Warco universal mill gear box noise when milling ….is this normal

[Mark WebsterParticipant @markwebster13123]

hi guys, I've a question for fellow warco universal mill users and like

When I face mill with a 63mm carbide face mill cutter I get a lot of noise from the gearbox. It sounds like the gears rattling very loud. Mainly at the start and end of the cut. Depth of cut 0.25 – 0.5 mm.

The sound concerns me as like I've said it's very very loud. The mill is fixed firmly to the ground and the the work is held firmly. I also get it when end milling with 16mm cutters and above. If I try and take 4mm (deep) x 8mm (high) cuts

I asked warco if it's normal and they say it is but I wanted a second opinion from other users as I don't want to damage my machine.

Thanks for reading and any comments you may give

[Mark WebsterParticipant @markwebster13123]

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

In my experience, things are noisier at the start and end of a cut, if only because only one tooth at a time will be cutting, instead of at least two when machining the face of the work. This intermittent loading of the drive train will cause the load on the drive components to vary from maximum load to zero, continuously, which is bound to produce torsional oscillation as the clearances are closed, and then opened up again.

Don't know what oil is used in the gearbox, but as long as it does not void the warranty, maybe a higher viscosity lubricant would help.

Also, if the machine is new, the gears may well quieten a little as they run in and bed with each other.

No doubt, someone will suggest adding a flywheel (or a heavier pulley) to the quill to reduce the torsional vibrations.

Howard

[Bill Davies 2Participant @billdavies2]

I'm just getting into the use of my GH Universal. The largest cuts I've taken so far are 3 x 6mm in mild steel (making tee nuts), using a 12mm end mill at 600 RPM, cutting dry and with 2-in-1 oil. I also get some rumbling from the headstock with these cuts, which disappears again with finishing cuts.

The end mill has been previously used quite a bit on aluminium and once on gauge plate. The gauge plate was significantly harder going than mild steel. The teeth don't look blunter but the surface finish is affected on cuts taken after the gauge plate. The gears do become a bit quieter after some running in. Keeping the jibs tight on non-moving axes, plus a bit on the sliding one, helps.

I have experience in using industrial mills, so the 'machine talks to me', and I adjust hand feed, etc., accordingly. The feed doesn't want to be too low, enough to load the cutter, but for those unaccustomed to machine tools, this is not woodwork!

Bill

[Mark WebsterParticipant @markwebster13123]

Thanks Howard and Bill for the replies. After not receiving any I recontacted warco and spoke to Roger. He sent me some GH oil to try. Today is my first day back at home and waiting for me was the said oil. I've just replaced it and the stuff I drained out had the viscosity of water. The mill seems to be performing a lot better than before. Just the slight gear rumble at the start and finish when face milling . . The first thing I made was tee nuts 😊😊😊 with it. Another first class service from warco as well

Thanks guys for taking time to reply 👍

[Mark WebsterParticipant @markwebster13123]

Just a quick update after the GH oil change. Put the mill through its paces today and it's like a different mill. No loud noise from the gears. The problem I had I couldn't video because the file was too large to email. So pleased Roger at warco took what I said seriously and immediately sent me the gear oil to try FOC to see if it would work first . I know I had contacted support before and they said gear noise was normal. However, when I phoned again and said I was now really concerned about how loud the noise was, they took what I said seriously and acted.

Excellent after sales service 👏👏👏👏👏

[JonParticipant @jon]

Its as Howard said theres loads of gears inside all meshing together with play on three spindles plus quill and motor drive. Constant direct metal to metal constantly pulsing more noticeable when putting a mediocre or interuptable cut on.

Inevitable theres noise I have run my Zay7045 for the last 7 years on hydraulic 68 with decent SKF bearings which are starting to go again.

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