Onsite Training Retro CNC Boko In Scotland

Onsite Training In Scotland

I was recently allowed into Scotland. My visit was to Abacus Valves in Glasgow, onsite training on a Boko with a retro fitted Heidenhain control.

It is rare for me to get repeat business but this just proves there is one customer out there who actually likes me. No law suites, no fights on the car park and no refund issued.

For those who don’t get the irony in my articles and might be getting a bit nervous right now, here are my ratings on google

I got the pleasure of working on this machine.

Onsite training with no manuals at all except for a generic Heidenhain 426 manual. The company that built this thing, well retro fitted the CNC bit, went out of business when to be sick meant to evacuate the contents of ones stomach and “Jim’ll Fix It” was a popular children’s TV show.

Programming it with Heidenhain is no problem. Minor details like switching it on or moving it around would be a bit like driving a Sherman tank blindfold with your scrotum sack cable tied to the steering wheel. (Do tanks have steering wheels??)

It’s a Boko vertical machine that has a retro Heidenhain 426 CB control.

It’s used to make large valve bodies like this. To be honest I can’t remember when I had so much fun and kept my clothes on. Please don’t dwell too much on that thought, this is a septuagenarian speaking.

These guys were an absolute pleasure to work with constantly making me cups of coffee and offering tasty snacks like this.

Children be warned “do not take pies from strange men especially this one”

I’ve got to watch what I say here cos these guys constantly take the piss out of not just one another, but include me. The first day of training everyone is always on their best behaviour. By the third day one of us, often me manages to lower the tone and the banta begins.

I think the above treat is some kind of Glaswegian delicacy (and there a many)

It’s actually a pie between two haves of a bread batch, mmmm.

I didn’t eat one to be honest but only because at the moment I’m on a strict diet, I’ll spare you the details. I recon one bite of this beast would constitute the average male calorie intake for a year.

Anyway it’s lovely to be offered, last time it was tattie scones

and these really are nice.

The Machine The Machine

To switch it on is a bit like when they open an ancient tomb in Indiana Jones.

Unless you know the exact combination and are wearing the signet ring of “The Ancient Goddess of Heidenhain Programming” it refuses to fuckin start up.

Onsite Training, Turn on the machine

Clear all emergency stop buttons and press this.

By the way the CE button on Heidenhain seems to clear everything so just press away at that one.

I know it’s dirty but I just want to make it real. Oh and it’s not my job to clean the fuckin machine.

Anyway wait a while till the control comes on and press this

ERST I would imagine stands for emergency reset. Anyway I think not being able to switch on the machine is definitely an emergency. Especially when someone is looking over your shoulder, obviously thinking “does this twat know what he’s doing?”

Everything now springs to life.

Now the familiar Heidenhain screen with all the axis will manifest. Press cycle start and each axis will politely travel to zero return. Oh and don’t forget to turn this baby up (pump up the volume).

Be gentle, this is a big machine and it can hurt you if you upset it.

Once all the axis stuff goes off the screen you are good to go.

This machine has a fully programmable rotary table (C Axis) so you get to spin stuff around too.

It also has a quill which means you can easily acces areas you wouldn’t normally reach or you’d need to make up tool extensions.

It’s a W axis, not fully programmable but very useful. If you have one of these don’t be tempted to have it sticking out too far when not needed as it will adversely effect your rigidity and give you some unimaginably shit surface finishes.

It’s a bit like getting your junk out, dead funny when you are pissed and out with your mates. In more tranquil surroundings like parents evenings and church services it won’t go down well and could put you on the sex offenders register.

Real Skill

The guys in this company have a very high skill level and they certainly understand the engineering basics and way beyond. Sadly this is not always the case in my experience.

Everyone has worked here for a thousand years and that says a lot. It means great people from top to bottom. It’s hard to keep staff these days but this company seems to be doing a grand job.

The quality of the products going out of the door is top notch and is directly connected to all of the above.

Davy, who already works on this machine just needed a few extra pointers and when we came to setting this job he said, minus expletives “I can get that central in three hits”.

Well he didn’t, but he did get this baby running within .1mm in minutes which is very impressive.

These guys actually swear more than me, one of them told me a poem that contained such foul language I couldn’t repeat it on here.

I’ll have to kind of sing it to you to avoid offence it went something like this I’ve missed out the worst bits.

Na ni na ni na ni naa
Na ni na ni na ni naa
Na ni na ni na ni naa
Na ni na ni na ni naa
Na ni na ni na ni naa
Na ni na ni na ni naa Fuckin Cunt

Tool Change

The tool change procedure is a bit convoluted to say the least. The problem is that when you retro fit CNC to a manual machine there are bound to be compromises.

Anyway it’s not a quick process and not for the faint-hearted.

Use MDI to make sure the machine is in a low gear. Now run an M6 and the machine guides you through.

Now press the button on the draw bar which releases the tool.

Now you need to support the tool and beat the living shit out of it until it drops. You can then load the new tool.

All this button does it to undo the threaded drawbar.

You then press the tool-change button to end the tool-change and it’s all over.

Retro Fit CNC

Big machines are expensive, you are probably cheaper to buy a private island in the Caribbean than purchasing a machine this big brand new.

So that’s where the idea of reconditioning and retro fitting makes a lot of sense. These old beasts were built to last and like brick shit-houses they are bomb proof.

Never going to be fast but will it do the job? The answer is a resounding yes.

One second tool change? Fuckin dream on, but who cares when you are probably only ever making one-offs and when you do a tool change it’s years before you need another.

Making money will be about set up time and programming time. Things like the cycle time and tool change time sink into oblivion.

Your profitability can easily sink down that black hole that we call “set-up time”.

On-site Training In Glasgow

I love Scotland all the nicest people are from Scotland especially my own mother. Oh and I love old machines.

There is still a place for these machines and unless the government decide they actually want to make things and invest in industry they’ll be here for a while yet.

Retro fitting is a gateway for a small company to make big parts.

CNC Machines are just tools and they only do what we tell them. Asked to produce a large pile of Elephant Shite they will happily oblige.

In the right hands and with the appropriate skill set the magic happens. At Abacus Valves there is loads of it.

It is a long drive to Scotland but once I’m there I always love it.

These old Heidenhain controls still do some clever shit always been easy to set program and operate and now hopefully these guys know where all the bells and whistles are. Think I’ll be back there in 2024 so I’ll look forward to that.