[MidfieldJake]

I have a '92 Fadal VMC 20 with worn ways on the X-Axis. We caught this when we were machining some identical parts across the length of the table. The last two parts on the left side of the table looked like crap, and were .018" different than all the others. So, we pulled the X-axis covers, and sure enough, we have about .018 scoring on the X-ways (almost as though the oiler stopped lubricating the X)

So I need to know what my options are... I just updated the boards last year to the -5 control, and it's been a really good machine to me, so I really don't want to trade it in!

Has anyone ever sent their machine back to Fadal to have it remanufactured? If so, was it a fixed price to have it remanned, or was it parts and labor?

Or is this something where I could pull the table off and have the ways reground? (I haven't examined it closely to see if this is viable)

Any input would be greatly appreciated!
(P.S. Located near Davenport, Iowa if you know someone in Midwest who specializes in this kind of work.)

[Scott_bob]

Jake,

We have had a refurbished saddle assy (everything on top of the Y axis ways) replaced, for around 6,000.
Turcite replaced on another machine, then machined it ourselves for minimal cost...
Sounds like you guys waited a little too long to repair yours...

[badass73]

jake
have you fixed the problem with your mill, I'm having the same one with mine and would like to know if you did the work your self

[MidfieldJake]

Hi Badass73 - yes, we had the machine rebuilt, and it workds great. Basically I found a local guy through word of mouth that is a CNC guru, and he did all the work. He removed the entire saddle assembly, had the ways reground at a local machine shop, put new turcite on, and then put it all back together.

During disassembly he discovered that the way oil hose had busted to the X axis (which is what created the mess to begin with), so he also replaced the way oil assembly with a "newer" style. He also showed me that our Z axis ball screw was on it's last leg (probably also caused by oiler not getting enough oil to it, since it was just blowing out the broken hose) so I had him replace that also.

When all was said and done, it cost me $7000 labor and about $2000 in parts. This may seem a little steep at first, but this machine is now holding better than factory tolerances and has all new parts. The way I look at it, I just spent $9000 for a CNC machine that will last another 14 years - which is a lot cheaper than $55,000 for a new machine! :cheers: