Ameritech Slant-30 CNC Lathe Conversion <Build Thread>
Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:20 pm
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
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