Mill DRO with CNC Thrust Collars

This DRO kit comes with CNC thrust collars to allow you to use the DRO on a mill with stepper motors installed. To install CNC stepper motor mounts on a Sherline machine, you must remove the handwheels. Sherline’s digital readout system measures handwheel rotation and translates it electronically into table movement rather than measuring table movement directly; therefore removing the special DRO handwheels eliminates the DRO function. Some CNC users prefer to have a DRO reading the leadscrew movement to crosscheck the CNC input to ensure that the axis has actually moved the amount of the stepper motor input.

Most full-size shop mills used by machinists are now available with a digital readout. They are popular because they make your life as a machinist much easier. Readouts on the X- Y- and Z-axes can be reset to zero at any time with the push of a button. From there, as you move the handwheels, you can read the table position to 3-1/2 decimal places (.0005″) on the digital readout (Metric versions read to .01mm). You no longer need to count handwheel revolutions or make difficult calculations when cranking in a negative number. Kit includes two 2″ handwheels with encoders for X- and Y-axes and a 2.5″ handwheel/encoder unit for the Z-axis. Also included: digital readout box with LCD display, RPM sensor, power supply, cables, stand and all necessary mounting hardware. No hole drilling required to mount.

As long as we were designing the electronics package, we went the extra step to include an RPM readout, adding an additional function to the package. The sensors are easy to install and require no modification of your Sherline mill. A two-axis DRO package is also available for the lathe. A three-axis package for using the lathe with the vertical milling column can be purchased, or a third axis can be added later if you add the vertical milling column to your lathe. For those with both a lathe and a mill, the electronic readout box can be shared between both machines to offer cost savings if you buy just the additional handwheels and cables for the second machine.

240 Volt versions available

For countries that use 220-240 volt electrical current, the DRO kit with a 240v power supply should be ordered. It is somewhat more costly because the 240-volt transformer is more expensive for us to purchase.

NOTE: The DRO can be ordered on any new machine as a factory installed option. The digital readout handwheels replace the standard handwheels that would normally come with the machine. If you purchase a machine with factory installed DRO, the regular handwheels are not included. If you purchase the DRO as a separate option and install it yourself, you will have the stock handwheels left over.

USE WITH CNC: Though not designed to provide feedback to Sherline CNC machines as a closed-loop system, it can be adapted for use on the rear shaft of Sherline stepper motors for use as a separate readout. See using DRO with CNC page for instructions.