Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

Greetings,

I am an automation tech. The company I work for is looking to get rid of their Fadals and I have been researching retrofitting them as an alternative. Do you know of any reason why a 1996 Fadal 6030 with umbrella ATC would not be able to use the OAK controller with ADDPLC1616?

It has a 10,000 rpm high low range on the spindle, 15hp spindle motor and a Glentek drive. I would prefer if this could rigid tap but am not sure how to accomplish setting a encoder to the spindle.

Without a lot more particulars about the motors and drives, an Oak could certainly run a machine and toolchanger like this. Motors/drives/encoders might need to be changed, but if the iron and screws are in good condition, there is no reason a Centroid control should not work.

There are may ways to fit an encoder to the spindle; Centroid's only requirement is that it is connected 1:1 with the spindle because the index pulse is used to start the tapping process. You may have to look for an encoder rated for 10K rpm, but rigid tapping should also be doable.

Great! That was my thought. I was planning on using the 2kw Estun drive and motor package Centroid offers for the X, Y and Z. I have not examined the requirements for the motors on the tool changer yet. I have been hung up around the rigid tapping encoder.

I will keep investigating a mounting method for the spindle encoder but it does not appear to be an easy do. Are there any preferred methods for a 10k spindle in a fadal?

Post some photos. It sounds like it's belt driven so it might be possible to add a small cogged pulley/belt above the drive belt. Post some photos of the spindle and the drive. It's hard to make suggestions without seeing the machine.

I have attached some photos of the spindle/draw-bar/pulleys and hi/low mechanism. I ca think of two options. First, sleeve the exposed portion of the draw bar, and fit a timing pulley. Second, figure out how to drill and tap the top of the pulleys concentrically around the draw-bar and bolt a timing pulley down to the larger pulleys . mounting an encoder and second pulley seem fairly straight forward after that. apologies if the pictures are sideways. Can't seem to figure out how to orient them.

Looks like there is plenty of room to mount a timing belt pulley on top of the index cam and bring the belt out the front of the housing to an encoder. Not an easy job, but certainly do-able.

Centroid Fadal Retrofit video
https://youtu.be/omd3bIHJe98

Keith,

Would you mind posting the report for the machine you linked to?

Would make it easier to understand what i/o was needed and how it was integrated.

Thank you

Wolfenstien wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2019 7:46 pm Keith,

Would you mind posting the report for the machine you linked to?

Would make it easier to understand what i/o was needed and how it was integrated.

Thank you

Mitco Machine did the retrofit, so most likely you would have to reach out to them to see if they would share the information.

Based on the video description and Terry's own video channel it would appear Arrow Controls actually did the retrofit. Mitco machine contracted it out. Regardless, I would be very appreciative if I could get ahold of some sort of documentation on how that or any similar fadal retrofits have gone.