[MetalShavings]

I seem to recall a thread a while back that dealt with this topic but, I'm unable to find it now.

Can one of you guys tell me if there's a way of knowing how many hours of use that a given Tormach
mill has on it? Maybe through the software or something like that.

I have an automatic oiler that turns on at pre-programmed intervals. I'm wondering if a guy had an
idea of how many times that oiler has come on since setting up the machine it might give a general
idea of the hours on the machine but, it would be nice to have more exact numbers.

I think that the intervals of the automatic oiler are set to every 200 hundred hours but I'm not sure. I'd
have to break out my user manual.

I've had my 770 for a few years now and admittedly, I haven't been able to play with it as much as I'd hoped.
I can only recall my oiler coming on about three or four times within the few years I've owned it. I could swear I've put more
hours on my mill than six-hundred or eight-hundred hours.

Relying on the automatic oiler to determine the hours of usage on my mill makes me kind of leery. It doesn't sound
right; I mean about total hours of usage. This is why I'm inquiring to see if perhaps there's an integral way of determining
total hours.

Thanks guys.

MetalShavings

[Moggot]

I seem to recall a thread a while back that dealt with this topic but, I'm unable to find it now.

Can one of you guys tell me if there's a way of knowing how many hours of use that a given Tormach
mill has on it? Maybe through the software or something like that.

Hi Metalshavings,

Mach3, at least the build that runs my series 3 1100 which, I believe, is the same or similar as that for the 770, does record a variety of usage data. Select 'Operator' from the top menu of any screen in Mach3 and pick 'Maintenance Hours' from that drop down. It'll tell you total hours the mill has been on, hours in that session, axis distance traveled and number of M3's (spindle cycles. Interestingly it does not track spindle hours, or at least mine doesn't.

Mine is at about 12412 hours since about May 2012, though plenty of those hours are from leaving it on over the weekend accidentally or what not. My X axis has traveled about .8 miles which is somewhat less then my Z axis, surprisingly. Lots of tool changes, I guess.

Edit: I have a manual oilier, but I was under the impression that the interval should be substantially shorter then 200 hours. The 1100 manual suggested a lube shot every 4 hours of operation. The automatics and 770 may be different but 200 hours seems way too long to my mind.

[MetalShavings]

Hi Maggot:

Feels kind of weird offering up a greeting like that. Makes me feel like a Marine drill instructor.

Thanks very much for the reply. In the back of my mind I knew I'd read
something along those lines. I just couldn't remember those details.

The pre-set hours on the automatic oiler thing are more than likely as you've stated. That too is something I'd have
to look up in order to find out.

I've been thinking of selling my 770 and using those funds toward the purchase of an SLS metal 3D Printer. I'm still mulling it over at this time.

They're pretty expensive. If I do go ahead with this I'll more than likely just get a large volume ABS/PLS or similar printer. I still have my manual mill and lathe I can fall back on if I need to do any metal working.

It's all in the dream-stage right now. Nothing definitive.

Many thanks for the quick reply.

MetalShavings

[Moggot]

Hi Maggot:

Feels kind of weird offering up a greeting like that. Makes me feel like a Marine drill instructor.

It it makes you feel any better, the username is actually Moggot. Expectations are a funny thing, everyone makes that mistake.

I've been thinking of selling my 770 and using those funds toward the purchase of an SLS metal 3D Printer. I'm still mulling it over at this time.

I haven't looked at that sort of thing in a long time. My understanding is that a number of patents relating to SLS processes expired recently and there are some lower cost contenders out there now. The Form 1 printer goes for about $3200 for a 5x5x6 build envelope; not exactly cheap but also not 'down payment on a house' expensive either. It's not a metal printer, but I doubt those are going to become affordable in the near future. If you want to make metal objects a mill is probably still the way to go for most cases.

If I didn't have a real pressing need I'd consider shopping around and maybe holding off on a 3d printer purchase. You may well be able to get the printer you want and keep the mill if you wait a year or two for prices to drop and the market to open up some.

[Steve Seebold]

I've had my PCNC 1100 since July 13, 2011. Since then I have logged close to 9,000 hours on it.

My auto lube is set the way Tormach says to set it. Every 240 minutes it runs for 12 seconds.

