Mushy Spindle Feed PM-932M

[CrossSlide]

Well it's not the key (101) on pinion shaft. It looked new. Here's a video of the problem.

Mushy Spindle Video

 

[jcp]

You could have excessive end play in the the worm shaft ...item #78....check if the gap between the graduated dial and the worm shaft end plate (79) changes as you continue to crank the fine feed after the quill stops deciding.

 

[CrossSlide]

But this also happens when I use the coarse feed which is directly driving the pinion shaft (83).

 

[jcp]

The quill down feed indicator appears to stop and the feed handle continues to turn. Something in the feed system has too much play or is slipping.

 

[CrossSlide]

From PM Support:

There's nothing broken here, it's just the backlash in the rack and pinion that lowers the quill. When setting the depth of an endmill, you'll want to take that out before locking the quill. You can do this by lightly engaging the quill lock as you are moving it down, or providing resistance with your hand. When you unlock the quill, it will want to drop a little.

 

[jcp]

Hummm....so there's that much slack in the pinion/rack mesh.....seems like a lot.

 

[Jim F]

Hummm....so there's that much slack in the pinion/rack mesh.....seems like a lot.

I agree, that seems excessive.