Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Ball Screws for Mill
Posted by
Jon Elson
on 2000-08-29 22:11:57 UTC
Hugh Currin wrote:
with the Bridgeport
parts. As for the leadscrews, there are a couple of ways to do this.
If they have some
sort of sleeve that fits in place of the existing Acme nuts, and the
ballnuts attach to this
sleeve, then it is likely to work. The bearing plates all seem to have
the same bolt
pattern. One possibility is they don't use the same bearing OD, and you
might have
to fabricate sleeves or some other mod. If the ballscrew has the same
end dimensions
as your existing screws, you use your existing bearings and
plates/brackets. If the
screw has a different end dimension, then you may have to do some work.
The other end of the screw, of course, is the nut. If they use the
sleeve arrangement
described above, you just slide it into the existing holes and away you
go. If not,
then they must replace the 'yoke' that the two nuts go into. This gets
complicated,
to say the least! This is what I did on my conversion (not a kit, FOR
SURE!) and
I don't recommend it! I built my own yoke, with flats top and bottom
for the
square ballnuts to bolt to. A complete nightmare, with shims all over
the place
to correct for measuring errors! Well, it turns out VERY hard to
measure how
high to mount the ends of the screw relative to a block 15 inches away,
deep
inside the mill's saddle. But, of course, if someone has already
measured it for
you, then that is fine!
This machine is not rare, so the ball screw kit makers will know what to
do.
Jon
> I am trying toA number of the clone machines are built to be mostly interchangeable
> retrofit a SuperMax YC-1 1/2 VA mill from Yeong Chin in Taiwan circa
> 1980.
> It is a knee mill with 9x42 table. I suspect it is a direct copy of a
>
> Bridgeport, it
> at least looks like it.
>
> I want to install ball screws in the X and Y axes and build a drive
> for Z
> on the
> spindle. I'm concerned right now with the X and Y conversion.
>
> So, does anyone know if a Bridgeport X/Y retrofit kit is likely to fit
> this
> mill? I
> pulled the lead screws out and found them very close to the dimensions
> of the
> retrofit kits I've found. I'd be grateful if anyone can confirm this
> suspicion.
with the Bridgeport
parts. As for the leadscrews, there are a couple of ways to do this.
If they have some
sort of sleeve that fits in place of the existing Acme nuts, and the
ballnuts attach to this
sleeve, then it is likely to work. The bearing plates all seem to have
the same bolt
pattern. One possibility is they don't use the same bearing OD, and you
might have
to fabricate sleeves or some other mod. If the ballscrew has the same
end dimensions
as your existing screws, you use your existing bearings and
plates/brackets. If the
screw has a different end dimension, then you may have to do some work.
The other end of the screw, of course, is the nut. If they use the
sleeve arrangement
described above, you just slide it into the existing holes and away you
go. If not,
then they must replace the 'yoke' that the two nuts go into. This gets
complicated,
to say the least! This is what I did on my conversion (not a kit, FOR
SURE!) and
I don't recommend it! I built my own yoke, with flats top and bottom
for the
square ballnuts to bolt to. A complete nightmare, with shims all over
the place
to correct for measuring errors! Well, it turns out VERY hard to
measure how
high to mount the ends of the screw relative to a block 15 inches away,
deep
inside the mill's saddle. But, of course, if someone has already
measured it for
you, then that is fine!
This machine is not rare, so the ball screw kit makers will know what to
do.
Jon