Hurco VTX Series User guide

December 2010 704-0211-215 Revision A
MAINTENANCE AND SAFETY
MANUAL
for VTX Series
Machining Centers

ii - Maintenance and Safety Manual 704-0211-215 VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not
represent a commitment on the part of Hurco Companies, Inc. (Hurco). The software
described in this document is furnished under the License Agreement to customers. It is
against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the
license agreement. The purchaser may make copies of the software for backup purposes.
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, for any purpose without the express
written permission of the Hurco machine tool owner.
Hurco Manufacturing Company reserves the right to incorporate any modification or
improvements in machines and machine specifications which it considers necessary, and
does not assume any obligation to make any said changes in machines or equipment
previously sold.
Hurco products and services are subject to Hurco’s then current prices, terms, and
conditions, which are subject to change without notice.
© 2010 Hurco Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Patents: U.S. Patents B14,477,754; 5,453,933; Canadian Patent 1,102,434;
Japanese Patents 1,649,006 and 1,375,124; other Patents pending.
Hurco, Max, Ultimax, and WinMax are Registered Trademarks of Hurco Companies, Inc.
AutoCAD, Autodesk, and DXF are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.
MS-DOS, Microsoft, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products
are claimed as trademarks. Hurco has listed here all trademarks of which it is aware. For
more information about Hurco products and services, contact:
Hurco Companies, Inc.
One Technology Way
P.O. Box 68180
Indianapolis, IN 46268-0180
Tel [phone] (products)
[phone] (service)
Fax [phone] (service)
For Hurco subsidiary contact information, go to Hurco’s Web site:
www.hurco.com

VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual 704-0211-215 Maintenance Checklist - iii
MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST
Daily (Every 8 - 10 Hours)
Daily: Perform operational checks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 2
Daily: Check the floppy disk drive and diskettes, if equipped. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 3
Daily: Check and maintain all lubricant levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 4
Daily: Clean the tool lock pins and tool gripper fingers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 10
Daily: Lubricate the non-motorized spindle taper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 12
Daily: Check the spindle chiller working environment ventilation and
ambient temperature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 15
Daily: Check the FRL unit air pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 21
Daily: (or every 8 hours) Check the coolant level every day. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 24
Daily: Clean the chip conveyor tank chip screens, if equipped. . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 26
Daily: Inspect the enclosure windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 28
Daily: (or every 8 hours) Check the clamping system hydraulic pressure. . . . 3- 28
Daily: (after every shift or 8 hours of operation) Clean the trunion table. . . . 3- 29
Daily: (or after 8 hours of operation) Check the rotary-axis oil level. . . . . . . 3- 30
Daily: (or after 8 hours of operation) Check the tilt-axis oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 31
Daily: Warm up the machine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 32
Weekly (Every 40 - 50 Hours)
Weekly: Clean the filter inside the heat exchanger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 3
Weekly: (or after 40 hours of operation) Check the condition of tools. . . . . . 3- 11
Weekly: Check each tool holder for damage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 11
Weekly: Inspect the chiller solution level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 12
Weekly: (or after 40 hours of operation) Inspect the spindle chiller tank
air filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 13
Weekly: (or after 40 hours of operation) Inspect the spindle chiller tank
water filter, if equipped. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 13
Weekly: Check the auto moisture drain on FRL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 22
Weekly: (or after 40-50 hours of operation) Clean the coolant filters. . . . . . . 3- 25
Weekly: Check the CTS coolant filter and clean when necessary. . . . . . . . . . 3- 25
Weekly: (or every 40 hours of operation) Check the clamping system oil level. 3- 29
Monthly (Every 150-200 Hours)
Monthly: Inspect conduit, connectors, cabling, and external wiring. . . . . . . . 3 - 4
Monthly: Add a rust preventative to the Autolube system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 6
Monthly: Maintain the autolube fluid level and check the filler filter screen. . . 3 - 6
Monthly: Manually activate the Autolube system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 8
Monthly: (or after 150-200 hours of operation) Maintain the spindle chiller. . 3- 13
Monthly: (or 150-200 hours of operation) Inspect limit switches and
dog fasteners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 27
Monthly: Perform a spindle run-in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 33
Do not attempt to access the machine enclosure while machine
power is on. Observe proper lock-out/tag-out procedures before
performing any maintenance inside the machine enclosure.

