Amada HA-250w Horizontal Band Saw

[FabproHelp]

We are having some issues with our front clamping vise. The vise will not open or close yet when I use the close button the light comes on saying that it is fully closed. There is nothing stuck in the vise and the whole machine was cleaned recently. The hydraulic fluid is full and the other vise works fine. Please help!!

 

[MintJulep]

http://amadamt.com/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=18

 

[FabproHelp]

Thank you mintjulep but I was trying to avoid having Amada come out and look at it. Is there anything that may point to a solution besides calling the manufacturer??

 

[MintJulep]

Trouble shoot. Find what's broken. Repair.

 

[BrianPetersen]

Open the toolbox and start using what's in there

Is there hydraulic pressure actually getting to the cylinder that operates the vise. If not, why not.

Is the vise mechanism internally jammed, or is it free to move in and out.

 

[Tmoose]

"the whole machine was cleaned recently".

Did it work OK before?
Were the cleaners disgruntled employees?

Maybe a beer can fell deep down in the mechanism one lunch time.

Can the hydraulic hoses be swapped between the working and non-working vise?
I'd plumb a pressure gage at each vise to see what pressure

 

[FabproHelp]

So would my only option be to disconnect the vise from the ram and pull the ram completely out?

 

[BrianPetersen]

You gotta do what you gotta do. You're the one with the machine in front of you, you're the one with the ability to touch and feel and measure ... not us!

If that takes tools and wrenching and a bit of sweat and potentially a bit of the usual cussing at inanimate objects, so be it!

 

[Tmoose]

" So would my only option be to ...."

I mentioned a couple of options that I'd exercise first, and complete disassembly before some level of testing/troubleshooting is not one.

 

[BrianPetersen]

If something is not working at all, it seldom makes a difference if you have precisely 853 psi of pressure when 856 is specified. It's far more likely that you are actually getting nothing, when you ought to be getting something. You don't need precision instruments.

If there's a hose leading to the hydraulic cylinder in question, often you can tell if "there's pressure" just by watching and feeling while someone shifts the directional valve.

The solenoids on hydraulic directional valves generally have pilot lights on them so you can tell if "there's power" just by watching while someone activates the controls.

If you have pressure but not movement, you need to focus on the mechanics of the clamp.

If you have power but no pressure, you need to focus on the hydraulics at the valve bank.

You may need to trace the path of hydraulic hoses and pipes through the machine to identify with your own eyes exactly which valve is actually connected to the clamp. So be it.

Disassembling the entire machine prior to basic diagnostics is seldom the best course of action.

 

[berkshire]

Where does the " closed" light get its input from ? Is it a pressure switch or a mechanical switch ?
Brian appears to have the best trouble shooting guide here.
B.E.


You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.