Proxxon FF 500 User manual

Operating Instructions
FF 500 BL/CNC

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FF 500 CNC Operating Instructions
Translation of the Original Operating Instructions
1. Some generalities in advance… ..............................................................................4
2. The technology of your FF 500/BL CNC at a glance................................................5
2.1. A short overview of the mechanics:......................................................................5
2.2. A short overview of the electronics:......................................................................6
3. View of the machine with its elements.....................................................................8
4. CNC control MCS with operating elements..............................................................9
5. Technical data .......................................................................................................10
5.1. Milling machine:..................................................................................................10
5.2. Drives of the tool axes........................................................................................11
5.3. Software and stepping motor controllers............................................................11
5.4. Further data........................................................................................................12
5.5. Milling cutter dimensions (Fig. 4)........................................................................12
6. Scope of delivery ...................................................................................................12
7. Basic tips on setting up and installing the machine................................................13
7.1. Unpacking and setting up the machine ..............................................................13
7.2. Connecting the cabling.......................................................................................14
7.3. Additional connection options.............................................................................15
8. Installing the software............................................................................................16
8.1. Minimum hardware requirements.......................................................................16
8.2. Installation procedure.........................................................................................16
8.3. Starting the software nccad8..............................................................................17
8.4. Selection of the language...................................................................................17
8.5. Parameter settings.............................................................................................17
8.6. The status display at the CNC control MCS.......................................................18
8.7. Locking Switch/EMERGENCY-Stop...................................................................18
9. The nccad 8-software ............................................................................................19
9.1. The integrated training videos............................................................................19
9.2. The integrated manual with the help system......................................................20
9.3. The structure of the "Help topics" window..........................................................20
9.4. Search methods.................................................................................................20
9.4.1 Contents.........................................................................................................20
9.4.2 Index...............................................................................................................20
9.4.3 Search............................................................................................................21
9.4.4 Explanation of the icons and the Status bar ...................................................21
9.5. Online support....................................................................................................21
10. Important note for working in practice....................................................................22
10.1. Better one reference run too much than too little ...............................................22
10.2. Simple stopping of the machine and the Emergency-Off switch ........................22
10.3. Safety stop, lock.................................................................................................22
10.4. Room EMERGENCY Off....................................................................................22
11. First steps: The "Basics of milling with nccad8"-chapter........................................23
11.1. Simple test of the machine.................................................................................23
11.2. Com-Port-Adjustment.........................................................................................24
11.3. The "Update"-Functionality.................................................................................24
11.4. Semi-automatic operation: Traversing the CNC axes with the cursor keys........25
12. Working with the milling cutter ...............................................................................26
12.1. General information for working with milling cutter.............................................26
12.2. Working with the drilling lever.............................................................................27

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12.3. Swivelling the milling head by its own transverse axis .......................................28
12.4. Mounting the collet chucks.................................................................................28
12.5. Changing the spindle speed...............................................................................30
12.6. Clamping of the workpiece.................................................................................30
12.7. Feed:..................................................................................................................30
13. Accessories ...........................................................................................................31
14. Repair, Cleaning and Maintenance........................................................................32
14.1. In general...........................................................................................................32
14.2. Adjusting the play of the cross table or Z carriage guides..................................33
14.3. Lubricating the machine.....................................................................................33
15. Disposal.................................................................................................................34
16. Errors and their removal ........................................................................................35
17. Compilation of safety notes:...................................................................................37
18. EC Declaration of Conformity ................................................................................39
19. List of components and exploded views ................................................................41
19.1. General view ......................................................................................................41
19.1.1 General view exploded drawing and parts list.............................................41
19.1.2 Exploded drawing and parts list Assembly group 01:Z axis ........................42
19.1.3 Exploded drawing and parts list Assembly group 02 Drive Y axis...............44
19.1.4 Exploded drawing and parts list Assembly group 03 Drive X axis...............46
19.1.5 Exploded drawing and parts list Assembly group 04: Milling head..............48
Ver. 1
06.09.2016