- iv Maintenance Checklist 704-0211-215 VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual
Every 3 Months (Every 500 Hours)
Every 3 Months: (or after 500 hours of operation) Check the ATC oil level. . . 3 - 9
Every 3 Months: (or every 500 hours) Check the FRL air filter element . . . . . 3- 22
Every 3 Months: Drain moisture from the lines of the FRL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 22
Every 3 Months: (or every 500 hours) Replace coolant and coolant filters. . . 3- 25
Every 3 Months: (or 500 hours) Replace the coolant filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 25
Every 3 Months: (or after 500 hours of operation) Clean the chip conveyor
tank, if equipped. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 26
Every 3 Months: Measure the ground impedance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 27
Every 6 Months (Every 1000 Hours or as stated)
Every 6 Months: Grease the ATC magazine chain assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 9
Every 6 Months: Verify the machine is sitting level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 27
Annually (Every 2000 Hours or as stated)
Annually: (or at about every 2000 hours of use) Clean the autolube reservoir
tank and suction filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 8
Annually: (or after 2000 hours) Replace the ATC oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 9
Annually: Flush, clean, and refill the spindle chiller tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 14
Annually: (or after 2000 hours of operation) Replace the rotary-axis oil. . . . . 3- 30
Annually: (or after 2000 hours of operation) Replace the tilt-axis oil. . . . . . . 3- 31

VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual 704-0211-215 Table of Contents — v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Maintenance and Safety Manual
Maintenance Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Machine Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 2
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 3
Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 5
Spindle and Drive System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 6
Axes Motion System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 8
Machine Electrical Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 10
Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 16
Operator Control Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 17
Flood Coolant and Washdown System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 20
Pneumatic System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 21
Trunion Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 22
Automatic Tool Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 23
Operation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 1
Machine Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 2
Initial Test and Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 5
Safety Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 6
Safe Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 10
Noise Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 13
Machine Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 1
Daily Operational Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 2
Floppy Disk Drive and Diskettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 3
Heat Exchanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 3
Exterior Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 4
Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 4
Pneumatic System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 21
Flood Coolant and Washdown System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 23
Chip Conveyor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 26
Limit Switches and Dogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 27
Machine Electrical Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 27
Machine Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 27
Enclosure Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 28
Trunion Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 28
Machine Warm-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 32
Spindle Run-in or Cycle Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 33
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 34
Ordering Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 42
Record of Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX - 1

vi - List of Figures 704-0211-215 VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1–1. Full Chip and Coolant Enclosure—VTXU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 5
Figure 1–2. Full Chip and Coolant Enclosure—VTXZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 5
Figure 1–3. Example of Belt-Driven Spindle and Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 6
Figure 1–4. Communication Port Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 14
Figure 1–5. Male 9-Pin D-Type Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 14
Figure 1–6. Dual-Screen Control Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 17
Figure 3–1. Autolube Pump and Tank Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 5
Figure 3–2. HWK Spindle Chiller Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 17
Figure 3–3. HWT Spindle Chiller Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 19
Figure 3–4. Filter, Regulator, and Lubricator Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 21
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1–1. Machine Table T-slot Specifications, Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 3
Table 1–2. Machine Table T-slot Specifications, English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 3
Table 1–3. VTX Machine Table Specifications, Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 3
Table 1–4. VTX Machine Table Specifications, English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 3
Table 1–5. Spindle Drive System Specifications, Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 7
Table 1–6. Spindle Drive System Specifications, English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 7
Table 1–7. Spindle Drive/Belt Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 8
Table 1–8. Axis Maximum Travel, Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 8
Table 1–9. Axis Maximum Travel, English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 8
Table 1–10. Rapid Traverse Rates, Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 9
Table 1–11. Rapid Traverse Rates, English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 9
Table 1–12. Communication Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 14
Table 1–13. RS-232C Signals Available at Serial Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 15
Table 1–14. Coolant Capacity and Pump Rating, Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 20
Table 1–15. Coolant Capacity and Pump Rating, English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 20
Table 1–16. Trunion Table Maximum Allowable Workpiece Weight, Metric . . . . . 1- 22
Table 1–17. Trunion Table Maximum Allowable Workpiece Weight, English . . . . . 1- 22
Table 1–18. ATC Tool Specifications, Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 23
Table 1–19. ATC Tool Specifications, English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- 23
Table 2–1. Maximum Noise Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2- 13
Table 3–1. Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 4
Table 3–2. Differential Temperature Cooling process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 16
Table 3–3. Machine Warm-up—
Spindle Drive Maximum 8K, 10K, 12K & 15K RPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 32
Table 3–4. Spindle Run-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 33
Table 3–5. Troubleshooting: Missing or Faulty Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 37
Table 3–6. Troubleshooting: Power Fluctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 37
Table 3–7. Troubleshooting: Coolant System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 38
Table 3–8. Troubleshooting: Spindle Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 39
Table 3–9. Troubleshooting: Power Off Motion Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 39
Table 3–10. Troubleshooting: Machine Chatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 40
Table 3–11. Troubleshooting: Errors in Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 40
Table 3–12. Troubleshooting: Environmental Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 41

VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual 704-0211-215 Using This Manual — vii
USING THIS MANUAL
This documentation uses several conventions to explain the safety features and
emphasize key concepts. These conventions are described in this section.
Additional information is available on the machine’s Documentation CD.
Sample Screens
Sample screens in this documentation were taken from a WinMax Mill single-screen
control. All screens are subject to change. The screens on your system may vary slightly.
The sample screen here illustrates softkeys and includes a software version.
Softkeys
Softkeys are located on the side of the screen. You can set the softkeys to appear on
either the right or left side of the screen. Refer to the Getting Started with WinMax Mill for
information about making this selection. Softkeys may change upon field entries or other
softkey selection. References to softkeys in the documentation appear with the softkey’s
corresponding F-key. For example, the Part Setup softkey from the Input screen above is
referenced as the PART SETUP F1 softkey.
Screen Areas
The screens are divided into the following areas, in addition to the row of softkeys:
Data Entry
The data entry area is located on the opposite side of the screen from the softkeys.
Softkeys
Status Bar
Error/Status area
Prompts
WinMax Version

viii - Using This Manual 704-0211-215 VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual
Available softkeys may change even when the text and data entry area does not.
Fields in the data entry area display or receive information. Refer to Using the
Touchscreen, on page ix for information on entering information in fields.
Prompts and Error/Status Area
The bottom portion of the screen is reserved for prompts, program status and error
messages.
Prompts provide help on data entry selections based on the field with the blinking cursor.
Errors and status messages occur anytime the status or error occurs. They are not based
on the field with the blinking cursor. These messages provide machine information to the
operator.
Error messages may also stop and/or prevent machine operation until the cause of the
error is corrected.
Status Bar
The status bar contains
• The name of the open, selected program.
• A calculator icon—select the icon to display a working, on-screen calculator.
• Units of measure (Inch or Millimeters)—select the units of measure in the
status bar to toggle between Inch and Metric.
• Programming mode (R for Radius; D for Diameter)—select the programming
mode in the status bar to toggle between Radius and Diameter.
• A yellow icon—indicates the feed hold is on when visible.
• A red icon—indicates the Emergency Stop button has been pressed when
visible.
• A keyboard icon—select the icon to display a working on-screen keyboard.
• The current time.
When viewed on a single-screen console, all icons appear in the same status bar; when
viewed on a dual-screen console, the program name and calculator icon appear on the
left screen status bar, and the unit of measure, keyboard icon and time appear on the
right screen status bar.
Console Buttons and Keys
References to console buttons and keys appear in bold text throughout the
documentation. For example, the Start Cycle button appears as the Start Cycle button
and the Manual key appears as the Manual console key in text.
Refer to the Getting Started with Your WinMax Mill for information about console buttons
and keys, in addition to other information about using softkeys and the pop-up text entry
window.

VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual 704-0211-215 Using This Manual — ix
Using the Touchscreen
The console has a touchscreen for entering programming data. To make a selection, tap
the screen on a softkey, field, or drop-down list using the stylus attached to the side of the
console or another suitable pointing device.
Printing
To print part or all of this manual from the CD, select File/Print. Be sure to review the
Print Range selections and make the appropriate choice for pages. Select Properties/
Paper/Quality and adjust the Tray Selection/Paper Source if necessary.
Printing to a Post Script printer provides the best results.
Icons
This manual may contain the following icons:
Caution/Warning
Hints and Tricks
Important
Troubleshooting
Where can we go from here?
Table of Contents
The operator may be injured and the machine severely damaged if the
described procedure is not followed.
Useful suggestions that show creative uses of the WinMax features.
Ensures proper operation of the machine and control.
?Steps that can be taken to solve potential problems.
Lists several possible options the operator can take.
To assist with onscreen viewing, this icon is located on the cover page. Click
the icon to access the Table of Contents (TOC).
You can also access many of the same TOC entries from the Adobe Reader
bookmarks located on the left side of the PDF page.

x - Using This Manual 704-0211-215 VTX Series Maintenance and Safety Manual