Rank: Administration
Groups: Administration
Joined: 6/28/2008
Posts: 215
Points: 407
Location: Follansbee, WV
|
I wrote up the following on the website Shop Info page
Tramming the X2 with Spindle/Column Alignment
The process of tramming a Sieg X2 milling machine is one of the most important things you can do. Most beginners do not even realize that you need to tram a mill.
Tramming a mill is the process of aligning the column and head so it is perpendicular to both x and y axis with the table. To do this you will need a dial indicator or dial test indicator and an indicator holder.
Read this from the Little Machine Shop MiniMill Users Guide page 14 with pics.
Tramming is the process of squaring the spindle with the table on a mill. This is important on the mini mill because the angle of the head is adjustable from side to side. Because the column is held in position by a clamping mechanism, the angle of the spindle can change without you being aware.
Tramming the mill requires the use of a dial indicator, or better, a dial test indicator. The indicator is mounted so that it rotates with the spindle and reads against the table at the farthest distance possible from the spindle.
The indicator can be mounted with a test indicator holder, or with a simple shop-made holder.
To tram the mill:
1. While supporting the head and column, loosen the large nut at the back of the base of the column.
2. Tighten the nut so that the column can just be moved.
3. Mount the dial indicator or dial test indicator so that it will rest on the front left and front right corners of the table.
4. Take readings on the left front and right front corners of the table. Calculate the difference to see how much and which way to move the top of the column.
5. Move the column and take additional readings. Repeat until the readings are the same to within 0.001”.
6. Tighten the large nut at the back of the base of the column.
You can read a similar process from Fignoggle.com.
NOTE: before you tram the mill, you need to check the spindle/column alignment.
The head is made up of 2 parts, the spindle housing and the spindle housing mount.
They are bolted together with 4 long bolts that are only accessible by removing the head. If the 2 parts were not aligned at the factory the centerline of the spindle will not be in line with the centerline of the column. You would notice this if you used a short spotdrill in a part, then put in a long drill bit and noticed that the drill doesn't line up with the spotdrill hole. This can be corrected by adding a shim between the two castings to correct for Y axis misalingment or rotating the castings to correct for
X axis misalignment.
ksouers on the HMEM forum discusses how he checked and corrected for this,
adding witness marks before you begin is a good idea.
rudydubya made a great tutorial also on the HMEM forum with good pics based on
Earl Hacketts tutorial for MiniMill Spindle/Column Alignment a similar process I've mentioned on the cnczone forum.
Gosh, you've... really got some nice toys here.-Roy Batty
|
