Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Monarch conversion to VFD

If you have lots of money, Monarch supplies a VFD conversion package
for the machine. That will get you up and running fast, if that's
important.

I know a fellow who did a really nice conversion on his 10ee to a
VFD drive. He made a few bits to mount the motor on the gear box;
worked out really nice.

$10K Cnd seems a little on the high end for a machine that you'll have
to do a motor conversion on. I got mine on the low end - $300 US, but
it's a project lathe.

You probably don't want to hog off a lot of metal on a 10ee; it's a
precision machine. If I want a 1/4 inch cut, I'll use my Leblond.

An alternative to a VFD is a solid state DC control, if the DC motor
is in good condition. This isn't all that hard to do, but you need
2 controllers: one for the armature and the other to do field weakening
to get to the top speed, plus a safety cutout in case the field supply
frazzes out.

Some lathes have a couple of belt drive speeds on the spindle and the
rest gear driven for better surface finish on high spindle speeds. My
LeBlond has 4 speeds where the spindle is belt driven. If you need to
do heavy cuts and you only have space for 1 lathe, look around for this
feature.

Paul

>
> Hi David:
> Thank you for your good insights into this.
> In fact, when I was initially choosing a successor to the Taiwanese 12 x 36
> machine I have now, I seriously considered a Hardinge HLV-H.
> I know it's a dead nuts machine that is superbly well made; my only two
> reasons for rejecting it as a first choice are that it has a tiny spindle
> nose, and that it is not really suited to taking heavy cuts, especially
> interrupted cuts.
> The Monarch is built a bit beefier even though the spindle nose is deficient
> on it as well. (D1-3)
> Given the space limitations in my shop, the Monarch seems the overall better
> choice, and the price for a decent machine is comparable, as you point out.
> I had thought to go with a 14 x40 gear head machine like the Nardini, but I
> just can't fit it into the available space, and I need to be able to
> hardturn to super finishes (one of the reasons I'm dumping the Taiwanese
> machine), so a gear head machine is a poorer choice.
> So the question now is not whether to get a Monarch; it is whether to get
> THIS Monarch.
> That's why I need to know whether it's a major hassle electrically, to
> switch from DC drive to AC and VFD drive.
> I know absolutely zip about electronics, and I have no idea yet, how to
> interface the VFD with the old forward- reverse mechanism, whether it will
> brake quickly like the old DC drive etc etc.
> I am hoping that someone on this list has done similar conversions and can
> give me an idea whether I'm inheriting a "project" here.
> I've certainly considered doing the "bailout" as you suggest!
> Cheers
>
> Marcus
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David M. Munro" <munro@...>
> To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2002 11:31 AM
> Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Monarch conversion to VFD
>
>
> > The EE is a good lathe, but ten grand is a lot of money, even in Canada.
> > At that level you are close to getting a good used Hardinge HLV-H with
> > it's rock solid electro-mechanical VFD, which never even wears out a
> > belt. In addition, you have access to every possible accessory in the
> > secondary market. My advice? If you think there is a serious problem
> > before the sale is completed (while you still have the rose-colored
> > glasses on), bail out now.
> >
> > David M. Munro
> >

--
Paul Amaranth | Rochester MI, USA
Aurora Group, Inc. | Systems & Software
paul@... | Unix / Windows / NT