend money on a professional BOB controller. You will be glad you did!

I chased electronic noise problems with my router for over two frustrating years. Reading the forum boards, all I heard were people complaining about the Gecko driver failing, about Mach failing, about the SmoothStepper failing. The moment I threw out my hobby class controller, the SmoothStepper, and the Geckos, my control problems disappeared. Learning from this I built the Bridgeport controls identical to the router controls. Both machines are trouble free.

ClearPath servos:
I saved a lot of money using the ClearPath Servos, spending $700 per axis with ClearPath vs., the $1,200 to $1,700 per other axis using Panasonic, Teco's, etc. Yes I know, $700 per axis is still hard to swallow, but much better than the alternatives.

Since the SmoothStepper and Gecko stuff were no longer needed, I applied the money savings to a professional BOB.

The drivers I chose are the SDSK (Step Direction Stepper Killer) servos. Electronically, they are very easy to install. They require an external power source of 75V-DC, but they are 3-phase AC servo motors with an internal DC to AC 3-phase converter. So all you need to do is to cable them together like Christmas Tree lights; one cable from the power supply to the first servo, and then to the next servo, and then to the next servo. The other control wiring to each servo is standard stuff too. Two wires, 5VDC for the controller power, two wires for step, plus and minus, and the final two wires for direction, plus and minus. And that's it.

[Black Forest]

Sorry to join in on this old thread. I know it's been a year from the previous post, but I hope my comments are still relevant.

You can complete the retrofit under $4000 since you have the ball screws. Otherwise to retrofit a Bridgeport will be about 5K from my experience.
Spend money on a professional BOB controller. You will be glad you did!

I chased electronic noise problems with my router for over two frustrating years. Reading the forum boards, all I heard were people complaining about the Gecko driver failing, about Mach failing, about the SmoothStepper failing. The moment I threw out my hobby class controller, the SmoothStepper, and the Geckos, my control problems disappeared. Learning from this I built the Bridgeport controls identical to the router controls. Both machines are trouble free.

ClearPath servos:
I saved a lot of money using the ClearPath Servos, spending $700 per axis with ClearPath vs., the $1,200 to $1,700 per other axis using Panasonic, Teco's, etc. Yes I know, $700 per axis is still hard to swallow, but much better than the alternatives.

Since the SmoothStepper and Gecko stuff were no longer needed, I applied the money savings to a professional BOB.

The drivers I chose are the SDSK (Step Direction Stepper Killer) servos. Electronically, they are very easy to install. They require an external power source of 75V-DC, but they are 3-phase AC servo motors with an internal DC to AC 3-phase converter. So all you need to do is to cable them together like Christmas Tree lights; one cable from the power supply to the first servo, and then to the next servo, and then to the next servo. The other control wiring to each servo is standard stuff too. Two wires, 5VDC for the controller power, two wires for step, plus and minus, and the final two wires for direction, plus and minus. And that's it.

What professional controller did you use?

[CNCMAN172]

Take a look at this thread, this guy is well underway on his conversion of the same Bridgeport.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/bridge...gineering.html

I would second the Ajax or Centroid conversion.
http://www.centroidcnc.com/downloads...up%20guide.pdf

While you can probably do a conversion with a cheaper controller if you have a nice piece of hardware it is probably worth the investment to put the right control on the unit. There is a video on youtube about the new Centroid Oak board which is very informative.

Russ