AG Ceramill Motion 3 - tool length sensor defective

[Slimboyphat]

amann girrbach's ceramill motion 3 - used for just over a year. we strictly use it for wet milling. in December we had a tool length sensor defective - it took 2 weeks to get a new sensor and fixed under warranty.. We are out of warranty now but i do believe that new sensor has it's own warranty attached to it.. I'm having the same issue 3 months later.. I'm assuming the sensor is getting moisture causing it to fail.. anybody have any incite on how they find more reliability from this sensor/mill?

 

[GhostFake]

Our Motion 2 and Mikro (both outside of warranty) hit that wall late last year, one of the things that worked for us was to clean the sensor on a fairly regular basis as well as take a towel with some WD-40 on it and depress the sensor while trying to clean off the edges. It kept us going for a little bit but ultimately we had to get both replaced. But maybe giving that sensor some extra attention and affection will help it truck along a little bit?

 

[Slimboyphat]

Our Motion 2 and Mikro (both outside of warranty) hit that wall late last year, one of the things that worked for us was to clean the sensor on a fairly regular basis as well as take a towel with some WD-40 on it and depress the sensor while trying to clean off the edges. It kept us going for a little bit but ultimately we had to get both replaced. But maybe giving that sensor some extra attention and affection will help it truck along a little bit?

good call.. we mill emax so I pay close attention to buildup on that sensor - keeping it very clean.. ill try what I can tomorrow but it's at the point where it won't pickup a tool and check length - I can get it to pickup but it just skips the sensor part all together... I did source the part after taking apart the old sensor assembly - I think the thing will to always keep a backup handy

 

[GhostFake]

good call.. we mill emax so I pay close attention to buildup on that sensor - keeping it very clean.. ill try what I can tomorrow but it's at the point where it won't pickup a tool and check length - I can get it to pickup but it just skips the sensor part all together... I did source the part after taking apart the old sensor assembly - I think the thing will to always keep a backup handy

Yeah, that was what ultimately led us to have to replace it. Once it got to the point where the sensor was triggering when a bur wasn't touching it the machine wouldn't even bother. It would error out before it even touched the sensor. It might just need a little lubricant to free it up?

 

[Slimboyphat]

Yeah, that was what ultimately led us to have to replace it. Once it got to the point where the sensor was triggering when a bur wasn't touching it the machine wouldn't even bother. It would error out before it even touched the sensor. It might just need a little lubricant to free it up?

great call ghost. the sensor was in fact sticking and now able to calibrate and hopefully mill. thanks!!

refer to pics - hardened emax slurry buildup causing sticking issue

 

[GhostFake]

That's great news!

 

[lovikm]

Slimboyphat did you replace it yourself since you are out of warranty ?​

I have the same issue lol?
Thank you

 

[Affinity]

Looks like a poor design.. If it were me, Id run some flex seal all around the sensor except for the tip.

 

[Slimboyphat]

Slimboyphat did you replace it yourself since you are out of warranty ?​

I have the same issue lol?
Thank you

i haven't needed to yet replace it yet but I bought the part from mitsumi. very easy swap... learning about the buildup on under the sensor cap was key - I had the issue again and threw silicone spray on the rubber housing and under the sensor cap.. so far its kept me running.. might try packing a little Vaseline


I still have the first sensor that failed. i dismantled that and cleaned it real well and put it all back together. my suspicions are that it will work when I test it with a multimeter.

 

[lovikm]

Is this the website you are referring to https://www.minebeamitsumi.com/ also can you tell me the part number of the product.
Does anyone has a technician manual? once you are out of warranty good luck. you are lucky that you have Motion 3, it calibrates automatically as far as I know. I have Motion 2 and at the mercy of the company.
Thanks again

 

[Slimboyphat]

Is this the website you are referring to https://www.minebeamitsumi.com/ also can you tell me the part number of the product.
Does anyone has a technician manual? once you are out of warranty good luck. you are lucky that you have Motion 3, it calibrates automatically as far as I know. I have Motion 2 and at the mercy of the company.
Thanks again

I sneakily watched the repair tech replace the last sensor and it was plug and play with normal calibration - no specialty tools - so that was nice.

misumi*** its a metrol product: P11DMB-DU. shipping was decently fast from this site since in the US: https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/deta...searchFlow=suggest2products&Keyword=P11DMB-DU

i can't guarantee that's the exact product cause i haven't tried and they have tons of variations, but i did a bunch of deep diving on it and i believe it to be the right one(refer to pic for comparison). micrometer measurement comparison of dimensions and sensor travel shows that its an exact match

 

[Slimboyphat]

i haven't found these connectors yet but i can just solder them onto new sensor when its time:

 

[Affinity]

First thing I do when taking a machine apart is see who makes the component youre going to replace, a lot of switches are generically similar and made by a different company. I learned this the hard way buying ceramill therm elements from amann.. big mistake, kanthal globar makes them, and sells them for less than half the price. Greedy companies mark up this stuff because they can.

 

[lovikm]

I am the same way, I try to watch and learn. I have replaced the spindle on this machine, it's not that bad, but you need someone to home and calibrate. Did he disconnect the "sensor holder" from top and them remove the sensor or did he remove the sensor without removing the holder ( i hope i am clear about the question lol). By the way thanks for the replies.

 

[Slimboyphat]

Does anyone has a technician manual?

i'm always trying to get a hold - but our ag repair guys so far have been very secretive

I am the same way, I try to watch and learn. I have replaced the spindle on this machine, it's not that bad, but you need someone to home and calibrate. Did he disconnect the "sensor holder" from top and them remove the sensor or did he remove the sensor without removing the holder ( i hope i am clear about the question lol). By the way thanks for the replies.

it's the only way to be if you ask me
yes, pull the top off - there will be 2 screws holding the sensor in - that will pull right up to get the hole housing out. then the housing dismantle is real straight forward.. maybe the hardest part will be getting to the electrical pin switch - it's a reach for the motion 3.

 

[Affinity]

They will never give you a service manual for these machines..

 

[Affinity]

.. but I will! Sorry its not in english or for the new machine, but there isnt much out there.

Download Service Manual Ceramill Motion

Download Service Manual Ceramill Motion

www.yumpu.com

 

[lovikm]

Thanks Slimboyphat and Affinity, nice info.