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1. Some generalities in advance…
Dear Customer!
The information given in this manual and the knowledge it conveys is indispensable for the
safe commissioning and the safe operation of the machine and the controls!
Before you set up and commission your machine, please read through the manual and
make sure you have understood everything. This is a very complicated device which poses
the danger of injury or can cause damage to property if handled improperly.
Help to prevent this and familiarise yourself thoroughly with the machine and its associated
electronics without rushing matters.
The use of these instructions
-makes it easier to become acquainted with the device,
-prevents malfunctions due to improper handling, and
-increases the service life of your device.
Always keep these instructions close to hand.
Only operate this device with exact knowledge of it and comply with these instructions.
PROXXON will not be liable for the safe function of the device for:
-handling that does not comply with the usual intended use,
-other application uses that are not stated in these instructions,
-disregard of the safety regulations.
You will not have any warranty claims for:
-operating errors,
-lack of maintenance.
For your safety, please comply with the safety regulations without fail.
Only use original PROXXON spare parts.
All rights reserved for further developments within the meaning of technical progress. We
wish you much success with the device.

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2. The technology of your FF 500/BL CNC at a glance
Dear User,
With this FF 500 CNC vertical miller, you have acquired a powerful, precise processing
machine that fulfils the highest demands on ease of use, precision and reliability. In the
following, you will find explanations on some of the technical details:
2.1. A short overview of the mechanics:
The FF 500 CNC is a solidly constructed and carefully manufactured upright vertical milling
machine. The equipment compiled in a user-friendly manner and the extraordinary quality
of the design make the milling cutter a reliable partner for an entire series of activities from
the machining sector.
A heavy, rugged machine base ensures excellent stability and accommodates the CNC-
controlled cross table, traversable in two axes (diagonal (X-axis) approx. 300 mm, deep (Y-
axis) 100 mm) as well as the sturdy and generously dimensioned column made of high-
strength aluminium continuous casting profile. Just like the cross table, it is equipped with
a dovetail guide which supports the carriage to accommodate the milling head.
This carriage is also traversed by electronic control, and the traverse path (Z-axis) is approx.
220 mm. The milling head itself consists of the motor, the gearbox and the spindle unit.
If required, it can also be turned by 90° on each side and conveniently clamped in any
position with the toggle screw. Together with the drilling feed, this makes slanted drilling
possible, for example. The tool is held in one of the four supplied collet chucks.
In addition, the milling head is equipped with a drill feed, which means that your milling
cutter can also be used for drilling work or for countersinking, for example.
The spindle is driven directly by an ultra-modern brushless direct current motor. This
technology with integrated rotor position recognition and speed sensor enables an
extremely high and very consistent torque across the entire operating speed range. As a
result, large-diameter milling cutters can be used even at slower speeds. In comparison,
speeds up to 4000 rev/min allow the use of milling cutters with relatively small diameters.
The wide range of different milling cutter types and the ability to adjust the speed to the type
of material means there are practically no limits to its use.
Thanks to the direct drive and the motor construction without brushes, the drive is virtually
wear-free and extraordinarily smooth-running.
The high-precision dovetail guides are adjustable for all axes in order to eliminate possible
play due to wear. A comprehensive range of accessories is available in our assortment.

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2.2. A short overview of the electronics:
The electrical control of the feeds of the three tool axes by computer comprehensively
expands the options of a conventional, i.e. manually controlled processing machine:
The geometrical data of the desired work piece shape is constructed or programmed by the
NCCAD 8 software especially developed for this machine and can then be reproduced
automatically and any number of times on the FF 500 CNC.
How does this work in detail?
For a conventional tool machine, the carriage or the cross table would have to be "cranked
back and forth" manually using the handwheels in order to create the desired contour from
the blank with the miller or cutting chisel.
The feed movements of CNC machines are principally generated by electric motors (so-
called stepping motors with high resolution for the best processing accuracy and reliability)
and high-precision recirculating ball screws, which "translate" the rotation of the motor shaft
to a back-and-forth movement of the respective carriage.
However, someone must tell the motors how far they must traverse the tool and/or carriage
at what time and in which direction, so that the desired work piece shape emerges.
This communication is assumed by the connected computer together with the control. This
control converts the "path information" given by the computer into performance data for the
motors.
The final work piece must be"constructed" in the computer first. Special computer programs
are available for this. After the part was created in the computer, the programs can even
calculate which motor on the machine must turn for how long and how quickly so that the
movement of the work piece holder corresponds exactly to the one that would have had to
been "cranked through" manually.
That is why the computer, the controller and the motors are constantly communicating with
each other: Meticulous adjustment of the components amongst each other is thus decisive
to achieve the optimum performance and offers the basis for trouble-free operation.
To keep this state, certain knowledge of how the machine and the software are set up is
required on the one hand and the interaction of these components on the other.
That is precisely what this manual should convey at first: Not primarily the instruction into
the many "secrets" of the CNC program, but rather a solid knowledge base on the
commissioning of the machine.
Naturally, it is also necessary to generally occupy oneself with the possibilities of the
program and its structure, simply to be able to use the many possibilities, be more efficient
and to prevent dangerous situations from occurring.
We have integrated an "electronic manual" within the program just for that purpose. It
contains all the necessary information in a clearly structured and comprehensively
illustrated form and goes into exhaustive detail of the possibilities offered by the program.
This is called up by clicking the "Help" menu and then clicking "Help Topics" in the next
window.
Finally, this manual can be used as a "Help" function to solve quite concrete and current
problems with an application, using the help of a sophisticated navigation window.

