I would like to start a Thread about the problems with the Circa Year 2001 Bridgeport TC Series Tool Changer. If anyone owns one of these machines, you will soon find out how prone to breakage the Tool Change Motor and Gear reduction box are.

I purchased my TC3 in 2007. It had one owner that took care of the machine.
Three months into running a light production job (8 hrs day, 5 tool program)
The Tool Changer started to bang hard and studder when moving and running rough overall.
I called a Local (New England) repairman. He was an Ex. BP Tech.
MIND YOU, The machine was still operating at the time. When the Tech. arrived he went to work. In less than a half hour, he crashed the flash drive in the machine, losing all the memory and tried to blame it on me for "Having a black cloud over my head." I knew then I had chose the wrong man to come repair my machine. Over the course of FIVE attemps in FIVE DAYS to fix and debugg the machine he got it to run OK. When we investigated the Tool Changer problem, we found a broken gear in the reduction gearbox. The original was a Panasonic Motor and Gearbox. He told me that unit is not available anymore. So we used a setup from Oriental Motor. The unit was installed and the Gearbox was a 50% Reduction. I believe the Panasonic was a 30% reduction.
One thing he told me was. "This sould last much longer due to the 20% reduction from the factory unit.

Fast forward to 2011. The EXACT same failure has happened. This time however I am not using thie last repairman. I am taking matters into my own hands. I am going to install a 75% reduction gearbox on my TC3. It should, by my calculations, reduce the motor speed to 375 RPM and add one second of travel time of the Carousel. I hope this will end the banging of the Tool Changer. The banging is the reason this system breaks. The PLC in the BPT control can not see the Proximity sensors in time to stop the Tool Change Motor fast enough. That is why you have banging. It's an over travel. Check out this YOU TUBE Video.

Bridgeport TC3 with Centroid control: tool change - YouTube

Do you see how smooth the Carousel travels in the Video? No banging. This is due to a PLC that can react to the Proximity Sensors in 1-2 milliseconds. Shuting down the power to the Tool Change Motor before banging at the end of travel.

Now, a BP service and parts provider (who will not be named by myself) has offered a kit to reduce this banging.
It consists of rubber bumpers and a radiused sheet metal part to increase the arc profile of the Swing Arm. The idea is to give the Proximity Switches an increased chance to see the Tool Swing Arm. I installed this part and the bumpers on my TC3

Let me tell you. It does not work. Nice idea, but no. I know from first hand experience. Does it help? Not really. I am waiting on the 75% Reduction Gear Box to come from Japan. When it does I will post on the outcome of the install.

Your experiences and advice will be most welcome on this topic.

Jake