Re: new prototipe project
Is this a very large machine? For the X axis you may need a larger motor depending on how much mass you are moving. For the Y and Z axis NEMA 34 steppers should be OK.
I also am going to add CNC to my 618 surface grinder, and will be using NEMA 34 steppers, direct drive on all axis. But I think my machine is much smaller than yours.
You can run the X axis from G code with Mach3. I think you will need to hand write the G code, but it might be possible to use a facing routine generated from a CAM program. I would need to experiment with it a bit to figure out what works the best.
Re: new prototipe project
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jim Dawson
Is this a very large machine? For the X axis you may need a larger motor depending on how much mass you are moving. For the Y and Z axis NEMA 34 steppers should be OK.
I also am going to add CNC to my 618 surface grinder, and will be using NEMA 34 steppers, direct drive on all axis. But I think my machine is much smaller than yours.
You can run the X axis from G code with Mach3. I think you will need to hand write the G code, but it might be possible to use a facing routine generated from a CAM program. I would need to experiment with it a bit to figure out what works the best.
Found myself with a chance to have a DoAll VS618-1 and have myself wondering what to do with the thing. it was set up with power feeds on the table but someone snagged the tank and pump before i could claim it. the QC guy took the magnetic chuck so that's gone as well. the things you do to save a piece of history from the scarp yard :)
was thinking about doing something like this myself simply because there is no fun in swinging handles on manual grinder period. hard to beat the price of free so time will tell what comes of this project :)
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Re: new prototipe project
Quote:
Originally Posted by
machinedude
Found myself with a chance to have a DoAll VS618-1 and have myself wondering what to do with the thing. it was set up with power feeds on the table but someone snagged the tank and pump before i could claim it. the QC guy took the magnetic chuck so that's gone as well. the things you do to save a piece of history from the scarp yard :)
was thinking about doing something like this myself simply because there is no fun in swinging handles on manual grinder period. hard to beat the price of free so time will tell what comes of this project :)
I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with.
My DoAll MTA-6 is still sitting in the corner gathering dust. Like you, I got mine for almost free ($250), but mine is complete and operational. Hydraulic drive. Some day after I get a number of projects out of the way I may get to it. :rolleyes: But the forklift was Free, just showed up in my driveway one day. (Long story)
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/attac...d=467138&stc=1
Re: new prototipe project
i wish my front end loader was that big :) the 1023e i just got has nowhere near enough lift to deal with one of these machines so i had to resort to the engine lift but the reach was an issue even with that so getting it off the trailer and on the ground took some time to say the least :)
i got mine for free so it's something to tinker with. the columns on these DoAll grinders are rather beefy and have quite a bit of height to them. the columns are 3" diameter thick walled tubing with a 3/4 wall thickness. so i'm not sure if mine will stay a grinder since it has seen better days. as i am l looking at things it could probably be converted into a horizonal mill or router with out to much trouble i'm thinking. the base is set up on a box ways and the castings are machined square to everything so it would be easy to mount linear rails to the cross slide of the saddle. the only down side might be travel since it is a small surface.
i would imagine the current set up would be pretty rigid the columns have around a 1" thick bronze plain bearing on the upper and lower side of the cast iron bearing assembly doweled to the cast iron base. those columns are about 3 foot long and the only restrictions to the ends are the length of the lead screw and a cap screw tapped into the one end to act as a stop so the column does no come out of the bearing housing.
the box ways on mine seem not to bad but the rest above the box ways is pretty rough. the upper ways have some sort of plastic wear material attached directly to the ways and that part had oil groves to hold the oil in place on that surface the other surfaces were scraped but on mine that part is about completely gone. DoAll does not do ginders theses days as far as i could tell and parts are none existent . so anything needed to fix would need to be made custom for it i think.
i'm pretty sure mine has been dropped at least once but the only damage i seen was on the rack that drives the longitudinal travel and 2 of the 3 dowels that hold the bearing assembly for the columns were broke off.
so mine is a good pick for what ever mods come to mind to make into something useful :) the price was right :)
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Re: new prototipe project
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jim Dawson
I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with.
My DoAll MTA-6 is still sitting in the corner gathering dust. Like you, I got mine for almost free ($250), but mine is complete and operational. Hydraulic drive. Some day after I get a number of projects out of the way I may get to it. :rolleyes: But the forklift was Free, just showed up in my driveway one day. (Long story)
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/attac...d=467138&stc=1
just some inside views of what i have. i was looking at your model and it is a bit different than what i have from skimming through the parts manual i looked up on line. the one i got was bought in 1977 so i don't know which one is older of the 2 models?
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Re: new prototipe project
this might be useful information to anyone who might encounter this material in a restoration. what i found on the saddle of this DoAll grinder is a plastic material that i believe is Rulon. this material is used for bearing surfaces. i also think this was a custom part made or sourced for DoAll. i happen to be lucky and have a parts manual for this particular grinder but you can find them on-line if you look a little bit. they list these as a saddle skid in the manuals. you can't find these or at least i have had no luck finding them. So the best i can tell this material was most likely .031 thick to begin with. this material does an excellent job at protecting the ways it covers but is a double sided sword since the grit and dirt get trapped on top of the material and basically destroy the mating surface if left unchecked. this was interesting to find even though the table bottom looked as bad as the top of the Rulon wear strips. what was under the Rulon was pretty amazing to see a set of ways in that good of shape under the Rulon after almost 50 year of use.
the closest material i could find was .031 Rulon sheet but the cost of this material is high. a 6" x 6" sheet costs around $100 and it would take about 3 of those to cover they ways. along with that you have added cost of an epoxy adhesive which i believe 3M makes a two part system that would be used to attach this material to the cast iron. i have not even priced that part but could see it adding at least another $100 to the cost of replacement. then you get into having to piece a bunch of sections together which i would not be a fan of the idea but you might have to dig a little deeper and start talking to a manufacturer of this material and see if you can get custom sizes? who knows what that would do to cost?
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Re: new prototipe project
just some progress pictures. hopefully after the weekend i will have the mechanical stuff sorted out on the bottom half of this adventure :)
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