Ameritech Slant-30 CNC Lathe Conversion <Build Thread>

[bpohlman13]

Hey Guys,

I thought I would share my cnc lathe conversion with you. It's a 90's Ameritech Slant-30 Lathe with a gang tool setup. It currently has a 5hp spindle motor, Hust controls, and DC Servos. I saw this as a good candidate to be converted to a more modern control for how low of a price I got it for. The ball screws and linear bearings/rails are in great shape, and the machine seems to run quite well. It can currently run parts within .0005". One of the main reasons I am converting this is to get rid of the DC Servos, and there is very little to no documentation on how to run this machine.

A few years ago I converted a Grizzly G0704 to CNC using an Acorn board and stepper motors. It ended up not being a great fit for the work I was planning on doing, so I ended up selling it and buying an older Kitamura cnc mill. I believe the acorn control and some AC servo motor should be a big improvement and should suffice for the work I plan on doing for the foreseeable future.

I have created the following parts list so far. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

Centroid Acorn Controller
Centroid MPG
Centroid Pro Lathe Software

DMM DYN2 400w servos and drives (These can be found on ebay for about $300 directly from DMM) Do you think 400w is enough, or would 750w better suite my needs for this machine?

ELO 21.5" Touchscreen https://www.newegg.com/21-5-elo-touchsy ... 7S6CY02817

For the computer, I have a small form factor Dell PC with an Intel I5-3470 CPU, 128SSD, 4gb DDR3 Ram, Windows 10 pro, and 2.4ghz wifi card
I am considering removing everything from the pc case and mounting onto a board inside of the control box. Not too sure though. I will probably also increase the RAM to 8gb.

As for the VFD, the current one is a Hitachi unit, but im not sure if it has a 0-10v input for control. If not, I am planning on getting a huanyang vfd as they can be purchased for around $200


I will do my best to update this as I go. It will probably be a bit slow at first as I wait for parts to show up, but hoping to have it up and running in the next few months. I will do my best to keep this thread updated as I go. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Brian

[cnckeith]

thanks for starting a build thread on your project.

im sure the existing Hitachi VFD will work and it is most likely a better unit than the Huan Yang.

[bpohlman13]

Would any of you have a suggestion for converting 3phase 240vac to single phase 240vac? The VFD in the lathe now is 3 phase, but all of the other electronics would be single phase. I've looked for a phase converter, but can only find 1 phase to 3 phase converters.

Thanks,
Brian

[slodat]

Brian - post photos of the vfd you currently have running the spindle motor.

[bpohlman13]

Brian - post photos of the vfd you currently have running the spindle motor.

I won't be at my shop until Wednesday or Thursday night. I'll upload a picture of the vfd when I get there.

[tblough]

3-phase to single phase is just two of the three wires.

[martyscncgarage]

You should find out what the specs are on the current Axis motors FiRST and go from there. Do the current axis motors belt to the ball screws with reduction or are they 1:1?
I would not use DYN2. I would use DYN4. You can power DYN4 directly from 240VAC without the need for a power supply like DYN2 does.
You might take a look at Teknic Clearpath motors or Leadshine AC Servos from CNC4PC.COM as well.
ELO monitors are good. This Viewsonic is good too:
ViewSonic TD2210 22 Inch 1080p Single Point Resistive Touch Screen Monitor with DVI and VGA, Black
More information:

I use Logitech K400+ wireless keyboards and buy a silicone key board skin for them. Cheap and work well.
Did you decide the current VFD would not work on single phase and did not have provisions for an analog input

I would do hitachi, or the Yaskawa V1000 5hp single phase input VFD. WITH a braking resistor. IF you do HY, get GT series and you have to special order it with braking resistor circuitry. It's mediocre, but for a cheap VFD it works. Even with the braking resistor, it can't decelerate as quickly as the better branded VFD's

As you know, I almost bought that machine you have, it was close to me. I refrained. I had too many projects going on! I would like to see what you do with it and hope you do it right.

Marty

[martyscncgarage]

Be sure to do a video of the machine running before you tear it apart, you might be able to sell the parts on ebay to help offset some of your build costs.
Marty

[bpohlman13]

You should find out what the specs are on the current Axis motors FiRST and go from there. Do the current axis motors belt to the ball screws with reduction or are they 1:1?
I would not use DYN2. I would use DYN4. You can power DYN4 directly from 240VAC without the need for a power supply like DYN2 does.
You might take a look at Teknic Clearpath motors or Leadshine AC Servos from CNC4PC.COM as well.
ELO monitors are good. This Viewsonic is good too:
ViewSonic TD2210 22 Inch 1080p Single Point Resistive Touch Screen Monitor with DVI and VGA, Black
More information:

I use Logitech K400+ wireless keyboards and buy a silicone key board skin for them. Cheap and work well.
Did you decide the current VFD would not work on single phase and did not have provisions for an analog input

I would do hitachi, or the Yaskawa V1000 5hp single phase input VFD. WITH a braking resistor. IF you do HY, get GT series and you have to special order it with braking resistor circuitry. It's mediocre, but for a cheap VFD it works. Even with the braking resistor, it can't decelerate as quickly as the better branded VFD's

As you know, I almost bought that machine you have, it was close to me. I refrained. I had too many projects going on! I would like to see what you do with it and hope you do it right.

Marty

Ill look into the leadshine and clearpath servos as another option, but push for the DYN4. It's 1 to 1 drive. The servo couples directly to the ball screw shaft. I just assumed that the 400w would suffice as I have seen similar sized hardinge gang style lathes use the 400w series motor and the 750w series would require a belt system to clear certain things on the lathe.

The main reason I went with the ELO monitor is that it is a panel mount so I can more solidly mount it to a custom faceplate and it will look more finished.

I was planning on going with the K400+ keyboard if i cant find a more industrial style keyboard with and integrated touch pad. Good idea on the silicone sleeve. Have you had any issues with the silicone covers degrading when coming into contact with coolant?

For the VFD, if I can get the original vfd to talk to the Acorn, I will retain that, but if not, I can't really justify spending 600-700 on a vfd. Im pretty sure the stock vfd will work.
Good idea on making a video of it running.

I have to keep budget in mind for this project as this will be more of a learning device for myself to use a lathe. However, I realize that certain parts can't be skimped on.

Thank you everyone for all of the information you have provided so far.

[martyscncgarage]

Understand.
Lots of options to choose from. I would ascertain FIRST the specs of the motors on your machine. Do they have labels on them?
The machine was engineered to function optimally with a certain size servo. You don't want to go under that. There are benefits to AC servos over DC servos with respect to the torque curves.
DMM will also help you select the correct motor, but they need to know what frame size is the motor? What shaft size is the motor? What are the specifications of the motor? Operating voltage/current, torque specs.
My gut tells me you should have at LEAST $3k budgeted for this project to do it right.

Marty