Aciera F3 - info on headstock dismantling, please

This is rather a long shot as I don't imagine dismantling an Aciera F3 headstock is commonly attempted. However, I need to do this on a machine that, although not an Aciera as such, is equipped with an Aciera F3 high speed vertical milling head. The reason is that I suspect it may have an imperial thread at the end of the drawbar to take Schaublin W20 collets. I have tried metric Schaublin collets and the thread does not seem to want to accept them. The whole machine was imported into this country, about 60 years ago I would guess. (It featured in an earlier enquiry of mine on this forum.) If it is indeed an imperial thread, I will need to find or have made a metric drawbar as I have an excellent selection of metric collets and the imperial ones seem rare.

I have looked at the Aciera diagrams available online and the cross section of the head leaves me no wiser as to how to dismantle it. The obvious screws etc. seem to be there simply for adjustment purposes and undoing them gives no access to the innards. I have a nasty feeling that it will require a puller or pullers to undo the bearings at one or both ends (plus a press to reinstate them), but that is merely my ignorant conjecture, and anyway I do not see how to attach a puller. (I remember recalcitrant bearing assemblies and pullers, without much enthusiasm for either, from the days, long gone, when I did a certain amount of automobile maintenance.) I have taken the head off its back support, which was easy enough, but that merely gives access to the gear controlling the vertical movement of the sliding column and nothing else. The drawbar seems to be firmly contained at top and bottom, except for the limited movement needed to tighten the collets.

I really should be extremely grateful for any help or advice as to how to get the drawbar out.

Did you get anywhere with this? I did reply to your PM but never heard back. Regards, Matt

Matt,

I'm sorry to say that I somehow missed your original reply - my apologies. As it turned out, no dismantling was required. The drawbar is metric after all and the collets just needed a firmer upwards push to engage the thread than I had previously dared to give them. All the result of my ignorance and inexperience, I'm afraid. However, there is still a problem to get them out. They stick fast because of friction even when unscrewed and my only method so far is to give the drawbar at the top a sharp tap, which causes the collet to fall out but at the expense of possible damage to the drawbar's bottom thread. Is there a better way? I have done nothing with the machine this winter anyway, for all sorts of reasons.

Nice to be in touch.

Roger

It is not unusual to give a draw bar a tap to free a taper. Just leave a few threads engaged to protect the threads. I will look for a manual when I visit the place I retired from as they have a similar machine there gathering dust. The machine could be for sale but moving it would cost many times more than it is worth due to being up on a first floor location, it was installed by crane before the premises next door where built !

Thank you very much for the advice, which I will follow, and for the kind offer to look for a manual.

Roger

Roger,

I have an ancient Aciera F3 here with a high speed vertical head. The thread is definitely metric and the collet type is Schaublin W20. On my machine the collets slide in with only light finger pressure and engage the drawbar thread easily (the same on the standard vertical head and the horizontal spindle). Once the drawbar is loosened then the collets almost slide out under the weight of the drawbar so if everthing is just so then there should be no need to tap anything. Have a look up the inside of the quill to check the state of the pin that prevents the collets rotating, in my machine these were either burred or missing when it arrived.

I've had the high speed head in pieces but didn't take pictures, or notes, but I don't remember having to use a puller. Everything on the F3 dismantles remarkably easily.

David

David,

That's very interesting and helpful to know - thank you. I will take a closer look at my machine when I can but at the moment I'm afraid I have too many other preoccupations, and it came with a three phase motor that needs to be connected up and given an inverter (never mind a new drive belt). So, I am only over the first hurdle.

Roger

The best places I have found for info on anything aciera related (I have the smaller F1) is the 'old Swiss machines for metal work' yahoo group, there's loads of links and files there. You will have to become a member but it's well worth it as I've found info there that I've not seen anywhere else. Another place to look is swissmachines.ch as they have exploded diagrams of the machine and can supply some spares. Finally anglo-Swiss-tools.co.uk has an archive section with manuals.

Best of luck.

Hi Roger, as promised I looked for a manual when I visited my old work place. Sorry to say I did not find one.

Roger,

I can probably sort you out with a copy of the appropriate manual. PM me and I'll get back to you.

Regards, Matt

Matt,

That's extremely kind of you. I'll send a pm.

Roger

Thank you very much for looking anyway.

Roger

I seem to remember the collets engage a small key? maybe this is damaged?

Clive

The key seems to be o.k. but I'll check, though it is difficult to do so when the head is in its normal position.

Roger