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Welcome to this "VMC Leveling" video
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This VF-2SS is connected to air and power and is operational
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however, the machine is not at the proper height or level
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to provide optimal performance and accuracy
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There are three steps to the leveling process
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First, the machine is positioned at the correct height above the coolant tank
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Second, level the machine front to back
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and side to side to permit good coolant and chip flow
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Finally, remove any Twist or Bow in the base casting
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The tools needed for this procedure are:
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a three quarter inch (3/4") socket and ratchet, a one and a half inch (1 ½") wrench
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a tape measure, a 5 tenths or 1 micron test indicator
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and a magnetic base to mount the indicator
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and Haas Leveling Tool T-2181
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A precision machinists level is also acceptable for taking level measurements
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This video features a VF-2SS
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but the same procedures apply to all VF Series machines
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Larger machines with outrigger supports require additional steps
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during the leveling process
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This information can be found in the Haas
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machine Installation manual
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To clear the coolant tank
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lift the Base Casting three and a half (3 ½") inches off the ground
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by adjusting the four corner leveling screws to the same height
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On base castings with
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6 or 8 leveling screws the middle screws should not be touching
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the pads during the leveling procedure
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Move the X and Y axes until the table is centered
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Clean the table surface and the leveling tool
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Make sure the calibration of your level is correct before starting
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Place tool T-2181 on the mill table
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and monitor the exact position of the bubble on the precision vial
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Using a t-slot for alignment
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rotate the level 180 degrees and place it in the same position on the table
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The bubble should stay in the exact same position
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If the values are different by more than one division
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then the level should be returned to Haas for adjustment
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With the leveling tool at the center of the table
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and the short leveling vial parallel to the Y-axis, the shorter vial is measuring the angle
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of the machine front to back
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Lift either the front or back of the base casting as necessary
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to make the machine level
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Remember to always lift the
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lower end of the machine to maintain clearance to the coolant tank
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Each time you make an adjustment turn both leveling screws
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on that end an equal amount
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Adjust the screws until the bubble is centered
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Adjustments close to zero will make subsequent changes easier
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With the machine leveled front to back, use the longer precision level
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lying along the X-axis, which shows the angle
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of the machine from left to right
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Again, lift the lowest side of the machine to bring it level
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and turn both screws an equal amount
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With the machine now level
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front to back and side to side
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continue using the longer vial parallel to the X-axis
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We are now ready to check for twist in the base casting
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Start with the mill table at the front of the machine
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look at the position of the indicating bubble
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Move the Y-axis across its full travel stopping at the column
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At the column side, look to see which rear corner of the machine
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if any, is lowest as shown by the leveling tool
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In this video, the leveling tool is angled down
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at the right rear corner of the machine as we get to full axis travel at the column
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This shows the right rear corner of the machine is low
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The value is three marks away from zero
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Lift the right rear corner of the machine
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until the leveling tool reads zero
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Now move the table to the front of the machine
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and note which side is lowest
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Adjust the lowest corner up until the leveling tool reads zero
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Move the table across travel and each time adjust the leveling tool value
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to zero by lifting the low corner of the machine
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Usually the value will change several times
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and get nearer to zero with each adjustment
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Repeat this step until the bubble is adjusted to zero at both ends of the Y-axis travel
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Next, adjust the middle leveling screws until lowered onto the leveling pucks
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Hand-tighten each screw onto the puck until the puck stops turning
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Set each screw by tightening an additional 10 degrees
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With the middle screws tight the remaining
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steps in this process are: Re-measuring for Twist
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and measuring for Bow in the base casting
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and then measuring the Spindle Sweep.
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Any adjustments from this point forward will be done with the middle screws ONLY
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with both middle screws adjusted the same each time
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These adjustments should be very small as we are almost finished
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With the leveling tool still parallel to the X-axis, re-measure for twist
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Start at the operator side
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move to the middle of Y-axis travel
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and then to the Column side
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Adjust the middle screws to remove any twist caused when the screws were tightened
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Again, ONLY very small adjustments
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should be made to the middle screws while re-measuring the level values
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Next, measure for any bow, either up or down
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along the length of the Base Casting
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Place the Leveling Tool in the center of the Mill Table
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with the precision vial parallel to the Y-axis
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Look at the bubble position at the operator side
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at the middle of Y-axis travel
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and at the Column side
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If the measurement shows there is bow in the base casting in either the up or down direction
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use the middle screws to make adjustments
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Remember, only move the screws
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in small and equal amounts
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The tolerance for both the twist and bow measurements is
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0.0002" over 10" or 0.02mm over a meter
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Errors because of twist or bow will cause
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errors in the spindle tram values
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With the twist and bow adjustments complete carefully remove the leveling tool
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Attach the Test Indicator to the Magnetic Base
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Move the spindle head down to the middle of Z-axis travel
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Attach the magnetic base to the spindle
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Position the test indicator to measure a 10" or 250mm diameter circle
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Move the table to a position where the test Indicator tip
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will remain on the table's surface when facing both the
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front and column sides of the machine
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Moving the Z-axis in "tenths" mode, bring the Test Indicator down to contact the
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mill table and zero the test indicator
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Take a measurement every 90 degrees of rotation
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This provides two values along the Y-axis
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and along the X-axis
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Total Indicator Reading for all four positions
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should not exceed 0.0005 inches or 0.013 mm
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If the spindle sweep is not within
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specification along the Y-axis, we can use the
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middle screws to make very small adjustments to the sweep readings
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while changing the bow and twist values by a negligible amount
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Each time you make a middle screw adjustment to change spindle sweep
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be sure to re-zero your test indicator at the operator side
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before re-measuring the effect of your adjustment
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This will minimize the chance of confusing values
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In this video the test indicator starts
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with a value of 0 facing the front of the machine
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We see 0.0001 at the right hand quadrant
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-0.0002 at the back side of the table
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and 0.0002 at the left hand quadrant
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If the value at the back had been out more than 0.0005
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a very small adjustment
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to the middle leveling screws
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to either lift or drop the table would be required
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Only the values from front to back can be effectively changed
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by adjustment of the middle leveling screws
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If the adjustments to make spindle sweep better are very small
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you don't need to check bow and twist again
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Lock the leveling screws in place
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Tighten the locking nuts while holding the leveling screws so they don’t rotate
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The customer's machine is now at the proper height
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and level and is free of any twist or bow in the base casting
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This provides the basis for optimal machine accuracy