[mountaindew]

I've had my PCNC 1100 since July 13, 2011. Since then I have logged close to 9,000 hours on it.

My auto lube is set the way Tormach says to set it. Every 240 minutes it runs for 12 seconds.

That's is 3 years 1 month
You guys make me tired just thinking how hard it is to put 9000 hours on something.
9000 hours is 8 hours per day every single day for 3 years and 1 month.
No days off. I want over time!!!!

The only reason I keep thinking about the 10,000 number is in many arts or disciplines the rule of thumb is it takes 10,000 hours of intense study and practice to become a master!
This is not trivial thing imho thinking 10,000 hours to race a car, swing a golf club, paint a master piece or even the very intense art of machining !
I figure I have 7 months of experience or little less then 800 hours and simple math tells me I have a long road of over 7 years to go!
Anyway was fun to think about!
And My power costs so much I turn machine off right after cleanup. So no logged hours of it setting there on I guess.
md

[MetalShavings]

Yea; sorry about that misread on your name.

You're probably right about waiting on the 3D printer purchase. They appear to be like computers in that no sooner do you get them home and unpack them that they're
suddenly obsolete. Just as you get them set up and running, the next generation of 3D printer hit the store shelves.

There is also a down side to waiting. I used to do this when I was doing photography. I'd hold off on buying the next better camera or piece of equipment because I knew that
the upgrade to that "Next Better Piece of Equipment" would have more and better features. In the end I ended up missing out all together.

That "Every 240 Minutes" comment that Steve Seebold made about oiling our machines sounds about right. In the back of my mind I seemed to recall the number 200 somewhere in there. If I get
a chance tomorrow I'll check how many hours my mill has on it. Even if I end up not selling it, it's still good to keep track of such things; just for maintenance-sake.

MetalShavings

[MetalShavings]

I got a chance to take a look at the total hours on my Tormach 770 this morning. WoW! I was really surprised at what I saw.

My original intent when I bought this machine was to speed up my personal metal working projects. At the time, most of
my free/hobby time was used up by chores around the house that I couldn't do during the work week. That left precious
little free time to machine the scope mounts, reamers and other stuff I came up with.

Since I was working on my metal working hobbies with manual machinery before buying my 770, it tended to take alot more time for me.

In the few years that I've owned this mill (Since 2011) I've made quite a bit of stuff with it. I also have a small mountain of stuff that I've
screwed up trying to make.

All of that being said, I was really surprised because the "Total Hours" read, 354.5 hours.

In my mind this can only mean one of two things. 1.--The hours aren't being tracked correctly. OR, 2.-- My original intent of speeding up the output of my hobby items has been met in spades.

Now I'm wondering if any one of you can tell me if there's a way to check or re-set the oiling cycle on my Automatic Oiler? I thought it was already preset within the software somehow. I can only remember my oiler turning on 3 or 4 times within that 354.5 hours of total usage; although admittedly, I didn't really make it a point of listening for it. If this is so then something is not right with the oiler's timer.

I suck at math but, if the Automatic Oiler was supposed to come on every 240 minutes, it should have come on about 88 times. I'll have to check my numbers on that.

MetalShavings.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

The hour meters in Mach3 are notoriously unreliable. Try displaying them, and watching them as the machine is used. You will often find they count up when the machine is idle, and don't count up when the machine is running. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when/if they decide to increment. I wanted to use them years ago, but found the values they produced to be completeley meaningless much of the time.

Regards,
Ray L.

[kstrauss]

If you really want to track the time that your Tormach is used, elapsed time units are readily available. These contain an electric clock motor and a display much like that on an automobile odometer. See eBay 231292264972 for a typical example. This one $15+shipping, new, reads to 99999.9 hours and runs on 220 volts AC (I have no connection with the vendor!). Just wire it across the power to your VFD to record how long the mill was powered up. With a relay across the motor windings to turn the timer on/off you could probably record spindle-on hours.

[MetalShavings]

I was just wanting to find out those numbers in the event I ever did sell it. Now I know.

One of the first thing you get asked when you go to sell a CNC-anything is, "How Many Hours of Use
does it have on it?" Now I at least have some idea.

