Can you post or DM me a couple links to VFD's that would work for a regular Lagun Mill, and a 7.5 hp Lathe and a Hardinge HLV? Please....
Opinions on this Lathe.....
- Thread starter Litlerob1
- Start date
I have a 3HP version of this.....
on my lathe. The linked model is rated for 8HP for the lathe. Uses 240V single phase input. Has remote fwd and rev and speed inputs. Parameters determine accel and decel rate. Been using it for ~8 years now with no problems. It is Chinese so not the best quality, but cheap enough that if it died tomorrow I would not be upset at all. I've certainly gotten my moneys worth.
Similar units sized to match the motors on the Lagun and Hardinge would be fine.
VEVOR 5.5KW 220V 8HP 25A Variable Frequency Drive VFD AC 1-3 Phase Converter | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VEVOR 5.5KW 220V 8HP 25A Variable Frequency Drive VFD AC 1-3 Phase Converter at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
on my lathe. The linked model is rated for 8HP for the lathe. Uses 240V single phase input. Has remote fwd and rev and speed inputs. Parameters determine accel and decel rate. Been using it for ~8 years now with no problems. It is Chinese so not the best quality, but cheap enough that if it died tomorrow I would not be upset at all. I've certainly gotten my moneys worth.
Similar units sized to match the motors on the Lagun and Hardinge would be fine.
I'm already looking at 4k in RPC with acceptance in my heartI have a 3HP version of this.....
VEVOR 5.5KW 220V 8HP 25A Variable Frequency Drive VFD AC 1-3 Phase Converter | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VEVOR 5.5KW 220V 8HP 25A Variable Frequency Drive VFD AC 1-3 Phase Converter at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
on my lathe. The linked model is rated for 8HP for the lathe. Uses 240V single phase input. Has remote fwd and rev and speed inputs. Parameters determine accel and decel rate. Been using it for ~8 years now with no problems. It is Chinese so not the best quality, but cheap enough that if it died tomorrow I would not be upset at all. I've certainly gotten my moneys worth.
Similar units sized to match the motors on the Lagun and Hardinge would be fine.
. So I'm really, REALLY not concerned about cost in this scenario. I'm concerned with ease of use and integration. So I am looking into it.I might be okay smart with some stuff, maybe even a lot. But you're on a different level, it's not fair to apply such a high standard for me to compare myself. I'd be in a constant state of failure.
R
For $4k you can get a 10HP Phase Perfect. $4k buys a 30 or more HP RPC. Are looking at bigger machines or running multiple machines at capacity simultaneously?
Herding Cats
Hardplates
The only things I run off a PP is my bandsaw and a 10hp hydraulic press. It doesn't like heavy regen current and will trip out when running a cnc unless the regen is set conservatively. This is an old blue one, I don't know if the newer ones are any better but I would have a hard time recommending one to someone. JMO
Since he was asking about running a manual machines, he wouldn't have regen issues. The greater the input voltage is to a phase perfect or VFD, the greater the potential for overvoltage errors on regen. Same with native 3 phase or RPC created 3 phase. Whether the error will be on the Phase Perfect or the CNC is determined by which device is the most sensitive to overvoltage. Machines that do heavy regen braking often need their incoming power around 208-220 to prevent nuisance alarms.
Herding Cats
Hardplates
I agree but just thought it was noteworthy in case CNC's were in future plans.
The PP would acually trip for low voltage on the single phase side during regen. Bucking the single phase down seemed to make the issue worse. I encountered this on 2 different blue PP units.
I wasted a lot of time fooling with them and wanted them to work well but in the end they were just too much trouble with very limited user serviceability and zero factory support for the blue units. Even several electronics experts I showed the boards to struggled to make sense of it and they all came to the same conclusion that the design intent was to inhibit repair as well as reverse engineering.
Some people have had great success with them but at the end of the day I want something that is either cheap to replace or if it is expensive then I need to be able to understand it and repair it.
Really odd that it was low voltage during regen!
I started with a 20hp rated american rotary cnc ballanced RPC that ran multiple manual machines, but nothing heavy duty. Traded it to a guy that is currently overloading it with with a smallish W/S turret lathe, 400mm HMC, and a 30mm Swiss all running at the same time.
If you have more than one machine and want something as simple as possible, I would look at one big RPC. Drives are pretty easy too, but you need one on each machine.
If hes running the turret lathe same time as the cnc's its helping.
I used to do that same trick. I used a 15hp lathe to bump up a 30hp rpc so i could run a 30hp cnc lathe.
Yeah, it's the accel/decel settings on the CNCs thats causing issues. It could all be tuned with adequate motivation, but I'm not sure the 200A incoming is even enough to run all that with the OEM settings. And they are production machines, slowing them way down isn't exactly ideal. Real power is available and that's where he is looking now that sales are steady. The RPC was always a temporary measure for both of us.
He is also fighting lots of over/under voltage issues that just dont happen with line power. I know theres fixes for all that, but if power is available for 15-30k, at some point you just bite the bullet and get on with life.
The W/S alone has tripped the main a couple times.
I had the utility people out to discuss getting power at the house to run a 42" VTL and 4" HBM, and when he quoted me 30-50k for 200A 480V drop, with 3ph 100ft away, I told him no thanks, I'll just up the house to 800a single phase and run 60hp worth of converters. He just laughed at me and told me I might get away with it for a couple months, but with all the surges and issues it would cause my neighbors I would be shut down promptly.
Then I rented a cheap building with power, and ditched the converters.
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Mr. M
Active member
Pretty glad I am located where I am. It was just over 2k to get 200amp 208 service to my home shop from the ditch. (And that included the electrician to do the new panel in the shop) 400amp would have been about $3800
Thats really fortunate. Any commercial customer here has to pay for the cable xformers and poles. From what i gather xformers run around 15-25k, poles 10k ea, and cables around 20/ft.
Mr. M
Active member
I had to buy the pole, cable and transformers but the power company didn't charge additional install costs. Then it was just a local electrician to do the hookup at the building. Pole was like $6-700 and the transformer was around a grand.
Herding Cats
Hardplates
That sounds more in line with my friends experiences.
Open Delta only requires 2 transformers on the pole so that can save some coin.
Mr. M
Active member
Mine does still have 3 but I am not worried at that price! 
Cheapest I have heard to get 3ph into a building was 12k, that guy was 30yrs ago, and a pretty small service.
There is a big difference in co-ops and investor owned power companies, but for the most part the co-ops dont even offer 3ph, and all of it depends on where you set up shop.
My electric rates seem pretty good here. No demand charge, and I think they are around 10c /kwh. Elec runs 600/mo for a 6k sf shop with me and some part time people.
Shop I retired from 8 years ago had almost $1k/day for power. Last year I was there, the cost for 12 months was $356k. >200k square feet and 180 employees. 6000Amp 480V service. Some heavy duty shit.