I have had my machine for a couple months now any only used it about a dozen times now with mutable tool changes. and it has been working great. Just today I was trying to make a tool change and the AV70 won’t release the tool when I push the button. I checked the pressure at the compressor and the regulator, and it reads 105psi. When I push the button, it does make the sound of releasing air but won’t release the tool. I unplugged it, I drained the air and refilled…… it still wont work. any help?
If the white light is on that means the spindle has enough air pressure to release. If the white light is not on you’ll need to deal with that (make sure you have air and that the spindle has power)
Assuming you have the white light what likely has happened is that the tool was put in when the spindle was warm and now things have cooled and it got a little stuck, or there was a little bit of dust that got in there. In either case do this:
Grab a rubber mallet and gently tap the tool holder while pressing the release button a lot of times. It should release after a few taps.
If it drill doesn’t warm up the spindle and try again.
You can bump up the air pressure to 100-110 if you need to give the drawbar a little more umph.
Once you get it out it would be good to oil up the tapers a little.
I’ve used dry lube before (like what you would use for a bike chain) you can use machine tool oil too. You just want a very light wipe.
If your shop has big temp swings you can also just remove the tool when you won’t be using the machine for a while.
I that really a good idea? I wouldn’t want a liquid oil anywhere where fine sawdust could stick to it and compromise the taper’s “grab”, nor would I want any of that oil where it could get on the router bit shank. Oil might also reduce the taper’s “grab”.
CNCDepot recommends a nickel-based anti-seize for their spindles, which is what I’ve been using, with good results. I use my probe tool to apply it to the spindle, since that tool never sees any cutting force. Hmm… I wonder if there’s a place for a tool-holder-shaped 3D printed tool to clean the spindle and/or apply anti-seize to it? /me side-eyes the rabbit hole…
I’ve also stuck to a strict rule of “remove tool before shutting down” and have a script (I really need to make it a button) that unloads the spindle and parks the gantry (reduces homing time) before I shut the machine off, so I never leave a tool in a cooling spindle. Yeah, a cooling spindle makes a death grip on the tool. I suppose running the warm-up might help removing the tool in that case.
As for removing a stuck tool, what I’ve had some success with in the past is to insert a screwdriver as a wedge between the tool and the spindle, and tap DOWN on its handle to pry the two apart. This is similar to how drifts work on machine tools; you want the impact direction to be out (down), not sideways.
I wonder if there’s a place for a tool-holder-shaped 3D printed tool to clean the spindle and/or apply anti-seize to it?
Here is a model for an ISO30 taper cleaner that is 3D printed. I’m sure you could print two, one to clean the taper, then one dedicated to applying anti-sieze to the taper.
https://www.printables.com/model/942878-iso30-sk30-taper-cleaner
Thanks!
It really depends on what type of debris you have around… I ran an ATC for years that I never treated with anything. On that system I had an air blast to keep the tapers clean. That’s what we have on our ATC system as well.
One suggestion I had in my post above was a non stick lube:
Yup, I have parts on order to upgrade mine to have that too.
Is the air blast built into the smart spindles, or is it a separate add on nozzle/solenoid?
It’s a pair of nozzles you can aim that are mounted on the drop plate along with the tool presence sensor