A little over a year ago I had a problem with the Z axis faulting on a long program. It may not have been getting enough oil. Well it happened again this week on a long program. I was pulling the lube handle often though. And it happens while the Z is holding not moving. I was not pushing the machine hard either. .7 deep with only .01 stepover.
In another thread there was a suggestion for installing a pressure gage on the z block.
I was thinking of adding anther oil pump and the one they sell for the 440 seems reasonable in price.
Has any one else done this?
Dave
I haven’t added a second pump, but I did add back flow restriction and am happy with it. Basically, the Z column doesn’t get oil because over night, or multiple days, the oil that made it’s way up there on the longer, gravity fighting line allows the oil to work it’s way back down. When you pull the plunger, the X and Y don’t have this problem so they get oil. It would take several pumps to get the oil all the way back up to the Z with full pressure. So the Z doesn’t get almost anything.
Install some back flow / one-way restriction pieces into the line going up to the Z. Do it low, like right where it splits off from the X and Y. There’s a PDF out there talking through this but for some reason he goes super overboard and installs two separate lines with back flow protection up to the Z. I’m doing fine with just the original one.
The one annoying thing about this mod is that it’s hard to find pieces that interface well with the tubing that Tormach used. So I ended up having to replace several pieces and connectors just to be able to get back flow restrictors that worked.
It was still a less than $50 mod.
I don’t think my z-axis oil jet is clogged but I still feel the ways and check every once in a while. I also use an old oil can and jet some oil on the ways anytime I wash down the machine. Takes like 5 seconds to put oil on both sides at the top and then run the head all the way down and back up.
Yeah, one of my problems is the machine can sit for weeks at at time, I do manually put some oil on the ways, but that is on the outside. Seems like it needs more.
Dave
Problem is it runs out the the other end, at the ways. I put a check valve in the 2? 3mm oil line. Still had an issue. So I put two small valves in to isolate top and bottom. I run the pump top, swap valve positions, run bottom.
If I haven’t used the machine in several weeks, I do it twice. Feel for fresh oil.