Hurco SM1 Control Replacement

We have an older 1986ish Hurco SM1 CNC mill. The machine itself is in pretty good shape (ways, ballscrews, etc). We have run it occasionally for a couple years but have had multiple problems and each time we replace something, another issue seems to arise. The machine has the original servo motors, but the servo drives were upgraded in 2005ish by the previous owner. I am ready to invest a bit of money to try to make this machine reliable but I feel like I should ultimately put a new controller on it.

I'm trying to figure out everything I will actually need to get this machine running. I'm assuming that I'll be able to use the existing servo drives and servo motors. The centroid Acorn looks promising and I like everything I've read about it.

I should mention that we have a pretty new Shopsabre CNC router that we use for production work and I really like the WinCNC controller on it. I do all of our CAD/Cam using Fusion 360 so that is our typical workflow. Our Hurco will be used for prototyping of steel and aluminum parts - nothing production oriented.

I have never replaced a control before so I'm sure it will be a learning experience but I'd like to estimate the total cost and learn as much as I can before I start the project.

Thanks!

Phil,

I'm not an expert in retrofitting machines but I have rebuilt a couple machines in my shop.

A couple things you'll need to know:

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Phil,

I'm not an expert in retrofitting machines but I have rebuilt a couple machines in my shop.

A couple things you'll need to know:

Do the servos have encoders?
What is the voltage of the servos (I'm guessing they're DC)?
How is the spindle controlled?

Like you, I use Fusion 360 for CAD/CAM work. I have two Milltronics machines from the mid 90's...good machines but they didn't have the memory space to upload a large program. Here is what I did...

-I installed new encoders on the servos. Many older machines don't have them.

-Replaced the original servo drives with gecko drives on one of the machines and DGR4S-160's on the other. Gecko drives work well but are limited to 80 volts. Assuming you have DC servo's, you'll be able to keep your DC power supply but you maybe need to adjust the input voltage.

-I have three mills that run Mach3 and one lathe the uses an Acorn board. I really like the Centroid setup..feels very professional and has good support/options. Mach3 also works well and is easy to use.

-Both controllers work better with a decent computer. I run my machines off "seller refurbished" laptops purchased from Ebay. You can get a good laptop for $200.


I now have four "Industrial" machines in my shop that I have retrofitted. I no longer have to worry about the next component failure that's going to require a repair worth more than the machine.

The centroid would be a slam dunk easy button on that machine, especially if you went with the full kit with motors.( even interfacing the old motors and drive is simple on that system). Mach 3/4 whatever would be cheaper most likely, but that centroid all in one really keeps it simple. You could also look at ProtoTRAK https://www.southwesternindustries.c...ucts/retrofits