Bridgeport R-8 quick change

[Stephen]

Hello,

 

Can you folks recommend a good quick change manual tool system for a Bridgeport Servo CNC retrofit machine? The Z axis is on the knee. Quill has standard R-8 collets. It would be nice not to have to re-touch off tooling all the time.

Their are several on the market, what have you had the best luck with?

[2 flute]

A Haas VF-6

 

[ 01-27-2004, 08:29 AM: Message edited by: 2 flute ]

[Camfun]

Agreed with 2 flutes.Haas machines are very good fot that case.

[Harryman]

If the machine is fairly new, I'd check into replacing the spindle rather than using tooling adcraptors.

[Stephen]

Yea, I wish. Have you read anything about Oregon's budget problems? If measure 30 fails next week I will be finishing out the school year running existing dull endmills and probably be out of a job next fall. This will be a 9 million $$ hit to our school district's annual budget or about 10% of the total budget.

[Stephen]

Harry,

What would you replace the spindle with? Any name brands you could recommend?

 

Thanks

[Roger Peterson]

Stephen I have seen a few of these systems being used. I do remember that there was one brand that needed much less Z clearance. This one also seemed easier to change but I don't remeber why. I think most of them require that you have an auto brake on your spindle. I would think that this system would work well enough for a school, it's not like your a job shop and you need .5 second tool changes.

 

 

HTH

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I've used a system that used the quill to release and it didn't require too much Z travel. It used the R-8 taper and worked real good. Lemme see if my memory jogs...

[MACHINEMASTERG]

brinley??? sound rite james

[gcode]

James I think that was called Snap-Change from

Long Beach Ca. I used to run a retrofit Anilam

with that changer. It repeated very well and

was as ridgid as you could expect an R-8 spindle

to be.

 

[ 01-27-2004, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: gcode ]

[MichaelJ]

I have a tsd universal on one of are Bridgeport and the snap change on the other i like the tsd better.it locks the tool in tighter.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Snap-Change..... Yeah, that was it. It worked as well as you could expect. R8 is R8 no matter how you slice it, but for the work I was doing at the time it was perfect. Bridgeport with a Proto-Trak control 2 axis. A little pricey these days considering what Haas is throwing out there for that kind of money.

[Harryman]

We have a couple Sharpe brand Bridgeport clones. There was a spindle option for a BT shaped holder or something. Check with the machine's manufacturer.

[Mike T]

I have an Erickson #30 Quick Change spindle in my 1984 Bridgeport V2E3CNC. It came standard on many Bridgeport CNC machines. It is top of the line, Tooling is plentiful. Check with Kennametal Erickson or possibly ebay for a complete spindle.

Good luck.