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Bridgeport Interact II Vertical CNC Machine - Converted to modern NEMA 34 stepper motors

£1499 – Glasgow G209BT INC VAT!
A bargin for a potentially very capable machine that could tackle many...

Depends on your budget and the kind of work you plan - no idea of either, so how long's a piece of string etc but if you want to run out of the box, perhaps something like Syil, Tormach, a used Haas...

Here is a YouTube link to the whole rebuild condensed into 10minutes:

https://youtu.be/gk-EpXEnTgc?si=PUR2XCp-rGPtyo4a

Hi Muzzer,
The video isn't a backlash test, it's just for tuning the top rapid speeds and getting a better idea of the machine's limits. The original machine was capable of 2500 mm/min rapid rates....

For those following along here is the next installment, getting the control boxes and DRO readout fitted.

Thank you to JLCCNC machining services for machining the main parts of this build. See the...

OK a bit of an update, after a lot of looking I eventually found the GT2 or 2GT belts are not only a close match to the originals but also stronger than the originals. This did of course mean...

Well lets hope it does not need quite as much work as my machine did! I would recommend UCCNC UC300ETH it works very well and has lots of inputs and outputs, it also can run using both Mach3 and...

Time to move onto the main head assembly and tear down the drill press to recover the column. Starting to take shape now.
A big thank you to JLCCNC for machining the main parts of this project. ...

Thanks for the informative response Lee.
You know, for me, the vinegar approach was a way to escape the harse chemicals trap eventhough the NaOH + NaNO3 method gives me top results every single...

First problem, and I don't even have the main body of the machine home yet!

As I said the stepper motors are really nice disc armature ESCAP motors but they are connected to the 16mm ball screws...

OK, here we go again. You may have seen my last rebuild of a Boxford VMC260 (https://www.mycncuk.com/threads/15971-Boxford-260-VMC-rebuild). I thought that would be my final one, but while browsing...

Time to get this project started . . .


https://youtu.be/ioo_Vyz_lmk

I think I fitted a similar drive for someone last year.
They're all a much of a muchness. I suspect there's limited actual manufacturers of the drives, and they're mostly relabelled/cloned.

...

No worries at all Mike, it’s exactly the kind of thing that gets people inspired to have a crack at their own projects.

That EN24T sounds like a solid choice for the spindle upgrade, and I reckon...

Thank you Lee for your kinds words, its nice to be able to share the results and I just hope it encourages others to have a go. I am trying to work up the enthusiasm to start work on the spindle as...

Thank you for your kind comments, I did do a bit more while I was distracted from my main project (Fairbanks Morse 15hp Model N )...

Wow, mate, cracking job you’ve done!.

Really enjoyed reading through this latest post, lol proper workshop thinking all the way. The bit about the bridge solution made me smile...the classic...

Due to the cramped nature of my workshop, I decided to assemble the machine in situ. After manhandling the lighter VMC 190 out the door, I brought in the main cabinet body and rear section and got...

I used Rust-oleum hard hat top coat, it is fantastic paint. I was originally going to get the cabinet shot blasted and powered coated, but quotes seemed a bit crazy so rattle cans it was. The...

Well, folks, It's there—just a few odds and sods left to sort: reassembly, wiring, setup, cobbling together a 4th axis, and the small matter of squeezing this beast into my gloriously cluttered...

With the rogue ball screws sorted and the wonky tooling tamed, I turned my attention to the control panel. The old one was a sorry sight—rusty and bearing scars from what looked like a minor...

OK will retry posting some of the images as they seem to not show in my previous post.

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Above cross section of the spindle showing the Nilos ring (yellow) and spindle nose cover

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...

Yes you are correct about wear and oversized balls, I think the thing is with tiny ball screws the balls seem to wear first as I guess the load is less evenly spread on the balls, so was worth a try...

Well, the spindle was a right faff, but the ball screws? No surprise there. These VMC 260s have a bit of a reputation for knackered ball screws. They’re 14mm with a 2.5mm pitch, and to top it off,...

Right, if you’re thinking of picking up one of these mills, there are two key things to check before you part with your hard-earned cash:
Is the spindle running true? (Mine, er, wasn’t.)

How much...