DOR Problem. Sympathy Needed.

[gnm109]

Almost exactly a year ago, June, 2009, I bought and installed a Mitutoyo 2 Axis KA kit with two magnetic AT715 Scales. The unit is on my 15" X 50" Webb 4 VH Mill. It was purchased on eBay.

The X-axis measures 36" with 41+" total length and the Y-axis measures 16" and is 21+" long.

Just yesterday, I was using the mill with the DRO on and in moving the Y-axis, the DRO showed an error code 40. That means trouble with the scale. The error code only comes up on one portion of travel for about 2" on the outer portion of travel when the table is moved outwards. The rest of the scale reads normally and teh X-axis is still working fine.

I looked in my original paperwork and Mitutoyo says to send and any failed units back to the dealer. The dealer's invoice says to send any failed units to Mitutoyo. In other words, I'm on my own.

The Mitutoyo documents state that the units (KA DRO and two AT715 scales) have a 2 year warranty. They say to send the warranty information to them if something fails.

For the record, the units were very carefully installed and have had covers on them to keep out chips and oil. The are very clean and have worked perfectly up to yesterday.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with Mitutoyo on warranty service. I'm in California and there is a factory warranty station in Carson CA (Southern California). I will be contacting them on Tuesday after the Fourth of July. I was just wondering is anyone has been down this road before?

By the way, I think that Murphy's Law should have another line item added. Say, "If a thing can fail, it will fail at the least opportune time, usually on a long Holiday weekend so that you are most highly inconvenienced. If you are a hobby machinist, that will force you actually to converse with your wife on trivial matters and if you are professional machine shop owner, that will force the shutdown of the entire shop until the offending part is repaired or replaced."

Have you noticed how these things always break on long holidays?

Please place any thoughts on Mitutoyo warranty matters along with sincere expressions of sympathy, derisive comments and scorn below. Thanks in advance.


EDIT: Durn. I mean t to say DRO Problem......must be a bd keyboard.

[leesr]

Never had to to do repair but found this link it may or may not be helpfull

http://www.mitutoyo.com/template2.aspx?id=22

Cheers
Leesr

[Deja Vu]

If it's just going haywire through a short section of the rail, then I'd suspect a small particle got in and maybe drags for a short distance from some burr that catches it in there someplace.
The particle temporarily shorts/blocks the scale someplace.

How else could the DRO malfunction at only a portion of the segment?

[Black_Moons]

Could it be the scale is slightly warped or distorted? Maybe just remounting it might help?

[gnm109]

Never had to to do repair but found this link it may or may not be helpfull

http://www.mitutoyo.com/template2.aspx?id=22

Cheers
Leesr

Thanks. I originally said Carson, CA but I see on your link that the nearest repair station is in the City of Industry. I'll be calling them first thing Tuesday after the National Holiday.

Since I've posted this, I've seen a recent Mitutoyo Brochure that states that there is a 5 year limited warranty on the AT715 Magnetic units. That wold be for anything other than obvious damage or mistreatment. I hope that holds up. Mine still looks like new.


Happy Fourth of July. It's our Country's Birthday!

[gnm109]

If it's just going haywire through a short section of the rail, then I'd suspect a small particle got in and maybe drags for a short distance from some burr that catches it in there someplace.
The particle temporarily shorts/blocks the scale someplace.

How else could the DOR malfunction at only a portion of the segment?

I would agree with you ordinarily and maybe you are correct. That said, there is a plastic lip seal on the slot in which the thin sensor bracket rides. That closes the area above where the magnetic portion resides in front of and behind the sliding member.

Furthermore, I don't use flood coolant and I have 1-1/2" X 2-1/2" aluminum angle covers on both sensors. They are held in place with 3-M double sided tape. There really is no dirt or swarf anywhere near the sensor. I also pulled the lip seal open with a Q-tip and looked at the sides where the sensors are mounted and it appears to be very clean.

I was also extremely careful in installing the DRO last year. The ledger bar that the unit mounts on was set perfectly so that the unit would maintain its alignment all along its travel.

The dead portion that gives an "Error Code 40" is only about 2" long, The scale is OK on either side. It's a mystery.

When I get to talk to the Mitutoyo people next week, I'll report back. I'm sure that others with Mitutoyo equipment will want to know since it really should be a warranty issue. I've probably only used the unit for no more than 10 hours. I don't use it for everything I do on the mill anyway, like drillnig holes and face milling anyway.

Thanks to all.

[gnm109]

Could it be the scale is slightly warped or distorted? Maybe just remounting it might help?

No, that's a good suggestion but I've ruled that out. The unit mounts with a 1/4-20 screw on each end on the factory ledger bar mount. The sliding sensor is held to the stock Mitutoyo mount with two 10-24 screws, supplied in the kit. The unit sits perfectly flat on the bar and alignment was by the book. As I mentioned above, the unit still looks like new. Furthermore, the X-scale is still going strong.....like Yul Brynner said in the movie "Anna and the King of Siam"...."Is a Puzzlement!".

I've tested it off of the machine with the same results. I sure wish it was something simple. If Mitutoyo will come through, fine. Otherwise, I'll have to get out the old Visa card. I'm pretty sure that they'll help me out, though.

Meantime, I can still use the mill. Without the DRO I can revert back to my original tolerances.......+/- .125 on everything. LOL,.

There is no free lunch, is there?

[Walter]

Tanstaafl.. RAH

[Circlip]

"Crap on your parade day" faults are programmed into ALL foreign built electronics. Meant to get you to test the aerodynamic properties of them

It's called "Built in buy another" syndrome.

Regards Ian

Oh, forgot, they do that with machinery too, but thats from new.

[John Stevenson]

So what's the answer Ian ?
Buy a Newall for which you pay double the price which is the same as buying a spare.

BTW has anyone priced a Newall in the US and one in the UK ?
I queries the nearly double price difference and was told that's what the market can stand.

Any company that says that to me can take a flying leap, sooner or later they will have to conform or go under.