Tormach PCNC 1100 Overhaul

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Members must complete the Tormach Class before using this tool

The Tormach PCNC 1100 is in an enclosure on the edge of the metal shop, adjoining the wood shop.

Specifications

Tormach PCNC 1100 Series 3

• 1.5hp R8 Spindle
• Table Size: 34" x 9.5"
• Table Slots: 3 Slots 5/8"
• Travel: 18" x 9.5" x 16.25" (X,Y,Z)
• Spindle Nose to Table: 17" maximum
• Spindle Center to Column: 11"
• Spindle Nose Diameter: 3 3/8"
• Max Workpiece : 500 lbs Maximum

Safety

Required Classes and PPE

You must take the Tormach Class before using this machine.

No special PPE is required for this machine, but hearing protection is advised in addition to the general shop requirements of safety glasses and closed-toed shoes. Safety glasses may be found on a shelf on the back side of the Tormach enclosure, near the horizontal bandsaw.

Use Case

The Tormach is used for CNC machining. It can be used to create precise parts out of a variety of materials, including metals, plastics, and wood.

Materials

Feeds and Speeds

The Tormach is configured in the High Belt position, which gives a range of 250-5140 RPM at the spindle. ProvenCut is a good source for tested feeds and speeds.

Maximum Sizes and Weights

• Travel: 18" x 9.5" x 16.25" (X,Y,Z)
• Max Workpiece : 500 lbs Maximum

Acceptable Materials

With the proper tooling, many materials can be machined. Common choices are Aluminum, Steel, and Acetal plastic ("Delrin").

Setup

Setup guide / workflow

Turning on the Machine

• Check the oiler WHICH IS SOMEWHERE. CONTACT A STEWARD IF THE OIL LEVEL IS LOW?
• Check the coolant reservoir. To see the level, look WHERE THE COOLANT LEVEL IS CHECKED. Top up, if necessary
  • Coolant should be made with X PARTS DISTILLED WATER AND Y PARTS NAME OF COOLANT MIXTURE
• Turn on the rotary power switch, found on the right side of the machine, inside the enclosure
• When the console comes on, click on Mill to enter the control interface

Preparing Tools

• Tool holders and a limited selection of tools can be found in the black cabinet to the right of the machine.
  • For common tool sizes, 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" ER20 collets are available, as are two sizes of drill chuck. See Tormach Owner's Guide for details.
  • To place a tool in an ER20 collet, choose the correct size of collet, place into the collet nut so that the face of the collet is flush with the nut, lightly tighten the nut onto the tool holder, insert the tool, tighten the nut.
  • There is a tool tightening fixture mounted on the cabinet top. DESCRIPTION OF HOW TO USE
• After securing tools in the tool holder, measure their lengths using the surface plate and MICROMETER?
  • Place the tool holder in the hole in the surface plate
  • Turn on the micrometer, adjust the measuring tip to rest on the surface plate and zero it
  • Raise the measuring tip to the top of the tool
  • Record the length in the OFFSETS screen of the console with the appropriate tool number
  • Place the tool into the laser cut holder

Work Holding

• Saunders Machine Works fixture plate
  • The fixture plate allows for precision, repeatable placement of vises and fixtures, greatly improving the speed of making multiple parts.
  • Treat the fixture plate as a precision instrument. It is precision ground out of 6061 Aluminum, and won't function correctly for long term use if it excessively nicked or scratched.
  • The fixture plate is trammed to the mill table movement. Do not loosen or remove the low-profile screws in the fixture plate that secure it to the mill table, it is quite difficult to re-tram and in almost all cases, unnecessary to remove.
    • • Each hole in the fixture plate will accept a 1/2" dowel pin for alignment or work stop use, and is also threaded for standard 1/2-13 bolts.
      • To preserve the integrity of the threads in all of these holes, each hole is plugged with a black rubber plug when not in use. You should not operate the mill with any exposed holes, they should always have either a plug, a dowel, or a bolt in them. This keeps chips and coolant out and makes cleanup much simpler.
      • To remove and replace the plugs, there is hook / pick tool in the tool chest. Pierce the center dot on the plugs with the pick, twist, and pull up. This motion will eventually deteriorate the plugs. If they appear to be in need of replacement, more are available in the tool chest, but simply piercing the center dot doesn't render them inoperable.
      • The fixture plate works best with fixtures or mod vises. If you want to use a standard machine vise, it will bolt to the fixture plate using 1/2-13 bolts. The machine vise will need to be trammed with a dial indicator if you install it.
      • Because the fixture plate is uncoated aluminum, it is subject to galvanic corrosion if steel or cast iron is left attached to it long term. There are small tubes of dielectric grease available in the tool chest. Ideally a thin coat should be maintained on the vises if they are being left on the plate for an extended period of time. The bottom of the plate has also been coated to prevent corrosion between the plate and the table. One tube of grease is enough to coat the entire surface area of the fixture plate, so use it sparingly.
• 2 Saunders Machine Works Mod Vises
  • These are the preferred vises to use with the fixture plate. For most use cases, they will provide a superior user experience to a traditional machine vise.
  • These are also precision ground instruments. Every surface is machined and the fixed-side jaw can be used as a reliable work coordinate system origin.
  • Mod vises require no tramming, they can be moved around the plate at will.
  • There is a short video tutorial that illustrates proper usage here
• Electronic Probe
  • The probe is in a labeled hard case in the tool chest. The case contains the probe, cable, and a very easy to miss hex wrench that is used for adjusting concentricity.
  • The probe has already been indicated and measured in PathPilot, and should be ready to use.
  • The probe's cable has been hot glued to the probe itself. If the cable is not connected to the probe for any reason, please red tag the machine so we can address that issue to prevent crashing and ruining the probe. To start, ALWAYS plug the into the DIN5 cable into the accessory port on the machine electronics cabinet FIRST. The probe will light up green when the connection is good. DO NOT proceed if the light is not on. The machine will happily crash and ruin the probe if you run a probing routine without power to the probe.
  • Next, put the probe in the collet and tighten the collet. Light / hand-tight is sufficient. It's a good practice to leave the spindle cover door open while the probe is in the collet, this guarantees you'll never spin up the machine with the probe in the collet.
  • Once the cable is connected and the probe is installed, select tool 99 in the tool DRO. The probe is hard coded in PathPilot to be tool 99.
  • Tormach has a good video overview of how to use the various probing routines here

Troubleshooting

Common Problems

How to fix it / Contact steward or fill out a problem report