Re: Prolight 3000 questions
I guess not many people have one of these.
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Tony,
It looks like you got the machine for a bargain price but it wasn't complete. Those missing parts are very important so it may be why the machine was priced so reasonably. Unless you're tooled up to make all the missing parts I would think it a better deal to cut your losses and head in a different direction.
Stuart
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Don't give up on the machine just yet - it's a very nice piece of kit. I have two, one complete with original control, and 1 with no control on it.
Mine both came with no tailstock - very custom and odd item, been eyeing that one on ebay for a while, but can't bring myself to pay that much for it... :) It's such a short mahine, you would mostly use it for a chucker-type lathe anyway.
They both also came without turrets, but that's not a problem - you can easily set it up for gang-tool holders, or for QC toolpost changing. The 3 larger tapped holes in the cross-slide are for bolting toolposts into. If yours has the T-slots instead, you can use them to hold your gang-tool holders. Gang tooling has the advantage of faster toolchanges, since you are not waiting for the turret to rotate to the correct tool - it's not a fast operation on these small lathes. The turret tool plate would have to be custom-made, it wouldn't be generic.
The chuck on mine (seems original) is a 3-jaw, 4" chuck, Bison brand. It's a model 3204-4", and bolts onto a mounting plate from the back, then is screwed onto the spindle. If you can find any backing plate in the correct thread, you can machine it down to fit the chuck. Even if you have to take it down from 6", you can do that, and it only has to be done once.
The spindle itself has the 5C bore, which I love about this machine. The manual drawtube I don't have, but have found that the ID of the spindle is a little bit under 1.375". I happen to have a Hardinge manual 5C drawtube from an old DV59, and those are slightly larger than 1.375", so it won't fit. However, the length seems pretty close, so I may take a chance and turn the Hardinge drawtube down a few thou to make it fit. It's not a really hard piece to make, so if you have any access to other lathes, you might want to try making one, or go the route I mentioned, and make one from an old Hardinge drawtube. Or, as I plan to do on the second lathe, install a Royal air collet closer, and make it a production machine! :)
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Thanks for the reply. Don't worry, not going to give up on it, I'd been looking for one for a while.
Mine has the t-slots. I'm hoping I can find someone who'll take measurements of the turret tooling plate so I can machine a copy.
I'd heard that the chuck was a Bison, thanks for confirming and providing the part#. Even used they are quite expensive on eBay. I may have to find a cheaper brand.
Thanks for the ID on the drawtube. If you adapt yours i'd be curious on what length you ended up with. I've not looked inside the spindle so im unsure if the original Light Machines closer was for external threaded collets or internal.
Any idea what the ring is (on the spindle) in the first picture?
Thanks
Tony
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Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DSpeck
If you can find any backing plate in the correct thread, you can machine it down to fit the chuck. Even if you have to take it down from 6", you can do that, and it only has to be done once.
What is the possibility of using a larger chuck than 4" on this machine? Say a 6" self-centering 3-jaw?
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Hey,
I have one. Not running yet, but the plan is soon.
The tailstock mounts on a piece of square stock that is attached at one end to the headstock and at the other to the the slab that the linear rails and ball screw are attached to.
I took mine off because it looked like it would mainly be in the way. Keeping it, because, you know, reasons. And shafts. Shortish ones.
That threaded collar is to protect the chuck threads when you are using collets.
I have the tool changer and the bison chuck, but not the collet closer.
Someone on ebay is selling collet tubes in any length for reasonable prices. That would be a good start to a simple closer.
I have the matching Prolight mill which I was using with the original stepper driver box. I made an interface with an ebay breakout board. The pin mappings are available on the zone somewhere. That worked well until the lm7(?) Chips blew. The spindle and coolant relays failed first. It's junk now.
I then upgraded to microstepping drives and the torque loss from those compared to the orignal half-step drives was disappointing. The original old blue steppers I had already replaced with Vextas.
Which brings me to the lathe, I'm going to try some integrated servos and if they are awesome i will upgrade the mill too.
How is your machine coming?
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
The max you'd be able to use is really a 5" chuck. With a 6" chuck, you could spin it, but it wouldn't allow you to open the jaws much wider than the chuck OD, since that would hit the way covers.
Lathe drawtubes are all for external threads - the internal threads on a 5C collet are for collet stops, so you can insert a workpiece to a specific length every time. If you made a drawbar for the internal threads, you would restrict the diameter of the work that would pass through it.
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DSpeck
The max you'd be able to use is really a 5" chuck. With a 6" chuck, you could spin it, but it wouldn't allow you to open the jaws much wider than the chuck OD, since that would hit the way covers.
I've been looking for a used 4" chuck but I've read quite a few posts advising that a new Chinese chuck can be preferable to a worn used higher quality one. I certainly can't afford a Bison. Or rather I can but given that the entire lathe cost me about $300 I don't want to spend that much ....
Never bought from this company, they sell pre-finished backplates:
- https://allindustrial.com/all-indust...-lathe-chucks/
Not sure how great an idea the above is for accuracy vs something like this; of course I'd have to turn it down on the 3000:
https://littlemachineshop.com/produc...ProductID=1923
Quote:
Lathe drawtubes are all for external threads - the internal threads on a 5C collet are for collet stops, so you can insert a workpiece to a specific length every time. If you made a drawbar for the internal threads, you would restrict the diameter of the work that would pass through it.
Yeah, that was obvious. I'm not sure what I was thinking.
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dan_the_welder
Someone on ebay is selling collet tubes in any length for reasonable prices. That would be a good start to a simple closer.
You have the listing URL?
I see these but they are 24" and the OD may be slightly too large based on Dspeck's comment: 'the ID of the spindle is a little bit under 1.375"'
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F184077871997
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
It's this guy. He will make any length and I'm sure you or he can turn down the diameter.
If I can't figure out a way to make one I'll probably get one from him.
EDIT: Look at this, a collet extender tube. If its long enough, it's the basis for a cheap solution.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/5C-Collet-Extension-Tube-8-inch-length-American-Made-/163731910066
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-USA-MAD...-/153509944765
3 Attachment(s)
Re: Prolight 3000 questions
Have a question on the tool changer.
As I said, mine came with the changer but the toolplate was missing. I had no luck getting dimensions from anyone so I could make a plate.
I just bought a complete tool changer with plate and I noticed that the plate on the one I bought, if installed onto the changer that came with my lathe, would extend off to one side.
Attachment 470056
I did some more looking at it seems that is normal as I found this photo online
Attachment 470058
There also seems to be a third style where the motor is hexagonal, the Emco guy has one on eBay right now and he refers to the round motor as the "old style".
Attachment 470060
Does anyone know much about the differences? The fact that the plate overhangs the unit on one seems odd.
@DSpeck mentioned above that some 3000s have a cross slide with t-slots and others bolt holes. Mine has t-slots. Is this a factor in the different styles of atc?.
Anyways, when I get my Prolight 2500 mill working I plan to try and make a new tooling plate based on this one.