I have mostly good information to report on my Rapidturn so far. The Certificate of Inspection results look really good. The results were dated February 2016. I haven't checked all of the measurements out, but the spindle run out looks very good on mine. I barely get any movement (less than .0001-.0002" estimated with .001" indicator) on the indicator on the spindle ID, and also on a 1/2" test bar in a cheap collet hardly any more at the collet, and about 2" out. I will get the actual numbers when I have more time.
My spindle motor ran backwards out of the box. I followed the QC spindle instructions to the letter so I was surprised that it didn't work properly. The 1100 main spindle was correct. As a result I had to switch the U and V wires at the Rapidturn motor and it is now running correctly. I didn't expect that there would be anything causing a difference from the normal Tormach setup. It seems to run really smoothly up to full RPM.
The belt change and tension adjustment is much easier using a ratchet, extension, and a socket than an open-end wrench. Maybe they will add that to the manual.
The VFD programming stick worked like it should. I have not yet tried a series of going back and forth between mill and Rapidturn to see how long it actually takes, but other than having to shutdown the machine as stated in the manual and having to re-reference, it is simple. I do still wish I could use the mill spindle without the changeover, but with enough other positives on the overall Rapidturn, I will likely not worry too much about that for what I need. I still have a Duality with the 4th axis kit as well as the 8" rotary table for use when needed.
I followed the alignment process in the Rapidturn manual. It involves running an indicator over the face of the Rapidturn in the Y direction to align the spindle with the mille x axis (lathe z axis). However, the front face of the Rapidturn looks rough and like it was wire brushed to remove paint. In addition, I was getting about .002" of indicator movement at various locations due to that less than ideal surface finish. I have notified Tormach of my initial experience. They suggested trying to indicate it in using an area below the spindle that is smoother. I have a Duality lathe and dial it in with a test bar in the chuck. I used that method with the Rapidturn and got it aligned but didn't have time to do test cuts.
Does anyone else with a Rapidturn have one with a rough looking, brushed face. Any issues with dialing it in?
I have a Series 2 1100 so I don't have that slick extended table like the newer models have. I had to remove the table guards to install the Rapidturn, and even then, my initial setup put the entire Rapidturn on the table surface. I did not move it back to the left and hanging out over the end of the table. However, that does mean the motor is further to the right, so it would limit the Y travel in that direction if you are using it for mill spindle cuts using the manual indexing and spindle lock.
As soon as I get my gang tooling tested I will post more about how well that works.
I have a lot more to test out, but it is still looking like a great product and a good step up from the Duality Lathe.