Reworked and set up again until the machine holds its geometry.
I rebuild surface and cylindrical grinders, milling machines and lathes. The work starts at the bed and ends with measuring the whole machine. It covers the ways, not the control: retrofits are not part of it.
The rebuild covers the mechanics the machine’s accuracy rests on: the bed and everything that runs on it, with its ways. A retrofit of the control is not part of it.
The machine sets the sequence. The bed is the reference surface, and every other way is set true to it. Only when each axis bears on its own do I measure the machine as a whole.
What happens when a machine tool is rebuilt?
I measure every way on the machine, scrape it and set it true to the others again, until bed, saddle and table run together in their geometry.
Sequence
The bed comes first, then everything that runs on it. Each way is spotted and measured with level and dial indicator before it is scraped.
Way liners
Where the liner on a mating way is worn out, I replace it and scrape it in so it fits the way.
Sign-off
At the end I measure and align the machine as a whole. You get the readings as an inspection report.
What the job includes
- Every way measured before the work
- Bed, saddle and table scraped in the order the machine sets
- Worn way liners on the mating ways replaced
- Whole machine aligned and measured, with inspection report
When is it worth rebuilding a machine tool?
Several axes affected
Chatter marks on one axis, play on another. One way alone no longer explains it.
Size won’t hold
Size drifts along the table, and adjusting the gib and the feed screw changes nothing.
Downtime
The machine is down because it can no longer produce like this, and replacing it costs more than the work on the ways.
Frequently asked questions
1. Is a control retrofit part of it?
No, I don’t offer retrofits. I rebuild bed, saddle and table with their ways until the machine runs in its geometry again.
2. Which machine tools do you rebuild?
Surface grinders and cylindrical grinders, milling machines and lathes.
3. What does machine tool rebuilding cost?
The price is agreed separately for each machine. There is no price list. Tell me on the phone which machine it is and what it is doing.