Machine Maintenance
In This Section, You'll Learn:
About the required maintenance procedures that you must do so that this machine operates as designed.
Before operating the machine in any way, you must read and understand this section.
Maintenance Safety
Read and understand the following safety messages before beginning any maintenance procedures.
All Maintenance Procedures
Understand that the machine is automatically controlled and can start at any time.
Power off the machine and disconnect the pneumatic supply before doing any maintenance procedures.
When appropriate, lockout/tagout the Main Disconnect switch and the pneumatic supply line before doing any maintenance procedures.
Wear safety eye protection rated for ANSI Z87+.
Swarf Maintenance Procedures
Wear work gloves.
Coolant Maintenance Procedures
Wear rubber gloves.
Maintenance Schedules
To keep your machine running as smoothly as possible, you must regularly do the following maintenance procedures.
NOTE: Before you begin any maintenance procedures, read and understand "Maintenance Safety".
If you disassemble any components, refer to the machine's reference drawings when you've completed the maintenance procedure. For information, see Diagrams and Parts Lists. For any additional support, we can help. Create a support ticket with Tormach Technical Support at tormach.com/how-to-submit-a-support-ticket for guidance on how to proceed.
Daily
Clean the way covers of chips.
Clean the chip baskets on the coolant tank.
Examine the coolant level and condition.
Examine the way oil level and refill as necessary.
Verify that the regulator has at least 90 psi compressed air (for pneumatic accessories installed, like the Power Drawbar).
Verify that the door switches are properly functioning.
If you have the flood coolant system installed, examine the filter gauges and replace the filter if necessary.
Weekly
Clean all exterior surfaces with a clean rag.
Verify that the machine's lubrication points (sliding surfaces and ball screw nuts) are receiving way oil.
Examine the enclosure and other guards for damage.
Remove vises, fixture plates, rotary tables, and other accessories, and then examine them for rust.
If needed, reapply rust inhibitor before reinstalling workholding and accessories.Check coolant concentration.
Monthly
Clean the electrical cabinet vents of dust with a clean cloth or compressed air.
Clean fine swarf from the coolant tank.
Examine all axes' slideway surfaces and ball screws to determine if an oil film is present.
Examine the air tool oil level in the FRL Filter-Regulator-Lubricator and refill as necessary.
Semi-Annually
NOTE: After the first 90 days of operation, complete the items on this list. After that, complete the items every six months.
Examine the spindle belt for wear.
Examine the way covers for wear.
Annually
Remove the way covers and examine them for wear. Clean any chips or oil underneath the way covers.
Examine the windows and replace them if necessary.
Check the machine's backlash.
Regular Maintenance
Clean the Way Covers
To extend the service life of the machine, you must make sure that the way covers are protecting the machine's slideways. Regularly do the following:
Examine the way covers for signs of wear or damage. If the way covers are damaged, you must replace them.
Y-Axis Front Way Cover Assembly
Y-Axis Rear Way Cover Assembly
Z-Axis Way Cover Assembly
Use a chip brush to clean the way covers of chips and other swarf.
Clean the Coolant System
To extend the service life of the coolant and the coolant pump, you must make sure that both are free of contaminants.
Regularly do the following:
Use a chip brush to clean the machine, chip trays, and enclosure of chips and other swarf.
Empty the chip strainer on the coolant tank.
Measure the coolant concentration, pH, and volume, and then compare your findings to the material's safety data sheet (SDS).
Coolant Level Too Low Fill the coolant tank with fresh coolant, making sure that it is the appropriate concentration.
Coolant pH Outside of Manufacturer's Recommended Coolant Limits Adjust the pH according to the manufacturer's recommendation.
NOTE: You must only use coolant that is recommended for machining. See "Cutting Fluid Reference".
Examine the coolant pump's impeller for blockages.
To remove tramp way oil from the coolant tank, use:
Periodically do the following:
Remove the coolant tank covers and the chip strainer, and then clean the fine swarf from the coolant tank.
If you're using a filter to prevent small particles from entering the coolant tank, replace it when it's saturated with chips, swarf, or tramp oil.
Examine the coolant for contamination, and determine if the coolant's oil-water emulsion has broken.
Drain and thoroughly clean the coolant tank, and then replace with fresh coolant.
NOTICE! Hazardous Waste: Only dispose of coolant as advised by local environmental protection authorities. You must not dispose of coolant in a septic system or a sewer.
About Cutting Fluid
Clean and well maintained coolant has increased performance, prevents rust, and smells better than contaminated coolant.
Coolant becomes contaminated when:
Swarf accumulates in the chip pans, the chip strainer, or the coolant tank.
Tramp oil isn't regularly removed from the coolant tank.
The concentration or pH aren't maintained to the manufacture’s specifications.
Cutting Fluid Reference
Using flood coolant provides the following benefits:
Cools the cutting zone
Flushes away swarf
Lubricates the cutting tool
Provides some degree of rust inhibition
You must only use flood coolant that is recommended for CNC machining applications, like:
Soluble oils
Semi-synthetic coolants
Synthetic coolants
You must never use:
Coolant without rust inhibitors
Flammable coolants such as alcohols, diesel fuel, or kerosene
WARNING! Fire Hazard: The machine and its enclosure are not designed to contain fire or explosions. Only use materials and coolants that are intended for the specific machining operation. Never use flammable or explosive items.
Straight cutting oil
Water
If you use a coolant concentrate, you must mix it with water to the dilution ratio recommended by the coolant manufacturer. Use an optical refractometer to measure coolant concentration.
