Retrofitting a 1986 Maho MH400E

Hi,

"no worries mate", I don't take your criticism personally
I just didn't know that the access is restricted in "cncecke" as I'm permanently logged in there.

A short explanation:
The screw came of a little bit too easy with no pre-tension.
The metal flakes seem to be of a cracked 3.5mm (measured 3.495) ball.
I ordered 3.506mm and 3.510mm hardened steel balls from "kugel-winnie"

Here they are:







Cleaned the table yesterday and will clean the glass-scale today.

Cheers

Wonder where that chrome came from? I hope it is not damage to the nut ball races.

Glemi.. that was a very thoughtful rant Good point that the firewall kills the chance of using Goolge translate. Do you mind if I pass some of your message along to the Moderator of CNCecke?
Mark

Mark,

If it's my rant about cncecke you are referring to please use it to inform them what their policy does to us that isn't fluid in German.

I know there is a huge DIY CNC-building scene in Germany, so I'm not at all surprised that there is a lot happening in German language.
The downside is when forums are in effect preventing users like me from looking (I have no intention of posting, I have tried to post in English in other language forums previously and being flamed like **** for doing so, so I'm NOT sticking my neck out again, even if I do have the solution to a question asked......).

But it this case it's the "only members are allowed to watch any content" part of the policy that is preventing google translate from working. Google translate needs for forums to be publicly open for read access to work.
It's not the firewall that is preventing it, it's the requirement of having membership to access content.

I can think of many kinds of forums that want to keep content to only their registered users. But a forum for DIY building CNC-machines don't require that kind of policy in my view.
Or at least it will have clear negative impact, one of them being it's totally unavailable to non-German speaking guests like me......
And I don't think that is the purpose here.....

Well, I've never learned German and only know a bit from perusing tool catalogues, ebay, and some travelling but I managed to register on cncecke.de without much trouble.

Can't say I actually read anything there though, I regsitered to get Mark's linux retrofit manual So I never tried to google translate that site.

I generally know the names of things I'd like to buy or have, which, usually, I can't afford and/or justify the price of Such as prufdorn, rundtisch, hilma maschinenschraubstock, tuschierplatte, etc.

Also, thanks a lot for the pictures Hanno!

Hi,

I'm sure the flakes were much too thick to not be a cracked and mangled ball.
The surfaces on screw and nut are both "perfect".

hanmon---
Thank you for the photos !
I Saw a General Motors demonstration about ball bearing size comparison ,where the person was observing the rebound trajectories of balls falling from a fixed height onto a very flat steel surface . The larger the ball - the further from the first bounce . It assumed the balls of equal size were of equal mass . Drop height of about 8 to 10 inches ( about 3/8 inch balls ) an flat surface about 3 inch Dia. by 4 inch thick. Was a easy an quick way to compare small size - mass differences .
Assume you know that sometimes the balls of a ball screw nut may not be of equal size..
Keep the Shop warm - thanks again for the Photos
Bob

Hi akb1212
" I have ATC on my mill. And this have been holding me back for years. I finally found a similar machine where someone had made it work, although it was a guy in the Check Republic. And after a lot of searching I also found a thread in a check forum WITH POSTED CONFIG! Yay! And a video on Youtube showing it (it was actually this I found first).
That was the turning point for me, and was fundamental to me deciding to keep working on my mill again! "

I can identify with your ATC situation as my MH600E2 also has a ( vertical spindle only ) 20 position tool changer.
Could you share what information you have , either here or thru E-Mail ?

Thanks
Bob

tacrockford.com/product/machine-components/milling-machine/tool-changing-systems/ Griping fingers

Hi,

found it:
cloud.monschan.de/index.php/s/r8rZNKZYqLsJDw4

No comment !!!!!!
The same on the other side, still within range of travel:



Cheers

I'm planning to share all I have here, so everyone can see. I have been helped so much by what others have posted here I feel much better sharing things here. And it makes it much more worth the effort of documenting something knowing it might help others as well.

I'm not sure yet on how to do it. But I think I might start a separate thread about it. After all that will be easier to find later on, given this thread is as big as it is now.

And I do have a rather long list of separate details I need to nail the details on, and only when they all play well together will my mill be working.

So stay tuned. I will provide all the details I can when I feel I'm as far as I can manage on myself, and also feel I have time to put some more work in to my Maho.

Anders

Hi there,

counted my balls today
240, exactly. As the ballscrew nut has 7 ball returns I expected the Number to be a multiple of 7 minus one or two cracked balls. I don't know how to interpret that result.
Anyway, I'll keep on reporting.

edit: FYI:The glass-scale was loose. I still wonder how my first parts came out so precise.

Cheers