Cole2534
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2010
- Location
- Oklahoma City, OK
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I just won an auction for a Mazak VTC-20B up in Detroit - lots of questions
- Thread starter Overland
- Start date
- Replies 83
- Views 4,118
Overland
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Location
- Greenville, SC
Mazak confirmed BT40, from the serial #. Looks like I'm the 2nd owner of a 26 year old machine.
Scored a couple of Kurt D060 XL at a local auction; one looks like never used. (Got 8 more bloody Cat40 toolholders as well - bah.)
So my 1st job when I get the machine running are some clamps and tee nuts for the vices ! I've got a piece of 4140 that should do nicely.
Scored a couple of Kurt D060 XL at a local auction; one looks like never used. (Got 8 more bloody Cat40 toolholders as well - bah.)
So my 1st job when I get the machine running are some clamps and tee nuts for the vices ! I've got a piece of 4140 that should do nicely.
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Overland
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Location
- Greenville, SC
I'll be running the machine off a rotary phase converter - the Mazak guy said the Mitsubishi drives aren't happy unless they get real 3 phase.
Does anybody have any experience, hopefully good, or advice they can share please ?
Bob
Does anybody have any experience, hopefully good, or advice they can share please ?
Bob
Ox
Diamond
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2002
- Location
- West Unity, Ohio
At first I thought that those were "doubles", but were missing the back jaws, but under closer examination, I take it that those have a 2 position back jaw?
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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
Overland
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Location
- Greenville, SC
The drives don't care. He's FOS.
Older stuff that uses individual power supplies for control and has the rectifiers built into each drive will often benefit a bit from figuring out which two legs of power feed into the control power supply and wiring it up so you don't have the generated leg feeding into that. The geenrated leg's voltage swings alot depending on load. Sometimes that can make a control grumpy.
The servo and spindle drives take 3 phase 240 AC and rectify it into 380 DC then they chop up the 380 DC into 240 AC to run the motors. The rectifier section of the drive can give 2 shits if it sees real 3 phase or not.
BT Fabrication
Stainless
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2019
- Location
- Ontario Canada
most CNC controllers dont like large voltage swings, and causes them to "trip" can fault out due to imbalanced voltages. If its like fanuc, you can under voltage it 10% but cant go over more then 5%.
Fanuc is 220V +/- 10%
My experience is that it's often not the control that drops out, but some insignificant BS thing like a VFD inside a chiller that trips because of low or high voltage and that's what puts the control into an alarm state.
cnctoolcat
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2006
- Location
- Abingdon, VA
Mitsubishi drives are 200V +/- 10%. (That's the standard in Japan, and why they're that here). The MDS drives will run on 240-245V, but spikes above 250 will almost certainly kill it/them at some point...
Some VTC's of that era shipped with adjustable-tap isolation transformers, while others didn't. If you've got one, great. Set the taps to 240V incoming, the transformer feeds the machine 200V, and lives a happy life.
A good phase converter is fine.
ToolCat
Some VTC's of that era shipped with adjustable-tap isolation transformers, while others didn't. If you've got one, great. Set the taps to 240V incoming, the transformer feeds the machine 200V, and lives a happy life.
A good phase converter is fine.
ToolCat
Overland
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Location
- Greenville, SC
Thanks Greg.
A local ex-Mazak tech, Steve D, is coming today to set up the machine, you may know him ? He'll complete the wiring hookup, and start the machine up for me.
Going to take things really steady.
Bob
Overland
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Location
- Greenville, SC
I'm going to start a new thread in "CNC Machining".
Bob
Bob
I have Mazak QT20 lathe and it is a beast. I never thought of looking into used Mazak Mills. Are the Mills as beefy and reliable as far as fixing up an older one? What year did they start to accept CAM so you could plug in a usb?
I am fine using Mazatrol T-2 for the lathe, but for a mill, I would for sure want to use CAM with a simulator. I know beefy is a relative term. so compared to a Hass mill. Seems like a Hass wears out faster and are not as good used like a Cincinatti or perhaps a Mazak? The Lathe runs off of a Phase converter just fine. Just need to tune the ramp up speeds a bit down.
I am fine using Mazatrol T-2 for the lathe, but for a mill, I would for sure want to use CAM with a simulator. I know beefy is a relative term. so compared to a Hass mill. Seems like a Hass wears out faster and are not as good used like a Cincinatti or perhaps a Mazak? The Lathe runs off of a Phase converter just fine. Just need to tune the ramp up speeds a bit down.
