Welcome to this "VMC Leveling" video

This VF-2SS is connected to air and power and is operational

however, the machine is not at the proper height or level

to provide optimal performance and accuracy

There are three steps to the leveling process

First, the machine is positioned at the correct height above the coolant tank

Second, level the machine front to back

and side to side to permit good coolant and chip flow

Finally, remove any Twist or Bow in the base casting

The tools needed for this procedure are:

a three quarter inch (3/4") socket and ratchet, a one and a half inch (1 ½") wrench

a tape measure, a 5 tenths or 1 micron test indicator

and a magnetic base to mount the indicator

and Haas Leveling Tool T-2181

A precision machinists level is also acceptable for taking level measurements

This video features a VF-2SS

but the same procedures apply to all VF Series machines

Larger machines with outrigger supports require additional steps

during the leveling process

This information can be found in the Haas

machine Installation manual

To clear the coolant tank

lift the Base Casting three and a half (3 ½") inches off the ground

by adjusting the four corner leveling screws to the same height

On base castings with

6 or 8 leveling screws the middle screws should not be touching

the pads during the leveling procedure

Move the X and Y axes until the table is centered

Clean the table surface and the leveling tool

Make sure the calibration of your level is correct before starting

Place tool T-2181 on the mill table

and monitor the exact position of the bubble on the precision vial

Using a t-slot for alignment

rotate the level 180 degrees and place it in the same position on the table

The bubble should stay in the exact same position

If the values are different by more than one division

then the level should be returned to Haas for adjustment

With the leveling tool at the center of the table

and the short leveling vial parallel to the Y-axis, the shorter vial is measuring the angle

of the machine front to back

Lift either the front or back of the base casting as necessary

to make the machine level

Remember to always lift the

lower end of the machine to maintain clearance to the coolant tank

Each time you make an adjustment turn both leveling screws

on that end an equal amount

Adjust the screws until the bubble is centered

Adjustments close to zero will make subsequent changes easier

With the machine leveled front to back, use the longer precision level

lying along the X-axis, which shows the angle

of the machine from left to right

Again, lift the lowest side of the machine to bring it level

and turn both screws an equal amount

With the machine now level

front to back and side to side

continue using the longer vial parallel to the X-axis

We are now ready to check for twist in the base casting

Start with the mill table at the front of the machine

look at the position of the indicating bubble

Move the Y-axis across its full travel stopping at the column

At the column side, look to see which rear corner of the machine

if any, is lowest as shown by the leveling tool

In this video, the leveling tool is angled down

at the right rear corner of the machine as we get to full axis travel at the column

This shows the right rear corner of the machine is low

The value is three marks away from zero

Lift the right rear corner of the machine

until the leveling tool reads zero

Now move the table to the front of the machine

and note which side is lowest

Adjust the lowest corner up until the leveling tool reads zero

Move the table across travel and each time adjust the leveling tool value

to zero by lifting the low corner of the machine

Usually the value will change several times

and get nearer to zero with each adjustment

Repeat this step until the bubble is adjusted to zero at both ends of the Y-axis travel

Next, adjust the middle leveling screws until lowered onto the leveling pucks

Hand-tighten each screw onto the puck until the puck stops turning

Set each screw by tightening an additional 10 degrees

With the middle screws tight the remaining

steps in this process are: Re-measuring for Twist

and measuring for Bow in the base casting

and then measuring the Spindle Sweep.

Any adjustments from this point forward will be done with the middle screws ONLY

with both middle screws adjusted the same each time

These adjustments should be very small as we are almost finished

With the leveling tool still parallel to the X-axis, re-measure for twist

Start at the operator side

move to the middle of Y-axis travel

and then to the Column side

Adjust the middle screws to remove any twist caused when the screws were tightened

Again, ONLY very small adjustments

should be made to the middle screws while re-measuring the level values

Next, measure for any bow, either up or down

along the length of the Base Casting

Place the Leveling Tool in the center of the Mill Table

with the precision vial parallel to the Y-axis

Look at the bubble position at the operator side

at the middle of Y-axis travel

and at the Column side

If the measurement shows there is bow in the base casting in either the up or down direction

use the middle screws to make adjustments

Remember, only move the screws

in small and equal amounts

The tolerance for both the twist and bow measurements is

0.0002" over 10" or 0.02mm over a meter

Errors because of twist or bow will cause

errors in the spindle tram values

With the twist and bow adjustments complete carefully remove the leveling tool

Attach the Test Indicator to the Magnetic Base

Move the spindle head down to the middle of Z-axis travel

Attach the magnetic base to the spindle

Position the test indicator to measure a 10" or 250mm diameter circle

Move the table to a position where the test Indicator tip

will remain on the table's surface when facing both the

front and column sides of the machine

Moving the Z-axis in "tenths" mode, bring the Test Indicator down to contact the

mill table and zero the test indicator

Take a measurement every 90 degrees of rotation

This provides two values along the Y-axis

and along the X-axis

Total Indicator Reading for all four positions

should not exceed 0.0005 inches or 0.013 mm

If the spindle sweep is not within

specification along the Y-axis, we can use the

middle screws to make very small adjustments to the sweep readings

while changing the bow and twist values by a negligible amount

Each time you make a middle screw adjustment to change spindle sweep

be sure to re-zero your test indicator at the operator side

before re-measuring the effect of your adjustment

This will minimize the chance of confusing values

In this video the test indicator starts

with a value of 0 facing the front of the machine

We see 0.0001 at the right hand quadrant

-0.0002 at the back side of the table

and 0.0002 at the left hand quadrant

If the value at the back had been out more than 0.0005

a very small adjustment

to the middle leveling screws

to either lift or drop the table would be required

Only the values from front to back can be effectively changed

by adjustment of the middle leveling screws

If the adjustments to make spindle sweep better are very small

you don't need to check bow and twist again

Lock the leveling screws in place

Tighten the locking nuts while holding the leveling screws so they don’t rotate

The customer's machine is now at the proper height

and level and is free of any twist or bow in the base casting

This provides the basis for optimal machine accuracy