Examine the Enclosure Windows
Regularly examine the enclosure windows (if equipped), and all other guarding, for signs of wear or damage.
When required, replace the windows with the following parts:
Refer to “Enclosure Diagrams and Parts Lists” to view the enclosure's diagrams and parts lists.
Lubricate the Machine
To keep the machine operating properly, and to extend the service life of the machine, you must verify that the linear guides and ball screws are receiving lubrication.
Regularly do the following:
Clean the oil reservoir's cover and all exposed surfaces surrounding the oil reservoir. Swarf or debris that enters the oil reservoir can plug the small, internal passages of the lubrication system.
NOTE: The strainer at the top of the oil reservoir isn't a filter, and can't remove all types of debris that may cause blockages.
Examine all axes' linear guides and ball screws to determine if an oil film is present.
If there's not an oil film, examine the lubrication system for blockages, broken fittings, or pinched oil lines.Examine the amount of available oil and, if necessary, refill with Citgo EP Compound 220 Oil (PN 52499) or equivalent.
About the Automatic Oiler
The automatic oiler is powered whenever the machine is powered on. To prevent the excess use of oil, we recommend powering off the machine at the end of day to prevent the automatic oiler from continuing to pump oil overnight.
The automatic oiler has the following settings:
100% Duty Cycle
Lubrication interval: 480 minutes (8 hours)
NOTE: Each time the machine is powered on, it pumps oil for the amount of time equal to the actuation time. For this reason, we recommend setting the lubrication interval to 480 minutes (8 hours). This ensures that the machine has enough oil for a full eight-hour shift each time the machine is powered on.Actuation time: 7 seconds
75% Duty Cycle
Lubrication interval: 480 minutes (8 hours)
Actuation time: 5 seconds
50% Duty Cycle
Lubrication interval: 480 minutes (8 hours)
Actuation time: 4 seconds
About Actuation Time
The lubrication interval and actuation time are set from the factory for a 100% duty cycle. These settings assume the machine is running at maximum velocity 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. As a result, this tends to deliver more oil than is needed for most applications. To prevent excess usage of oil, we recommend that you adjust the actuation time of the automatic oiler to match the duty cycle that best fits your application.
When you estimate the duty cycle that best fits your application, the best indicator is the actual spindle run time for the machine during a standard eight-hour shift. Consider what percentage of that eight-hour shift the machine is running and cutting material versus the time spent for changing parts, setting up fixtures, and idle down time.
Lubrication System Reference
The machine's lubrication system distributes oil to the following 15 points:
12 linear guide blocks
Four on the X-axis
Four on the Y-axis
Four on the Z-axis
Three ball screw nuts
Examine the Spindle Belt
To extend the service life of the spindle belt, you must regularly examine it for signs of damage or wear.
If the spindle belt is damaged, you must replace it with Belt, 1500MX Spindle (PN 51735).
Prevent Rust
Take proper care to protect all exposed iron and steel surfaces on your machine. To reduce the possibility of rust, you must regularly do the following:
Clean the machine, chip pans, and enclosure of chips and other swarf with a chip brush.
Clean all exterior surfaces with a mild cleaner.
Only use flood coolant that is recommended for machining (see "Cutting Fluid Reference").
Periodically test the coolant concentration, and adjust (if necessary) to meet coolant manufacturer's recommended concentration.
Put LPS 3® (or similar rust inhibitor) on the machine before installing any workholding or accessories.
Only operate the machine in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. Extreme changes in temperature or humidity can create condensation on the machine.
Put LPS 3® (or similar rust inhibitor) on all exposed, non-painted metal surfaces before leaving the machine unused.
Remove all workholding and accessories, and then check for rust.
If needed, reapply rust inhibitor before reinstalling workholding or accessories.
If you find rust on the machine table, go to "Remove Rust".
Remove Rust
Use a fine machinist's stone to remove light surface rust on the machine table: use light, even pressure, and move the stone in a random motion to avoid changing the flatness of the machine table.
If you find a lot of rust, or if there is rust on the machine's slideways or ball screws, take photos of all rust-covered areas. Create a support ticket with Tormach Technical Support at tormach.com/how-to-submit-a-support-ticket for guidance on how to proceed.
Accessories Maintenance
Chip Conveyor Maintenance Schedule
Daily
Inspect the coolant level in the tank and refill as needed. The coolant level in the tank should be filled to just below the top of the conveyor belt.
Run the chip conveyor for two full revolutions of the conveyor belt to help clear any chips that have collected in the bottom of the conveyor.
Monthly
Inspect the conveyor belt for wear or damage. Verify smooth conveyor movement without interruptions.
Verify that safety guards and covers are properly secured.
Check the conveyor belt tension and adjust as needed.
Inspect the coolant tank for fine swarf buildup and clean as needed.
NOTE: The amount of swarf buildup in the coolant tank depends on several factors, including the material being cut, the tools used, and the toolpaths programmed. The chip conveyor is equipped with stainless steel wire mesh screens designed to prevent most chips from entering the coolant tank. However, fine particles resulting from light cuts, chip recutting, or materials that tend to produce small chips may pass through the screens. Regularly monitor the coolant tank and adjust cleaning frequency based on operating conditions to prevent excessive buildup.
Semi-Annually
Grease the drive shaft bearing blocks.
Looking for more information?
This is a section of the 1500MX operator's manual. To view the whole manual, go to Tormach document UM10811.
If you have additional questions, we can help. Create a support ticket with Tormach Technical Support at tormach.com/how-to-submit-a-support-ticket for guidance on how to proceed.