1997 Milltronics VM17-B Retrofit
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 3:39 pm
Hello,
I purchased a 1997 Milltronics VM17-B milling machine center. It has a 20 station ATC, a 10hp spindle motor controlled by a Hitachi WJ200-075LF VFD, and Yaskawa drive systems on the 3 axis’s using Servopack SGDB-10ADG amps. The antique control boards went bad and the owner was going to retrofit with MESA cards, but it was beyond his ability. He included a ACER touchscreen monitor and a Lenovo Thinkpad computer, an American Rotary AD rotary phase converter, running a 20hp Baldor motor, and two 6” New Kurt vices. I paid $1800 because he is getting a divorce and the mill must be moved.
I was planning on buying a bench top mill or even considered just mill castings and do a total build, but couldn’t pass this deal up for the price. The machine is tight and doesn’t appear to ever have been used much. All ball screws are good, linear rails and carriage blocks are tight, and no visible damage that I can see.
This retrofit will be a complete new install. I’m removing all the components in the enclosure, replacing all the servo cables, and installing new limit switches. I’m taking it down to just the castings, spindle and motor, and servo drives, so I can do a clean retrofit. I plan on removing the ATC and flood coolant, as I don’t have a need for them.
The recommended Centriod Board is the OAK, but I have chosen the Acorn since this will be a very basic 3 axis machine. I have the board, the MPG pendant, the pro software and an encoder cable for the spindle. I have read, and searched the success stories section, but don’t see any examples of anyone else doing this. Was hoping there was someone out there who could share in my upcoming adventure.
Even though I believe the OAK board is overkill, is there a reason I’m overlooking that the Acorn won’t be a good fit for this retrofit? Any advice, info, links to videos snd other information is appreciated. I have a CNC Shark, CO2 and Fiber laser, so I have a working knowledge of CNC, logic controls, and positioning systems, along with a proficient knowledge of electricity, but my actual electronic circuit knowledge base is not extremely strong. Please feel free to offer advice, tell me I’m stupid, or offer sympathy for this project. Merry Christmas.
I purchased a 1997 Milltronics VM17-B milling machine center. It has a 20 station ATC, a 10hp spindle motor controlled by a Hitachi WJ200-075LF VFD, and Yaskawa drive systems on the 3 axis’s using Servopack SGDB-10ADG amps. The antique control boards went bad and the owner was going to retrofit with MESA cards, but it was beyond his ability. He included a ACER touchscreen monitor and a Lenovo Thinkpad computer, an American Rotary AD rotary phase converter, running a 20hp Baldor motor, and two 6” New Kurt vices. I paid $1800 because he is getting a divorce and the mill must be moved.
I was planning on buying a bench top mill or even considered just mill castings and do a total build, but couldn’t pass this deal up for the price. The machine is tight and doesn’t appear to ever have been used much. All ball screws are good, linear rails and carriage blocks are tight, and no visible damage that I can see.
This retrofit will be a complete new install. I’m removing all the components in the enclosure, replacing all the servo cables, and installing new limit switches. I’m taking it down to just the castings, spindle and motor, and servo drives, so I can do a clean retrofit. I plan on removing the ATC and flood coolant, as I don’t have a need for them.
The recommended Centriod Board is the OAK, but I have chosen the Acorn since this will be a very basic 3 axis machine. I have the board, the MPG pendant, the pro software and an encoder cable for the spindle. I have read, and searched the success stories section, but don’t see any examples of anyone else doing this. Was hoping there was someone out there who could share in my upcoming adventure.
Even though I believe the OAK board is overkill, is there a reason I’m overlooking that the Acorn won’t be a good fit for this retrofit? Any advice, info, links to videos snd other information is appreciated. I have a CNC Shark, CO2 and Fiber laser, so I have a working knowledge of CNC, logic controls, and positioning systems, along with a proficient knowledge of electricity, but my actual electronic circuit knowledge base is not extremely strong. Please feel free to offer advice, tell me I’m stupid, or offer sympathy for this project. Merry Christmas.