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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