Have you ever tried to move a heavy machine. Rolling it on pipe can work sometimes. Machinery skates work very well. They are very expencive. $125 to 300.00 each. We are going to get a new machine and needed a set of machinery skates. I will show you what we did to make a set of 4. I will follow up with some options soon.
Here are the parts to make one machiery skate.
Drilling the 1" holes in the sideplates for the wheel shaft.
This is a view of the almost complete machinery skate. I still have to drill and install pins to keep the axles in place
Retrofit a Bridgeport boss 5 vertical milling machine
I am in need of a cnc machine to finish some cast stainless steel parts used in my product. It does not require super close tolerances. If it is within .006 things will work great. The thing I need is repeatability, and to an extent reduce time. Reduced time in setup and machining is important. My begining unit mumbers will be unknown, but probably low.
I have desided to retro a Bridgeport Boss 5 milling machine to start. It will allow me to machine the parts I need to start with. I will be able to create the program, and prove it on the parts. It will allow me to create paterns and molds in the future.
The boss 5 is a rigid machine. It has the ball screws. It has proved itself in the past. Of coarse it is outdated, technology has surpased it.
It has Stepper motors originally. I dont have to change those. So I can just clean up the machine, fix little problems, gut the old eletronics etc. Then I can change out the stepper drivers, the computer and the operating program. I intend to add a PC with Mach 3 installed.
I believe I can have a operating Machine for under $4000.00. That pushes my budget at this time but is needed. I purchased a Bridgeport Boss 5 for $2000.00 Yesterday, Sept 11 2010. It is basically sound. It has parts to repair the vaiable speed drive, a bushing went bad in it. The old driver system is missing some boards. The only thing there we will keep might be the power supply.
I will keep updating the progress on this retrofit project. Many people have done it. Those that I talked to were very happy they did.
As the business expands I can add a Machining center to take over increased production. But they are costly.
This is the Bridgeport Boss mill as is where is. I should be able to transport it home next week.
I will clean up this machine. It has years of chips and oils all over it.
Inside view of old Boss 5 stepper controller. We might keep the power supply.
