Scanalex Machine - Changing an Escomatic D6 Fibergear

CHANGING A D6 TURRET FIBERGEAR

This is from a machine that ran steel for a couple of years.

Whole lot of steel chips in these bearings.

Its kind of weird because running brass, I have never seen this kind of buildup. Steel, no matter what type, seems to impregnate everything. Brass seems to flush out naturally.

I have pulled apart many machines not knowing where they come from and not knowing what they ran.

Once pulled apart, it becomes obvious. Don't really know why, it just does.

It was not that bad when we rebuilt this 2 years ago.

Still way too many steel chips. I have had fibergears last 3 months

(I bitch, but...) and as long as 8 years on some.

Sometimes it depends on the material you are running and more often it depends on the guy that is changing your drills.

Are they using the 13mm wrench and the correct spanner? or just the brass bar and hammer? If you use the brass bar and hammer, its better than steel but its still a SHOCK to the mechanics of the system.

Using the spanner and wrench will not guarantee the fibergear will last forever but.............its a plus at least.

More steel chips than I want to admit.

New fibergear & screws. When you replace a fibergear, use Locktite for the screws. I like to put a drop of superglue on the screw heads after. No one needs the screws backing out at 12k rpm.

Nylon fibergear is also available. Sometimes we have to use whatever is available from Switzerland. I like the phenolic fibergear better than the nylon gear. This country is held hostage to the whims of Switzerland for replacement parts on the Escomatic.

Got Loktite? That's what I use................

It's amazing that after two years, I still find some screws on the loose side. Not reefed up like I would expect. At least they are still in place.

Use grease to line the walls so metal chips get caught in the grease for eternity.....or until rebuilt again.

I like to grease the crap out of it. You need to remember that metal or fiber particles will fly towards the outside walls and I want them to still be there for a few years, so I use high temp grease to do this.

So far this has never hurt me.

Make sure the keyway is lined up with the spacer for the threading shaft drive.

See the fibergear shaft making its way through the drive system.

As the front assembly goes together you must make sure the threading drive goes along with the same insertion as the fibergear drive.

The threading shaft drive must go in front of the rear spindle bearings as the fibergear goes in back of the front bearings.

A little tricky as the rear assembly goes together as the front goes together..

As the process comes together you will need to blend the front gears with the rear assembly.

Force nothing.

Also the biggest part of this procedure is to make sure that all the chips, fibergear remnants, etc. have been completely cleaned out.

Be careful that you get the rear spacer, gear, and then the bearing in place as you slide the fibergear shaft through the machine.

Next is the bearing and then the spacer and snap ring.

Now the snap ring goes in next after the bearing support for the threading drive. It's a little tricky but...........can be done.

Just an overview.

Next, slide the pinned spacer up to the snap ring and use the tapered pin to set the spacer in place.

The spacer may need to be ground to fit the whole assembly.

Most spacers have a punch dot on the top of the bigger side of the tapered pin side. When you put a new one in, you should add your own punch mark so the next guy knows the correct orientation.

If the spacer is too long, turn it down in a lathe. Be careful because if you grind / turn off too much material, you will end up short on the

assembly and it may bind when you tighten all of it up.

This usually takes some experience to master. Be patient, as you tighten up the front plate and seat the bearings, the assembly will get tight.

The biggest prob is the space allowance for the fibergear bearing in the middle of the main plate. If you are smart, you will have spare parts available for those "oops." A spare spacer will be around .050" longer than the original part you have now.

I have done dozens of these and the fibergear shaft bearing outer housing is always tight in the front mounting plate.

I have never dared grind to fit. That's not right. You must use a plastic hammer to set the front plate to the bearing. The bearing is pressed onto the fibergear shaft but the front plate

feels like it needs to be pressed into that as well. Patience is the way to go. The stack height on a complete new assembly needs to be addressed also. This comes into play when you tighten up all the mechanics and the spindles will not turn.

Make sure its not the plate binding the bearings. You should work from the front to the back. Lock in the front plate and work your way to the back. Seat the front plate bearings BEFORE you do any of the custom fitting needed.

Once the front plate is tightened down and the spindles still move.........you can tighten the rear bearing housing...........oh, you already tightened that? Well, if all still moves freely then I must have been the last one to work on your turret. lol

You normally should leave the rear bearing housing loose without adding the flat belt pulley. Now after you have tightened up the front plate and all still moves free, you can start to tighten up the rear bearing assembly on the fibergear shaft.

If it binds, you need to grind / turn off the spacer some. I would go .005 at a time. This is a little drastic but it will not hurt.

If you assembled the unit and you have not tightened up the rear assembly yet and the threading spindle turns with the drill spindles and vice versa, then the fibergear shaft is not set as far forward as it should be. You need to set the fibergear shaft as far forward as you can. IF the threading pulley is making the drill spindles turn...........then the fibergear shaft is too far back and is not seated

all the way into the front housing.

You will know once the front bearing is seated all the way in. It will be like ............oh, now that's the way it should feel. Spindles turn free and threading spindle turns free on its own.

Once you feel confident that the fibergear shaft really is seated all the way forward and the shafts are in their proper place, tighten all up. The spindles should still turn relatively free.

Anita M. Golden