VTL’s – Boring Mills

Vertical Turret Lathe – Boring Mill — On Site Service and Repair

The common brand names of the VTL’s are Berthiez, Berthram, Betts, Bullard, Cincinnati HYPRO, Craven, Colburn, Dorries, Defum, Froriep, Giddings & Lewis, G&L, Gray, King, Lucas Boring Mill, Niles, OM, Pond, Rafamet, Rogers, Schiess, Summit, Sunstrand, TOS, Toshiba, Webster Bennett.

Most are configured with a movable rail head, cross slide, and a ram head equipped with a single or turret tool post. There are some equipped with side head(s) as an option when the machine was new. Typical chucks are 3 jaw, 4 jaw, faceplate, or special fixture. RAKO Inc specializes in the field mechanical service repair aspect, of keeping these rugged machines going, as replacement options are few. RAKO Inc headquartered in Wichita KS USA, and is providing repair services for the OBSOLETE Metal Working Machinery For 50+ years. MOST – ALL Machines we encounter are obsolete by nature
some ranging from 10 years of age to 100+ years old, and have been producing reliable daily profits along the way. These machines are now needing service and repair(s) to keep them going for another many years. Clutch – Brake Repairs, Transmission Gear Replacement, Rail Head Service and Repair, Acme Screw – Nut Replacement, Gibb Adjustment and more are the common Service – Repair Requests.

Clutch / Brake Adjustment

Vertical Turret Lathes (Bullard Type) can be commonly referred to as VTL’s. Most brands are equipped with a mechanical or hydraulic actuated type of clutch / brake combination. This arrangement is used to inch the machine during set up or part inspection. Over time the clutch packs / discs wear and lose their crisp responsive action. The sluggish action of either the clutch or brake action(s) is a signal adjustments may be needed. This DUPLEX Pack is sensitive to adjustment. Over tightening can and will result in damage to the internal activation fingers. Some machines are equipped with electromagnetic clutches, which relies on voltage to control the starting and stopping action. Should you need help in determining your machine clutch / brake type, please send several pictures of the general machine image to make your clutch / brake type determination. If the machine is equipped with a pendant control, most likely it is equipped with Electromagnetic OR Hydraulic actuated clutch / brake packs.

Gear Box Repairs

Spindle Speeds and the Feed / Rapids Movement(s) of the machine are generally arranged by a gear box configuration. Speed selections are usually made by a mechanical movement of gears by reference of shifting forks. Shifting Failures occur when the shifting forks fail to move the gears to the correct position. This can be a result of broken sheared pins – worn keys – broken jaw clutch or yoke fingers – stripped gear teeth – failed bearing, or a combination there of. RAKO can provide phone assistance to help with a preliminary evaluation, to isolate the trouble spot. Should a more in-depth determination be desired, a Field Service Call may be in order.

Rail / Turret Head Repairs

Most Rail Heads are moved by an Acme Screw / Nut configuration. Over time the threads on the Screw / Nut become worn and may fail. This issue can be addressed
By replacing the Screw & Nut. Most likely, a custom made screw & nut will be needed.
Having Elevated Wear on your Rail / Turret Head, can cause your Cutting Tool Tip be below centerline, resulting in accuracy issues. Problematic Indexing of the Turret Head is usually caused by worn gears – pins – and bushing in the manual indexer for tool selection. Should one be experiencing these issues, a Phone Call to RAKO can quickly give you insight as to your choice of Repair Options.

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Power Draw Bar

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Y Axis Ball Screw Replacement

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Table Wiring Update

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Saddle Way Wipers Updated

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Y Axis Thrust Bearing Replacement

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper X Axis Thrust Bearing Replacement

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Table Cable Carrier Replacement

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Head Stock Repairs

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper DRO Installation In Progress

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper Lubrication System Update

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 TaperY Axis Backlash Verication

Cincinnati Gilbert HMB 50 Taper with Rotary Table Installed

This BULLARD Bought NEW in 1941 by Wright Bros Engineering Located in Ohio.
Everyone is familiar with the Wright Bros and the successful flight of the Kitty Hawk.
It is suspected this machine may have contributed to those accomplishments.
The machine is currently located in Kansas making aviation parts. Roger A Knight
with RAKO Inc.com was asked to Repair the Course / Fine Feed Selector Shifter.
After the feed selector functioned correctly, the customer requested to examine the loss of Rapid
Traverse On the Rail Head in RH Direction. The examination revealed the most actively used
Power Clutch has become worn past adjustment stage. A more in depth repair job is entailed
and scheduled for a later date. 78 years Young And Still Going!
Our Service Calls Takes Us Coast To Coast and Border To Border. Check Out Our USA Map The
Stars represent Customers –- Motels — And Diesel Stops.