Spindle Orient or at Speed Fails (MX)

Background

Our MX line of machines have an encoder and read head on the spindle. This measures the real-time speed of the spindle which allows the machine to rigid tap and, with an automatic tool changer (ATC), orient using the M19 R0 Q10 command.

Tools

  • Small flat-bladed screwdriver

  • Metric hex wench set

Table of Contents

Inspect the connectors and wires at the machine control board

Reason: Loose or incorrectly wired encoder wires or connector.

  1. Power off the machine.

  2. Examine the connection at the machine control board. Verify that the connectors are firmly seated, and examine the connectors for loose wires or ferrules.

J9.1 - Red

J9.2 - Green

J9.3 - Brown

J9.4 - White

J9.5 - Gray

J9.6 - Yellow

J9.7 - Orange

J9.8 - Black

J9.9 - No Connection

J9.1 - Red

J9.2 - Green

J9.3 - Brown

J9.4 - White

J9.5 - Gray

J9.6 - Yellow

J9.7 - Orange

J9.8 - Black

J9.9 - No Connection

Match the spindle range to the spindle pulley

Reason: The spindle belt is on the wrong pully for the selected Spindle Range in the PathPilot interface.

  1. Open the spindle door and locate the spindle belt.

  2. From the PathPilot interface, confirm that the Spindle Range button matches the spindle belt position. If it does not, do one of the following:

    1. Select the Spindle Range button so it matches the belt position.

    2. Adjust the spindle belt position to match the Spindle Range.

Inspect the spindle for rubbing surfaces

Reason: There is extra resistance in the system.

  1. Power off the machine.

  2. Open the spindle door and, while turning the spindle by hand, inspect the following for interference:

    1. Power drawbar base and flange.

    2. Power drawbar bolt and drawbar/spring stack.

  3. Make adjustments to relieve the interference. If that is not possible, contact Technical Support for help.

Inspect the encoder head alignment

Reason: Incorrectly aligned encoder read head.

  1. Power on the machine, the PathPilot controller, and take the machine out of reset.

  2. On the Main tab, in the MDI Line DRO field, type ADMIN ENCODER TEST. Then select the Enter key. Follow the on-screen instructions.

The ADMIN ENCODER TEST has built-in diagnostics and troubleshooting that indicate where the problem is coming from.