Commissioning of the Pinacho ML lathe: III Power connection and Lubrication

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  • Preventive maintenance is key to the productivity of Pinacho ML lathes.
  • Why is it necessary to keep the main components of a conventional lathe properly lubricated
  • The bearings of the Headstock, the gear set of the Norton box and the Apron that transmits the movement to the cross slide, are the fundamental parts to grease in a lathe.

In this third article dedicated to the commissioning of Pinacho ML lathes, we will focus on how to connect it to the power supply and how to keep this machine tool lubricated in order to optimize its productivity and extend its service life.

After learning how to anchor the lathe to the floor of our facilities, according to our preferences or infrastructure, and to know the correct way to leveling it, it is essential to know how to connect it correctly and how to proceed to the lubrication of its main mechanisms after receiving it from the factory and during its use over time.

Lubrication of conventional lathes is important to improve equipment life cycle, reduce friction between components and help prevent premature wear.

Lubrication also helps keep components in good condition and prevent damage, such as excessive friction in bearings and wear on guides.

In addition, lubrication can help improve accuracy, speed and quality of work, which helps improve productivity.

This video describes step by step how to connect and lubricate your PINACHO ML lathe.

How to connect a Pinacho ML lathe?

Once our new Pinacho ML lathe has arrived at our facilities, the first thing we must do is to free it from the protection packaging, to be able to anchor it to the floor and proceed to its correct leveling, and after that, we will make the electrical connection.

It is important to verify that the voltage of the general power supply is the same as that required by the machine to operate. If this is not the case, an electrical transformer must be installed. METOSA Group‘s technical and commercial teams will advise you conveniently, at the time of purchase, of the transformer that your lathe may require.

To make the electrical connection, we must connect the three phases L1, L2, L3 plus the ground in the places provided for this purpose in the electrical panel of the machine.

To check that this operation has been done correctly, we plug the winch cable to the supply, give power to the machine and check the phase relay to make sure that there is voltage in all the cables. If the connection has been made correctly, the two pilot lights of the relay will be enlightened, otherwise, the phases will have to be interchanged until the connection is correct.

Electrical panel / Phases L1, L2, L3 y Earth wire / Phases relay

Which components of a Pinacho ML lathe should we lubricate?

As we have already mentioned, it is of vital importance to keep key mechanical elements of the lathe lubricated. But we must also bear in mind that during transport, for security reasons, the lathe is delivered with empty oil tanks, so it is absolutely necessary to refill them before starting up the machine.

Pinacho ML lathes are equipped with three main lubrication tanks for their main elements, which are the Headstock, the Norton Box and the Apron.

Main mechanical parts of a Pinacho ML lathe

Headstock

The headstock of a lathe is a key component of the machine, it is the part of the lathe whose function is to hold the chuck that supports the workpiece to be machined and that gives the appropriate continuous rotary motion. 

Pinacho ML lathes are equipped with a lubrication pump for the Headstock, which supplies oil to lubricate the two main spindle bearings. The oil flows by gravity from the headstock to the pump, which recirculates it. 

When we turn on our Pinacho lathe, the pump will start working, but in case of lack of pressure the machine will not start, this way we avoid the bearings of the spindle to seize up. The pressure of the oil pump should be around 3 or 4 bars.

In the event of a pressure or oil level failure of the Heastock, the machine shows an alarm and the code E50.3 appears on the driver display. This display is located in the electrical cabinet of the lathe. Later on we will explain how to solve this problem.

Norton Box:

The Norton Box is a mechanism composed of a set of gears that allows the manual change of speed to set different feeds and thread pitches.

The Norton Box is a mechanism composed of a set of gears that allow the manual change of the spindle speed to set different feeds and thread pitches, which enables the machining of different materials and the execution of a wide variety of operations.

Lubrication of the Norton Box is essential for its correct operation, so we must periodically ensure that the lubricant tank maintains the proper levels.

Apron:

The Apron contains all the mechanisms that transmit the movement to the cross slide, it is located in the lower part of the main slide, where the handles and shift to move the main slide are located.

In the Apron there is a manual pump used to lubricate the guides of the transversal and longitudinal slides and the transversal screw. It is advisable to pump lubricant several times a day during the use of the lathe for optimum performance.

Is the lubrication of other parts of the lathe to be checked?

In addition to the above-mentioned components of the ML lathe, there are other elements of the machine that require lubrication for proper operation: the tailstock, the turning bar, the lead screw and the charriot. All of them have greasing points where lubricant can be applied.

Other components that must be kept properly lubricated

How the lubrication of the Head, the Norton Box and the Apron should be carried out?

The lubricant tanks of the main components of a Pinacho ML lathe have a filling device, a draining device and a level indicator. These devices will allow us to check that the oil level and, therefore, the lubrication level of our machine is correct.

Proceed to pour the lubricant recommended by the manufacturer through the filling device of the component in question. The level will be adequate when the amount of oil reaches the red dot in the center of the level indicator.

For maintenance tasks or in case we have poured more lubricant than necessary, the Pinacho ML lathes are equipped with emptying devices, which will allow us to drain the tanks of the Headstock, the Norton Box and the Apron.

HEADSTOCK tank Filling and emptying devices and level indicato
NORTON BOX tank Filling and emptying devices and level indicator
APRON TANK Filling and emptying devices and level indicator

How to solve the E50.3 code issue?

As mentioned above, when we start our Pinacho lathe, the lubrication pump starts up, but in case of lack of pressure in the Headstock pump, the machine does not start and the E50.3 code appears on the display of the lathe driver.

To solve this issue and be able to put our Pinacho into service, we will check the level of lubricant in the tank of the Headstock pump. If it is under the central red dot on the level indicator, we must add lubricant until we reach the correct pressure level of the pump. The proper pressure level of the lubricating pump of the Headstock should be between 3 and 4 bar.

It is important to note that the tank of the Headstock pump has two lubricant level indicators, in contrast to the tank of the Norton Box and the Apron. One of the level indicators is located at the rear of the Headstock, being rectangular in shape, and the other is located at the front of the Headstock, being circular in shape.

Once the lubricant levels of the Headstock pump are correct and the E50.3 code disappears from the driver display, the machine must be turned off for 20 seconds. When the lathe is turned on again, it will work correctly.

Lubricant Level Indicators of the Lathe Headstock Pump

Pinacho’s ML Series lathes are manually controlled lathes with an electronic speed variator that allows selecting the required cutting speed at any time, achieving better surface finishes, optimizing tool consumption and improving machining performance.

The new ML models stand out for their precision and service life, being versatile machines for both maintenance and production work.

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