[bogiestl]

Am I going to need to buy a converter? Was figuring on trying to avoid it, but if I end up needing one with the Tormach, I may be revising what I'm thinking about in terms of machinery...

[300sniper]

all tormach machines i am aware of run off of single phase power.

[byellin]

The new stepper motors are three phase DC, not the AC input power source. The mill's internal electronics rectify the current as appropriate.

[philbur]

Read the documentation.:idea: (chair)

Phil

[Al_The_Man]

Maybe the confusion comes from the indication it has a 3phase spindle motor being unaware that the invertor can be 1ph fed?
Al.

[byellin]

I'm not sure where the confusion is coming from, but all Tormach mills run on household current, 110 or 220 AC - nothing special.

[Al_The_Man]

I'm not sure where the confusion is coming from, but all Tormach mills run on household current, 110 or 220 AC - nothing special.

The area of confusion that may occur as I referred to previously is part of the manual quoted below, to the uninitiated it may seem that 3ph is required.

The spindle is driven by a robust 1.5HP 3-phase induction motor powered by state-of-the art sensorless vector variable frequency drive technology from Emerson Control Techniques™

Al.

[philbur]

Tormach has one of the most comprehensively documented machine tool websites on the net. Seek and Ye shall find. So not surprisingly you can find the necessary information on the mill data sheet, under the section titled "specification" quote:

"Power Power Requirements: 200-250 VAC 50/60 Hz single phase
(primary). 20A breaker recommended
115 VAC 50/60Hz (secondary)"

Phil

PS: Not only has the OP not done his home-work, he hasn't even open his books and pretended that he's done his home-work. The excuse that the dog ate it wont wash either.

[bogiestl]

Philbur, when I see one thing on the web site, which I've pretty much combed over, since I'm planning on spending over $15K, and I see another thing in another spot, and something else in another, and they JUST CHANGED THE SPECS ON THE MACHINE, I sort of wonder if maybe they still haven't worked all the bugs out of their documentation...

Heck, I've seen stuff that has three-phase motors, and they have some handy-dandy static converter bolted onto the side... I see that as somewhat less than optimal if you have the real thing available.

Right now I'm sitting about 15 yards from a monster rotary converter... Which is sitting right next to a Milltronics Partner X which, paradoxically, runs on "regular" 220... Go figure... Our three-phase wall is for the Bridgeports, the Jets, The Shizoukas, and a couple of monster drill presses and surface grinders. Heck, we've got one surface grinder in storage that's wired for 440 - which is probably why it's in storage...

[philbur]

So the dog did eat it then.

Phil

Philbur, when I see one thing on the web site, which I've pretty much combed over, since I'm planning on spending over $15K, and I see another thing in another spot, and something else in another, and they JUST CHANGED THE SPECS ON THE MACHINE, I sort of wonder if maybe they still haven't worked all the bugs out of their documentation...

Heck, I've seen stuff that has three-phase motors, and they have some handy-dandy static converter bolted onto the side... I see that as somewhat less than optimal if you have the real thing available.

Right now I'm sitting about 15 yards from a monster rotary converter... Which is sitting right next to a Milltronics Partner X which, paradoxically, runs on "regular" 220... Go figure... Our three-phase wall is for the Bridgeports, the Jets, The Shizoukas, and a couple of monster drill presses and surface grinders. Heck, we've got one surface grinder in storage that's wired for 440 - which is probably why it's in storage...

[Don Clement]

This may help:
Stepper motor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Higher-phase count stepper motorsMulti-phase stepper motors with many phases tend to have much lower levels of vibration,[2] although the cost of manufacture is higher. These motors tend to be called 'hybrid' and have more expensive machined parts, but also higher quality bearings. Though they are more expensive, they do have a higher power density and with the appropriate drive electronics are actually better suited to the application[citation needed], however price is always an important factor. Computer printers may use hybrid designs."


and

Variable-frequency drive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[bogiestl]

Thanks... Hey, I'm a designer, not an electrical engineer... I plug stuff into the wall. It works. I'm happy. If it doesn't work, there's the telephone...