myford vmf milling machine

HI all, have just bought an as new VMF Myford milling machine.....

where can I find an English manual not Chinglish and also a little help .have looked on the Grizzly site......the machine is 3phase, have 3 live wires on the inside of the contactor box but non of the contactors will work (No buzzing noises either) but the work lamp light's (12v).....

have tried the main motor switch, nothing and also the table power switch with the same result........have looked all over for a panic button/isolator switch but nothing found......any idea's...

anyone with the same machine ?

be nice to get to use the thing.........gratefull for any help........Clogs..

Is the Estop button locked? Turn to release it. If there are microswitches inside the covers, they will prevent the machine starting if they are maladjusted or the covers are open.

Dave

If you are running the machine via a static converter it is important that the start circuit is connected to a live phase, the 3rd phase is only live when the machine is running.

Hi all, still struggleing to find a workshop manual.......

have manage to make a photo album with pictures of the machine, including the name plate........have done my best but the photo's are in the wrong position........how do we get them the correct way around ?......sorry but I'm just dumb...........

would anyone be kind enough to look in the album and see if its a clone or something else......

I have checked the machine over and there is def no emergency button and no safety switches on the doors for the belts etc...the machine is as I say as new, made in 1995.don't know if it has ever run as there are no marks at all...

There must be a way to get it working...........

many thanks Clogs........

Can you manually push in the contactor in to start it ? Normally a plastic bar in the top centre of the contactor that you can push in with an insulated screwdriver. This links across the terminals of the three phases when the coil is energised or when you manually push it in.

Mike.

Clogs,

My recollection of wiring on these typical machines is such that:

One phase is used to power a transformer which then supplies all the control side.

The fact that the lamp comes on could indicate that the transformer is powered.

I see two green buttons on a control station, have you tried pressing one or the other? Ahh I see they are for the table feed and main motor .....

Are there any fuses you may have overlooked perhaps on the secondary side of the transformer?

Hi Clogs, any luck with the electrics yet ?

I used to work maintaining a factory with many three phase machines to repair from time to time. Some machines had many safety switches for guards etc. and as they formed a daisy chain, if one switch went bad, the result was that the machine would not function. Therefore I had to check each switch until the fault was found. Of course some of the switches were in the most inaccesible places, so not easy.!!

Mike.

Try Tony at Lathes.co.uk. He is usually good for most manuals.

As far as your pictures are concerned. Never take pictures in portrait mode. Some software doesn't like it so displays the image sideways. Upside down pictures taken in landscape mode are often because the picture was taken with a tablet in the wrong orientation - the lens needs to be at the top as you hold the tablet. I think you're struggle to get a manual unless as said you can get one from Lathes.co.uk.

The machine is up and running as Myford intended, power feed and all. I got involved because I like myfords and being an owner of a nice VMC fancied a good look in to what makes the bigger brother here tick, and as I'm sure Clogs will agree - I got more than I bargained for! It is in no way similar to the VMC, my VMC doesn't even have any buttons or switches. This VMF is a fantastic bit of electrical engineering - although I'm sure its all pretty standard stuff to an electrician, it wooed me.

The cabinet on the VMF is quite advanced. The spindle is a single direction, dual speed type. Speed is handled in a traditional fashion switching wye/delta via a rotary switch on the milling head near the motor. This rotatry switch has a no volt release which is supplied, via an overload, with the cabinets control voltage (110v).

The pair of contactors in the cabinet which have aux modules mounted on top is actually one double din contactor which is handling the left stop right for the table traverse. The left and right buttons are momentary N/O and pressing them latches the contactor via the limit switches on the table which are N/C so the contactors drop out when pressed.

It was a bit of a challenge, we went through everything give or take almost nothing. Trying to work out what went where and how everything was intended. I worked how how the rotary switch internals could/should link up in position 1 and 2 to give both speeds given the position of 6 motor wires, the 3 phases and a couple of bridges and it was indeed setup in a way that could switch wye delta (no manufacturers information on this switch, it was a special). I then noticed, that the wire in terminal 4, shouldn't be there, it would probably want to be over the other side in D2, or at an unmarked terminal nearby. This error was effectively connecting the solenoid of the motor contactor to a phase on the motor - and catch 22, it was never going to start (although putting 440v to a 120v contactor probably wouldnt end well)

Once this ONE wire was moved to the correct position - the whole dam thing sprang to life, finding that one wire, was quite literally, a needle in a bloody hay stack but we got there, and I think secretly, we both enjoyed it.

Neither of us are really electricians - but we're both quite nifty at it now! We solved this about a month ago, but it probably took over a month of emails back and forth with us both spending a little time here and there to progress thing.

All the best to Clogs and his VMF, hopefully, I'll get first dibs if he ever sells it 

Edited By Russ B on 19/12/2016 14:19:21

Well done Russ and Clogs. If I was presented with the wiring shown in your pics I would have to go for a lie down.

The question never to be answered is "who moved the wire to the wrong terminal? And why?"

Bet Clogs had a little dance round the room when it burst into life.

Edited By Robbo on 20/12/2016 09:23:07

I've just bought one of these machines (its badged as an EME VO A2F). I bought it knowing there is an electrical fault. The seller was a trader and it was sold as seen spares or repair.

The wiring is a rats nest so I would like to rewire the entire machine. Is there a wiring diagram for this you could share or any wiring info you have?

Are there any operator manuals for this machine. How is the fine spindle hand wheel engaged?

The machine I have is missing all the hand wheels. There are teeth on the dials, should the hand wheels engage and disengage (slide in and out) or are they engaged permanently?

Does it look like this?

**LINK**

vinny,

look in ur private message box...

clogs.......

Yes it similar but has an additional gearbox on the knee. That's a great starting point tho thanks 👍

Well done guys!

Indeed, thanks vic and clogs. First time post and 2 offers of help the same day... be warned I have many many more questions to come 😁

I've added some photos of the mill to my album. I found another manual for this mill type that I have downloaded and lost the link to. How can I post it to the forum? its in pdf format

Edited By Vinny Rogers on 24/07/2017 12:25:53

It's a big problem with this Forum that it can only handle files in jpg format.

Link to another VMC type manual

**LINK**