[keen]

Hi Folks

Well software is not really my field, but I know there is not a lot of information out there on offsets for those considering Rapidturn and gang tooling.

So here we go! Cheers Cliff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2lN37F1mW8&t=1203s

Coffee Break

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCTDa9UpR4U

[keen]

Hi Folks

A video on Rapidturn production via short stock and stops.

Cheers Cliff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTy49-bOFWo&t=71s

[keen]

Happy New Year Folks.

Here is another video on Rapidturn plus some 4th Axis and Probing.

Cheers Cliff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEITsxlLZ8k

[keen]

Hi Folks.

A Rapidturn video episode on gang production and slotting.

Cheers Cliff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hRqurEk9kc&t=99s

[keen]

Hi Folks - Another Rapidturn video covering chip control in plastic and crash avoidance.

Cheers Cliff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qVtd3Vn2GE

[keen]

Hi Folks

Rapidturn for quick secondary operations?

Cliff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IljTh7YJA8s&t=1s

[scaletec]

I just now came across your post and would like to thank you for the information about the 4NA / 1NA which my new Rapid Turn has and stops dead when it try's to ramp up above 350 rpm. Ordered new sensor from Tormach (received the 1NA)and installed it. Works perfect. I gave up on calling Tormach can never get thru and the have not returned my call for 1 week now.

[keen]

I just now came across your post and would like to thank you for the information about the 4NA / 1NA which my new Rapid Turn has and stops dead when it try's to ramp up above 350 rpm. Ordered new sensor from Tormach (received the 1NA)and installed it. Works perfect. I gave up on calling Tormach can never get thru and the have not returned my call for 1 week now.

Thanks for taking the time to give feedback Scaletec - Cheers Cliff

[Snecx]

I just received my RapidTurn this month and it seems that I have an issue with the sensor as well. When F/Rev mode is enabled, the feed stutters sporadically.

By the way, thanks Cliff! A lot of great content on the RapidTurn as well as Tormach maintenance tips and tricks.

[keen]

Thanks for the feedback! Cheers Cliff

[Snecx]

I thought I'll add a video to show what the issue is for me. And I get stuttering even at low RPM. To check that my sensor sort of works, I can get the Z encoder status to trigger every rev by hand.

I've adjusted the sensor twice now. First time I tried 0.25mm gap with feeler gauge. It didn't work. I tried eyeball it again this time with ~0.5mm, thought maybe it will work better. No change.

https://youtu.be/bHR-4lh-ceM

[Snecx]

While I was at the sensor adjustment, I balanced the spindle to offset the weight of the speed sensor flag. The flag with the screw is approx 15.1g. So I took a nut approx 13.5g and put it on the opposing side.

Stuck a 3M double sided tape to keep it in position, then zip-tied it very snug. It turned out pretty well. Previously I couldn't test the RapidTurn on my bench stool without clamping it down (it would vibrate away).

https://youtu.be/quicumfVDQ8

[dajt]

I got around to setting up my RapidTurn and noticed jerky movement in X & Z. After watching your video (I'm sure I'd seen it last year too) and reading this thread I took the sensor plate off and of course there is the 4NA sensor on there. The sensor is also not square to the plate or the tag - I don't know if that has an impact.

Other problems it came with:

The surface finish on the toolpost holder casting that clamps around the mill spindle is appalling - it's like its made of cheese and there are big ripples all over it which I expect affect the rigidity of the already baby toolpost as it's only sitting on the crests of the ripples, the toolpost stud is cocked to the tune of 1mm over its length, the M10 thread wasn't finished so the bolt couldn't even be started.

The 3-jaw chuck on the 5C taper backplate was loose - the screws were partially undone. Luckily I only started it at low revs.

The motor was wired backwards.

These last two problems were also encountered by a bloke in the UK who shows them on YouTube.

I've written to the importer and Tormach with the info and pointing to this thread.

I've been too scared to check if my spindle is bad, I don't want any more bad news just now. The RapidTurn is C0309, mfg Jan 2017.

Thanks Cliff for figuring all this out for us. I hope you got your SlantPro cheap for all the problem solving you did for Tormach.

[keen]

Thanks for taking the time to post this feedback. Cheers Cliff

[dajt]

I found a mistake I'd made when I was putting the PCNC back into milling mode. Despite clear and obvious labeling and knowing what I had to do, I put the wrong programming key into the VFD! I took the one I'd tucked into the wiring diagram pocket and looked at it and it was the RapidTurn one.

So, I figured I'd better keep going and see what difference it made. I cleaned up the RapidTurn casting and it's base - lots of gunk on the bottom of the casting, put the sensor plate back on with the sensor as close to the tag as I could go without hitting it, and screwed the casting and base together and back onto the table.

Using simple conversational OD turning and mindful of other people saying theirs were reliable up to a certain rev limit I started at 300 RPM and it seemed ok. I went up through 600, to 1000, to 1200. The PathPilot display showed about 1290-1300 RPM being reached here for some reason. Still seemed ok.

Onto a 1300 RPM limit so 1400 RPM displayed and the table movements became erratic. Back to the 1200 (1300) limit and it seemed ok again.

So I know my speed limit now.

I don't trust this sensor though - it obviously breaks down at the 1300 RPM mark and PathPilot can't get a reliable reading for either movement or RPM measurement purposes.

Here's some images of my toolpost clamp. Is this finish normal?

[Snecx]

Just get the sensor replaced and it should be good for max RPM (3500 if I recall correctly.) It worked very well for me on very tiny parts once I got the sensor replaced.

I built a simple gang tool post that mounts onto the spindle clamp. It worked quite well after all that. Mine looks almost similar to yours.

My 3-jaw chuck too wasn't tightly secured from factory as well, I found out about it during initial inspection because runout was beyond 0.01mm. I tightened it up and it was well within spec (<=0.01mm).

[dajt]

A few emails over the course of a week finally got a response. That I got two different people from support opening two different tickets implies it just takes them that long to get through their email queue. Perhaps phone calls take their immediate attention and emails only get looked at periodically or something.

One guy asked me to go through the sensor adjustment procedure, which I already had done but I did it again so I could truthfully reply that I'd followed his instructions. Part of this is upgrading PathPilot which I never bothered with before. I was on 2.1.3 anyway, pretty recent. I did an online update and it was quick and very simple with no hiccups.

A new sensor should be on its way.

One of the guys told me they changed their QA procedure late last year to try and catch the bad sensors before they're shipped.

[Advil]

Keen, if Tormach is putting servos in the Slant Pro on a test basis now, are there any rumblings about putting one in the Rapidturn? I'm getting pretty close to pulling the trigger on buying one but my number one gripe has always been the cost and the lack of any future possibility of real mill/turn because of the motor choice. A closed loop encoded servo would obviously have a LOT of potential future benefits in a Rapidturn.

[keen]

Keen, if Tormach is putting servos in the Slant Pro on a test basis now, are there any rumblings about putting one in the Rapidturn? I'm getting pretty close to pulling the trigger on buying one but my number one gripe has always been the cost and the lack of any future possibility of real mill/turn because of the motor choice. A closed loop encoded servo would obviously have a LOT of potential future benefits in a Rapidturn.

Hi - I assume you mean replacing the rapidturn spindle motor and sensor with a full servo system. Sorry I have no knowledge of Tormachs Rapidturn plans. Cliff

[dajt]

The new sensor arrived today and given I'm in Australia that's good service. It was quicker to get the sensor than it was to get a reply to my emails.