What a week

Used CNC grinder arrived last week. Monkeys they hired to move it in shouldn't have been allowed to move a gumball machine much less a heavy piece of equipment. Still trying to put the pieces together. The guards were piled on top of the encoder cables, chewing them to the point of uselessness. I went out to help them figure the orientation of the machine when it came in the building. They are lifting the machine by jamming forks under the machine instead of through the lift points. Driver starts lifting, the entire interior of the machine starts lifting off of the ways. I holler for lead monkey to stop lifting. Apparently, someone hollering stop and waving their hands does not mean much. Go over and holler at him to stop and come look. He reluctantly follows. He looks dumbfoundedly at machine and finally realizes they left the shipping bolts out of the x axis. They set it down, finally, and I find bolts for securing bed. They still don't lift it according to the machine diagram lift points, but do successfully pound machine into place.

I told them before bringing it in, dry fit the coolant unit outside where you have room so you know where to place it seeing how it has to go in first. No, too complicated. They place it where they think it goes, place machine, realize it is in wrong, pull machine, flip it around, place machine, find out it is wrong again, pull machine, flip again, place machine, manhandle unit into location. I swear it looked like a three stooges movie. Machine is very large and heavy. It wasn't an easy in out. It was quite entertaining to watch. I learned years ago, if people don't want to listen to reason, sit back and watch the entertainment.

Next up, our maintenance man. The only guy I know that every single time he hooks up a machine, the phase is backward and motors run in reverse. Every single time, including this one. It did have a new twist though. He hollers over, it's all hooked up, see if it is running the right way. I flip the main power. Big bang and flash. He didn't hook up the wires to the coolant tank. The people who shipped it unhooked the wires, twisted the stripped ends together and threw them in a  plastic bag. 480 dead shorted a couple feet in front of me when I throw the mains on the machine. Maintenance guy gets the coolant tank hooked up and tells me it is ready. I tell him to flip the mains. Screen lights up. Pumps won't start, emergency chain is not closed. I am very familiar with this machine as I have run one for several years, and, in order to run one, much like a English car, you better know how to work on it. It was fun. Some yahoo decided to tie in on one of the relays to trigger an auxiliary piece of equipment. Other than the fact that they used undersize wire, didn't tag anything, rerouted a few of the factory wires to added relays and had almost no documentation, there was also a bad part thrown into the mix. Once I rooted out their added relays and got the wiring back to spec, it still wouldn't work. I send a message to the people we bought it from and call the service tech I deal with at Hardinge. I tell him about the way the circuit was butchered and how I put it back to normal and it still wouldn't work. He aims me at the digital outputs for the relays. The output for the relay I couldn't get to come in was bad. I grab one of the ones out of the other machine and try it. She fires up. Pumps are running backward as expected. Have maintenance guy flip wires. I am able to home out two out of three axis. Third one, servo error. When machine came in to building, they threw guarding and all sorts of junk in on the b-axis motor and banded them on top of wiring. I look at cables. Looks like a beaver gnawed on the servo cable. Tomorrow, rob cable from other machine to try out and see if that is the only problem with the drive. Unfortunately, I am able to rob parts from other grinder as it decided to eat the motor that drive the wheel head. No cable in stock in America. Cable has to ship from Switzerland. They may make a hell of a watch, but their machines suck to put it mildly. I have three machines I run and work on, constantly. They all come from Switzerland. So, with any luck, the cable works, the machine runs, and I will be up to two out of three machines working. Motor is out being rebuilt for the other one and should be back early next week. Hopefully I can get the cable and a replacement siemens output card by then. Been a heck of a week. Only two more days to go. Hopefully my third shift guy gets back next week as he is suppose to. He loves FMLA. I hate it. Never know when he is going to be at work and when he is going to take a couple two or three weeks off. Only been back from vacation a few weeks and I swear it feels like I haven't been off for months.