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This omits the annoying paging back and forth in a voluminous printed work: the answers
to specific problems are found quickly and precisely.
You will find notes on how to use the "Help" function further along in this manual.
Furthermore, we offer specific notes on what you can do to not only use the excellent
features of the machine, but to maintain it for a long time.
If a malfunction occurs despite all these things, the error table at the end of this manual will
provide some help. We will also offer direct assistance in case of particularly stubborn
cases.
The schematic illustration below shows the structure and the "interconnection" of the
individual components. The software that enables us to digitally construct the parts and
generate the "running commands" is installed on the computer at the bottom left.
Naturally, a notebook or laptop are more suitable as a "computing centre". These stay
mobile and it is not necessary to put a normal computer next to the machine in your hobby
basement or workshop.
The computer is connected by RS 232 connection to the control unit (we call it the MCS
multi-controller), and the electrical components of the machine are connected to it in turn.
All of the necessary connecting cables with matching plugs are supplied and only need to
be plugged in.

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3. View of the machine with its elements
Fig. 1: Overall view of the milling cutter
1.
Motor
2.
Covering cap
3.
On/Off switch
4.
Speed regulation knob
5.
Display
6.
Speed table
7.
Swivel nut for collet chuck
8.
Clamping screw for quill
9.
Adjustable scale for depth adjustment
10.
Adjustable scale for lateral traverse path
11.
Scale for angle adjustment
12.
Drilling lever
13.
Column
14.
Z carriage/milling head fixture
15.
Step Motor for X direction
16.
Step Motor for Y direction
17.
Step Motor for Z direction
18.
Clamping screw for height adjustment
19.
Work table (400 mm x 125 mm)
20.
Screw holes for fastening
21.
Base
22.
Support
23.
Adjusting screws for Y guide
24.
Adjusting screws for X guide
25.
Adjusting screws for Z guide
26.
Power supply

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Mains connection for
miller
Fuse
4. CNC control MCS with operating elements
Fig. 2 : Front side
Fig. 3: Rear
Status indicator lights Locking switch
Connection for
communications
cable to PC
25-pin plug for controlling
the additional functions
(coolant pump, or similar)
Mains
connection
Connection sockets for
the stepping motor
plugs
Socket for plug for
dividing device
Socket for manual
control box
Emergency stop

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Technical data
5.1. Milling machine:
Voltage:
230 Volt, 50/60 Hz
Capacity:
400 Watt
Spindle speed:
200-4000 rpm, electronic control
Basic dimensions
See Fig. 4
Quill feed:
30 mm using drilling lever with scale ring (1
graduation line = 1 mm).
Cross table
solid, surface-milled cross table with 3
continuous T-slots for size 8 standard bricks
Slot clearance:
45 mm
Slot cross-section
See sketch in section 16.2
Table size
400 x 125 mm
Tool holder
6, 8, 10 and 12 mm collet chucks (included in
delivery).
Milling head
can be pivoted to the left and right by 90° (with
degree graduation).
Extension (column outside
to centre of tool)
approx. 125 mm
Column
of high-strength aluminium continuous casting,
extensively ribbed to achieve optimal strength
Noise generation
≤ 70 dB(A)
Vibrations
≤ 2.5 m/s²
Weight
approx. 47 kg