Another Lathe Dro Install

RJSakowski

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I just finished the installation of a set of iGaging DigiMag DRO's on my G0602 lathe. I chose the iGaging because of their ability to fit the lathe without loss of machining capability and being able to install them with serious modification of the OEM lathe. They also work with Yuriy's TouchDRO ap for Android devices.

I used a 6" scale for the tailstock, a 12" scale for the cross slide, and a 24" scale for the Z axis. The 6 and 12 inch scales were trimmed to fit. The 24" scale had about .4" excess but was left untrimmed. I gave up about 3/4 inch of clearance between the tailstock and the saddle but have full travel in the X and Z axes as well as for the tailstock. The cover for the X axis scale extends .135" above the cross slide.

The scales are protected against swarf and lube splash by custom covers. The pickups are mounted from below on the X and Z axes to permit the use of the covers. The saddle was milled for the X and Z axis pickup mounts to provide a good vertical surface. the Z axis scale mounts were tapered about .65 degrees to match the casting draft on the lathe bed. Provision was made for cross slide gib adjustment although the scale would have to be removed for that. Since this is a fairly rare event, the partial tear-down is not oppressive.

The cross slide lock is accessible with a 10mm ignition wrench. The saddle lock and oil port are accessible.
As per Yuriy's design, an Arduino module with the prototype shield and Bluetooth module were used for the TouchDRO readout. Micro USB sockets are being used in the electronic design, which will allow the OEM displays to be used, if desired. Wiring was routed through 1/4" flexible stainless steel conduit. Because of this, it was necessary to cut the DRO wiring and splice it. Conduit terminations were clamped at either end with custom clamps.

Parts were laid out in SolidWorks and machined with my Tormach but there is nothing that can't be done with a conventional mill. aluminum was used for all parts except for the cross slide pickup mount where a .035 thickness dictated a piece of steel sheet metal and the cross slide scale cover which was made from .025" stainless steel, again because of clearance concerns. Inch socket head cap screws were used with the exception of the scale clamps and covers and for the 3mm flat head screws used for the pickup mounts.
SolidWorks models and drawings are available.Conduit Gang Clamp.JPG Conduit Routing.JPG Control Box.JPG Smartphone Readout.JPG Tailstock Conduit Clamp.JPG Tailstock Scale Mount.JPG X Axis Conduit Clamp.JPG X Axis Cover.JPG X Axis Scale.JPG Z Axis Conduit Clamp.JPG Z Axis Cover.JPG Z Axis Scale.JPG
 
that looks great. good planing, good execution. .
 
Thanks for all your kind compliments. It was a fun project and hopefully a very useful one.
 
Great job...nice machining, layout and design. Bob
 
RJ
Very well executed, and worthy of my praise and copying. Very clean and much more stable than my old setup.
This is the best setup that I've seen so far. YES, I'd like to see copies of your SolidWorks drawings.
Thanks!

Chuck the grumpy old guy
 
Bob,

Beautiful install.
Thanks for the great pictures!

-brino
 
Nice, come on down and do that to my 1440 if you can.
I'm going to bookmark this and duplicate it on mine when I get a chance.
 
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