Converter Welder Alignment

Building great torque converters demands proper alignment of your torque converter welder. With your reputation and bottom line in mind, we’ll discuss the importance of welder alignment, and how to check whether yours needs attention.

Even a tiny misalignment between the welder collet and table will create enough offset between the converter halves that they’ll shake badly when installed. This leads to damaged pump bushings, fluid leaks, and pump failures.

You should check the alignment of your TCRS converter welder monthly, to make sure it’s still within the factory specifications and will continue to produce precision, aligned converters.

There are two common ways your machine can go out of alignment: The first is through wear over time (15-20 years of daily operation). The second is damage from impacts to the collet or table. Checking your machine regularly takes only a few minutes and makes sure your welder is providing accurate assemblies.

There are five key areas to check to maintain precision alignment over the life of the welder. You should check the collet and spindle regularly for wear, and the spindle, collet, and table for concentricity and perpendicularity.

CHECK COLLET FOR WEAR

1. Insert the alignment pin into the collet and lock it in place. Don’t bottom it out inside the collet.
2. Leave the collet in the up position and place the dial indicator on the bottom of the alignment pin.
3. Push on the alignment pin and release it; record any movement away from zero on the indicator.
4. Pull on the alignment pin and release it; record the movement away from zero on the indicator
5. The collet should not move off of zero more than 0.001″ to 0.002″ in any direction. If it does your collet may be worn and should be serviced or replaced.

CHECK SPINDLE FOR WEAR

1. With the alignment pin still installed move the collet down into operating position, apply the dial indicator to the alignment pin, directly under the collet.
2. Very slowly, move the spindle up with the valve (don’t touch it) and watch the indicator as it travels down the spindle. When the indicator reaches the bottom of the alignment bar, your indicator should still be within 0.0005″ and should not have deviated from that during travel.

If the indicator shows more than 0.0005″ from top to bottom of the spindle stroke, the spindle may be worn excessively.

SPINDLE TO COLLET CONCENTRICITY

1. With the alignment pin installed in the collet — don’t bottom it out — inject a shot of grease into the fitting on the left side of the headstock.
2. Apply the runout indicator from the right side of the welder to the alignment pin.
3. Insert a shaft through the hole in the lower end of the alignment pin and rotate the collet/spindle counterclockwise. The measured runout of the spindle to collet should be less than 0.001″ total indicator reading (TIR). If so, move on to Spindle to Table Concentricity.
4. If the total indicator reading is more than 0.001″:
   1. Back out every other bucking screw on the bucking ring.
   2. Set your indicator to zero.
   3. Rotate the collet 180º.
   4. Check your reading using the bucking screws; move the collet until you achieve a total indicator reading of 0.001″ or less.
   5. Rotate your collet 90º and repeat the procedure.
   6. After you’ve done this for all the bucking screws, fully rotate the collet. It should have a total indicator reading of 0.001″ or less.
   7. Tighten the other four screws while watching the indicator, not to exceed 0.001″ total indicator reading.
5. Check the runout again; repeat the process as necessary until you can maintain 0.001″ total indicator reading.
6. Retract the indicator to its original position.

SPINDLE TO TABLE CONCENTRICITY

There are four, equally spaced steel blocks and adjusting or bucking screws, located right below the turntable. This assembly allows you to adjust turntable/spindle alignment.

1. Reinstall the alignment pin; this time bottom it out.
2. Position a 6″ magnetic base and dial indicator on the lower part of the alignment pin.
3. Lower the spindle about halfway through its normal travel.
4. Lock the clamp switch and the lock switch.
5. Don’t lock the hold down switch, as doing so could drive the alignment pin out of the collet housing.
6. Position the indicator so its measurement rod touches the inside diameter of the turntable pilot hole.
7. Insert a shaft into the lower hole of the alignment pin, and rotate the spindle and indicator a few revolutions counterclockwise. Begin each swing at one of the steel blocks and proceed 1/4 turn to the next one, reading the indicator at each position. These are the points where the adjustment screws are effective. If the indicator reads more than 0.001″ total indicator reading, you’ll need to adjust the turntable.

To align the turntable:

1. Loosen the hex-lock nut on each of the four steel blocks.
2. Using a 3/8″ Allen wrench, slightly loosen the four bucking screws.
3. Determine a low point on the swing of the indicator, and tighten the bucking screw opposite the side of the table where the measurement rod is resting. This will push the table toward the indicator.
4. Tighten the bucking screw on the opposite side.
5. Rotate the alignment pin/indicator again, stopping at the location of each steel block. Check the total indicator reading at each position.
6.  Repeat steps 1-5 until you obtain a total indicator reading of 0.0005″ or less.

TABLE PERPENDICULARITY

Look for three large, 1 1/2″ adjusting bolts below the turntable base. These bolts control perpendicularity of the table’s surface to the spindle axis.

1. Set up the magnetic base assembly as mentioned earlier.
2. Rotate the collet/magnetic base assembly, stopping at each of the three Allen cap screws under the turntable.
3. Measure the fluctuation between the table and alignment at each of these cap screw locations. If the fluctuation exceeds 0.0005″, you’ll need to adjust it.
   CAUTION: Always disconnect the electrical power before removing any covers for this procedure.
4. Remove the nine cap screws from the front cabinet panel to gain access to the three large, 1 1/2″adjusting bolts that hold the turntable to the A-102 frame.
5. Make sure the locknuts, adjusting screws, and Allen cap screws are all tight.
6. Determine which points are low, and tighten the respective bolts with a 1 1/2″ boxed-end wrench. Be careful not to damage the photo-optic sensor or slotted wheel; later models may not have photo-optic sensor. By tightening the bolts, you’re bringing the low points of the turntable to their highest point.
7. Check the indicator fluctuation again. Repeat steps 3 and 5 until the fluctuation is less than 0.0005″ total indicator reading.
8. Replace the front cabinet panel.
9. Remove the magnetic base assembly.
10. Turn the lock switch and clamp switch off.
11. Hold on to the alignment pin and turn the collet switch off.
12. Reconnect electrical power to the machine.

That’s all there is to it: Your converter welding machine is in perfect alignment, to provide you and your customers with the best converters possible. Sure, it sounds like a lot of effort, but isn’t your reputation worth it?