The lathes are better. Seems to me like shops that run Mazak lathes end up with Mazak mills sometimes because "why not". Kinda like How shops running Haas mills end up buying into Haas lathes.
Good mills to look for might be Makino, Mori-Seiki, Kuraki, Okuma and I'd probably even throw Kitamura in there too. Mazak mills are not bad necessarily. They just aren't great. Seen a lot of 90's Mazak mills that have had terrible reliability and very low up time over their lives. I almost bought a minty looking H400 until I researched the machine's repair history. A spindle every year is a rough pill to swallow.
Overland
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Location
- Greenville, SC
This is my first CNC machine. It's from a reputable OEM that still supports it, and there's lots of them out there.
One of the major reasons was Mazatrol, which I hope will be relatively easy to learn. I've watched a few of Philabuster's videos, maybe not directly relatable, but that gave me some confidence. Also people like CNCToolcat have had good experience.
I believe my machine will accept programs from an external source, and I have a couple of friends with some CAD experience (Fusion).
So this will be an interesting journey.
I just did 3 collets for a tube bending machine (3/4" thick, 3" dia, cut into 4 segments). There were 4 dowel holes and 4 counterbored bolt holes in each set. So that's 6 tools including chamfer, on a BP clone. Drove me nuts winding the dividing head round and round....... All the while imagining how the Mazak would knock it out in minutes, once I've figured out the program !
Bob.
One of the major reasons was Mazatrol, which I hope will be relatively easy to learn. I've watched a few of Philabuster's videos, maybe not directly relatable, but that gave me some confidence. Also people like CNCToolcat have had good experience.
I believe my machine will accept programs from an external source, and I have a couple of friends with some CAD experience (Fusion).
So this will be an interesting journey.
I just did 3 collets for a tube bending machine (3/4" thick, 3" dia, cut into 4 segments). There were 4 dowel holes and 4 counterbored bolt holes in each set. So that's 6 tools including chamfer, on a BP clone. Drove me nuts winding the dividing head round and round....... All the while imagining how the Mazak would knock it out in minutes, once I've figured out the program !
Bob.
Philabuster
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2006
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Unfortunately, my lathe videos are not going to be much help running a mill. Mazatrol is different than G-code but you will pick it up in no time. Good luck with it.
Like some have said, sometimes there are holes in the frame to run a chain though. I have also had to just go around the leveling bolts to secure. Whatever you do, don't just throw some straps over the enclosure and call it good, that's just asking for trouble, but that seems the way most truck drivers want to do it.
Most of the time these type machines come new on a pallet, with zero thought about shipping the machine again in the future.
Most of the time these type machines come new on a pallet, with zero thought about shipping the machine again in the future.
TexasMachine
Plastic
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2022
- Location
- Southeast Texas
If on a budget and a bit scrappy, it can be done for the cost of renting a truck and trailer and gathering a few odds and ends. This was a 10,000 LB machine move from central TX to Southeast TX (6 Hr Drive).
First locate the target:
Gather Odds and Ends:
Execute with confidence:
White Knuckle it home:
Rented a Dodge 3500 truck and Sunbelt Drop Bed Trailer:
Drop it like its hot and enjoy:
KNOCK ON WOOD..........
This took hard work and some planning but worked out better than expected but if you can afford transport, it is much less stressful.
First locate the target:
Gather Odds and Ends:
Execute with confidence:
White Knuckle it home:
Rented a Dodge 3500 truck and Sunbelt Drop Bed Trailer:
Drop it like its hot and enjoy:
KNOCK ON WOOD..........
This took hard work and some planning but worked out better than expected but if you can afford transport, it is much less stressful.
Nice work being resourceful.
Mvjr should be under 7500 without enclosure.
Quite a bit different than what the op was dealing with.
TexasMachine
Plastic
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2022
- Location
- Southeast Texas
Yes, just pulled up that machine and realized it is a totally different story. We just got done moving a QT-18N from NASA the same way the MVJ was moved and I assumed It was similar in size to one of the two.
Seems like op machine is going to require quite a bit more than some old rusted rollers, a pinch of hope and a whole lot of stupidity.
Seems like op machine is going to require quite a bit more than some old rusted rollers, a pinch of hope and a whole lot of stupidity.
Ox
Diamond
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2002
- Location
- West Unity, Ohio
THAT should be laying in a ditch somewhere!
You must drive like an old farmer for sure!
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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
