Prolight turning center
| Machining |
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| CNC |
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| Hive13 Equipment |
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| List of All Documented Equipment |
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| Owner/Loaner: Brad Walsh |
| Hive13 Asset Tag: TBD |
| Make/Model: ProLight Turning Center CNC (google) |
| Arrival Date: 9/4/2022 |
| Does it work?: someday |
| Certification Needed?: yes |
| Contact: Brad Walsh |
| Floorplan: Machine Shop |
| Manual: Manual |
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This is a starting page for the newly purchased CNC machining centers we have bought.
They appear to be from Intelitek, Prolight CNC turning center.
We bought them from a person that got them at an auction and then sold them to us.
We have to do a deep dive into their condition and functionality.
It appears that the control system requires a Windows 95 machine (whee), we may do a controller transplant that supports modern software.
Steps:
Mechanical
- Verify smooth operation of all axis (ways, screws, etc.)
- Check condition of leadscrews (wear)
- Check condition of spindle (rotation, runout)
- Check condition of drawbar (automatic?)
- Verify any collets
- Indicate slop in table and tram the spindle
Electrical
- Check all wiring condition
- Check condition of all limit switches (verify)
- Verify all motors operation (steppers, spindle)
Control
- Check operation of controller
- Investigate into possible controller upgrade
We appear to be missing the computer interface card so we may do a brain transplant with a modern controller.
A co-worker of mine has done conversions like this before, he said they can be done with some work.
I have begun to disassemble things to get to the motors. I think we will need to tip the machine on its back, the bottom is open and looks like the only way to access the motors. I'd like to see if we can use the existing steppers or replace with new NEMA versions. I'm taking lots of pics as I remove things.
Got the tool changer and tailstock removed. The tailstock is a good design with the ability to remove the slop with a brass pad that can be preloaded up against the Z axis ways.
Was able to remove the backplate and expose the linear rails and ballscrew. It appears to be in good mechanical shape.
A lot of work has been done. All the steppers have been verified (except the tool changer) for function and the spindle is controllable from the controller with the dial or a 0-10V signal (which is great for our re-brain operation as this is an industry standard).
The signal outputs have been identified (mostly) and we should be able to use one of the many controller boards to control the unit.
A brief list of required components:
(2) Stepper motor drivers
(1) Controller board
(1) Software
There are a few options, each with pros and cons.
Here is a link to a shared Google drive folder with the pics (I think you can use your Hive email to access them): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Oebm8Qp84B5SSpvEdmALrienPHThFQKi?usp=sharing
Here is a link to the manual: https://wiki.hive13.org/images/6/68/ProLIGHT_3000_WIN_Manual.pdf