I also found out that If I'd tried to figure out the usage hours by extrapolating from how may times my
automatic oil had come on, I would have had just a hand full of total hours. That's because at the
time I installed it, I failed to set the appropriate activation and duration settings.

I'm just lucky the whole darn thing didn't seize up on me.

MetalShavings

[BAMCNC.COM]

I got mine January 2013 and have just over 10,000 hours on it. However I don't think it was zeroed out when it came from the factory, so minus whatever it started at. If my machine is on, it's running.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I got mine January 2013 and have just over 10,000 hours on it. However I don't think it was zeroed out when it came from the factory, so minus whatever it started at. If my machine is on, it's running.

That 10,000 hour number seems more than a little suspect. That works out to about 18 hours per day, every day, 7 days a week since Jan 2013. For a 5-day work week, it would be about 128 hours per week.

Regards,
Ray L.

[mountaindew]

That 10,000 hour number seems more than a little suspect. That works out to about 18 hours per day, every day, 7 days a week since Jan 2013. For a 5-day work week, it would be about 128 hours per week.

Regards,
Ray L.

now you been told twice.

I have know idea how it tracks, Best I can tell if mach control software is running, it logs time and distance if machine is moving.
My machine shows 1840 hours in 8 months that is 7.66 hours a day!!!!!!
I keep a log of my time and I know I have just over 700 hours in that time. less then half
I do shut machine off just minutes after im finished. but the controller I have left running to keep it warm this winter! Guessing there's where the hours were logged.
hard disk drives get flakey if they are expected to start and run cold in my experience
I don't have a tormach controller. so I know it was all 0 at my last install of mach.
md

[BAMCNC.COM]

Ha, lmao. Do I need to do a video to show you? Do you think I'm lieing? Hilarious

Like I said I don't think it's true either, and would like to know what the "stock hours" are so I can subtract them. So if ANYONE that has Mach3 ATC, please let me know.

[bjones]

Ha, lmao. Do I need to do a video to show you? Do you think I'm lieing? Hilarious

Like I said I don't think it's true either, and would like to know what the "stock hours" are so I can subtract them. So if ANYONE that has Mach3 ATC, please let me know.

so you ARE running the tormach "18 hours per day, every day, 7 days a week" then brad? either you are and your 10,000 is correct or you aren't and it's not correct. are you anywhere close to 18 hours a day?

[hanermo]

I have had a look at about 200 commercial machines hours (based on industrial, accurate, counters).

The vast majority of commercial shop users use their cnc machines about 1300 hours per year.
Some of this is spindle-on time (==cutting time), and some is just running time (machine on but not making anything).

Very few have over 2000 hours in any year.
This tracks with average data elsewhere.

Buying a very expensive automatic pallet system, allows some users to go near the 8760+ hours theoretically possible.
Such a pallet system is about 100.000 $.

I doubt any hobby or light machine can last anywhere near that.
Haas industrial machines barely last under such use, and many components become expendables to be changed every 6 months.
The drawbar assy (with the bellevilles) is one such, as are all collets.

With 1 minute tooltimes, 100.000/24x60, you should change your drawbar assy every 69 days.

The 100k is the max figure typical commercial industrial machines drawbars last under 24x7 use.
Horizontals, at 2-3x the price, might go to higher numbers.

[BAMCNC.COM]

so you ARE running the tormach "18 hours per day, every day, 7 days a week" then brad? either you are and your 10,000 is correct or you aren't and it's not correct. are you anywhere close to 18 hours a day?

I am NOT running it 18 hours per day, which is why I KNOW that Mach3 ATC came with hours on it. However that does not change that my Mach3 ATC says it has 10,000 hours... Is that clearer?

[bjones]

I am NOT running it 18 hours per day, which is why I KNOW that Mach3 ATC came with hours on it. However that does not change that my Mach3 ATC says it has 10,000 hours... Is that clearer?

yes it's clear to us that your claims of 10,000 hours are incorrect, perhaps you should reset it now so now so you may have a better figure to claim in the future, do you have a ballpark figure in mind based on the average hours you DO run the tormach a week and the time that has passed you would care to share?

[BAMCNC.COM]

I guess I wasn't aware you could reset it, can I just change it to something I want? Lets say 3200 hours would be very close I bet (never did the math until now). Mill is off this weekend, taking a much needed break. I'll check Monday.