Cancam CNC Machines Ltd Installation Services: What Engineers Should Verify
This page is for process engineers, maintenance leads and buyers who have a Cancam CNC machine on order or on the floor. It walks through the work that sits between delivery and a first good part: foundation, leveling, power, air, geometry and test cuts. Read it to judge what a supplier should do, what your own team must do, and which checks to sign off before production starts.
Installation is a measurement problem before it is a rigging problem
A machine tool holds tolerance only when its bed, spindle and axes agree with each other and with the floor under them. Installation is how that agreement gets established and recorded.
Site survey and the checks that happen before the truck arrives
Most installation failures are decided weeks before the machine lands. The floor is the first item. A machining center that weighs several tonnes will settle unless the slab is thick enough, reinforced and separated from aisles that carry forklift traffic. Vibration from a press or a grinder 15 m away shows up as chatter marks long before it shows up on a vibration meter.
The second item is the route. Measure the door, the corridor and every turn between the loading dock and the final position. A gantry machine with a 4,000 mm travel does not fit through a 2.5 m opening, and removing a wall after delivery is expensive. Check overhead clearance for the crane or the rigging frame as well, not just the machine envelope.
Third, confirm the services. Voltage, phase, frequency, breaker size and ground resistance must match the machine nameplate, and the transformer must be sized for spindle acceleration, not just steady-state draw. Compressed air needs to be dry and oil-free for most spindles and air-blast systems; a 0.01 μm filter at the drop point costs little and prevents valve failures later. Record all of this in one document before the machine ships, and give a copy to the rigging crew.
- 1FloorCheck slab thickness, reinforcement and isolation from other machines.
- 2RouteMeasure doors, turns and overhead lift clearance with the machine envelope.
- 3PowerMatch voltage, phase, breaker and ground resistance to the nameplate.
- 4AirSize the compressor and dryer for peak demand, not average.
Setting, leveling and geometric alignment after the machine is in place
Once the machine is on its pads or foundation bolts, the real work starts. Leveling a CNC machine is not about a bubble on a frame. It is about bringing the bed into a known plane so the linear guides, ballscrews and spindle can be aligned without fighting the casting. For a mill-turn or a 5-axis center, leveling is done in stages: rough level, let the casting relax, then fine level after 24 to 48 hours.
Geometric checks follow. Squareness between X and Y, parallelism of the Z axis to the spindle, and the squareness of the rotary table to the linear axes are measured with granite squares, dial indicators and, on larger machines, laser interferometry. On a machine with a Ø400 mm rotary table, runout and face squareness of the table are checked before any part is cut. Ballbar testing then shows how the axes move together at feed, which is where servo tuning and backlash compensation get their numbers.
Settling is the part people skip. Pads compress, grout cures and castings move in the first weeks. A second leveling and squareness check two to four weeks after the first cut catches drift while it is still small. Skipping that check is how a machine that held ±0.005 mm in acceptance ends up at ±0.02 mm three months later.
Power, grounding, network and control integration
Electrical work on a CNC machine is more than running a cable. The ground must be a single-point, low-resistance path to the building electrode; separate grounds for the machine, the panel and the network shield create loops that show up as encoder faults and random alarms. Shielded cable for spindle and servo drives should be bonded at both ends with the correct clamps, not twisted and taped.
Control integration covers the network link to the shop or ERP/MES system, tool presetter and probe connections, and any bar feeder or robot interface. Confirm the IP address plan, protocol and data points before the integrator arrives. If the machine will run lights-out, test the door interlocks, chip conveyor, coolant level and fire suppression logic on the actual duty cycle, not at idle.
Keep a commissioning record: breaker sizes, ground reading, drive parameters, backup of the PLC and NC configuration, and the software version. That file saves hours the first time a drive is replaced.
Installation checks and typical acceptance values
Adapt these values to the machine builder's specification; they are the checks, not a substitute for the manual.
| Check | Method | Typical acceptance |
|---|---|---|
| Bed level | Precision level, 0.02 mm/m | Within builder spec in both planes |
| X–Y squareness | Granite square and indicator | 0.01 mm over 500 mm or better |
| Z to spindle | Indicator on test bar | 0.01 mm over 300 mm |
| Rotary table runout | Indicator on Ø400 mm table | 0.005 mm face and radial |
| Ground resistance | Earth tester at panel | Below 4 Ω, single point |
| Air dew point | Dew point meter at drop | Below 2 °C pressure dew point |
| Ballbar circularity | Ballbar at 300 mm radius | Per builder spec after tuning |
Test cuts, handover and the first production week
A test cut is the only proof that the installation worked. Use a part that exercises the axes you care about: a circle for servo tuning, a square pocket for squareness, a deep bore for spindle alignment, and a contour with tight radii for feed and acceleration behavior. Measure with a CMM or a calibrated instrument, not with calipers on the machine.
The handover package should include the geometric report, ballbar results, drive parameter backups, alarm history, maintenance schedule and a signed list of open items. Open items are normal. What matters is that they are written down and dated, with an owner.
Plan the first week of production carefully. Run proven programs first, keep an operator on the machine, and check the first part of each shift against the acceptance part. Chips and coolant change the thermal state of the machine, and small shifts in geometry often appear only after a few hours of continuous cutting.
If the machine is part of a cell feeding a robot or a pallet system, do not hand over the cell and the machine at the same time. Commission the machine alone, then integrate. Two problems at once are hard to separate.
When to use an installation service and when to do it in-house
An outside installation service earns its cost when the machine is large, multi-axis or part of an automated cell. Those jobs need rigging gear, laser or ballbar instruments and experience with the builder's leveling procedure. The same applies when the machine must meet a documented accuracy specification for a customer audit, because the paperwork matters as much as the work.
In-house teams handle smaller 3-axis mills and lathes well when they have a precision level, a granite square, a qualified electrician and a written procedure. The risk is not the leveling itself. It is the missing record and the skipped second check after settling.
The middle path works for many shops: bring in a specialist for setting, leveling and geometric alignment, then let your own maintenance team own the electrical drop, air supply, network and the four-week recheck. Split the responsibility in writing so that no item falls between the two parties.
For shops running 5-axis work to ±0.005 mm, or medical and automotive parts under IATF 16949 or ISO 13485, the installation record becomes part of the quality system. Treat it that way from the start.
- 1Use a serviceLarge machines, 5-axis, automated cells, audited accuracy.
- 2Do it in-houseSmall 3-axis machines with in-house metrology and a written procedure.
- 3Split itSpecialist for geometry; your team for power, air, network and recheck.
- 4Always recordLeveling, geometry, ground and drive backups in one file.
Questions engineers ask before sign-off
How long should a machine sit before final leveling?
For a medium or large machining center, plan on 24 to 48 hours between rough and fine leveling so the casting and pads can settle. Grouted foundations take longer, often 3 to 7 days for the grout to cure before final alignment.
Then recheck level and squareness two to four weeks after the first production cuts. That second check is the one that catches drift.
What ground resistance is acceptable for a CNC machine?
Below 4 Ω at the panel is a common target, measured with an earth tester, and it should be a single-point ground. Separate grounds for the machine, panel and network shield cause circulating currents and intermittent encoder alarms.
Record the reading in the commissioning file. If it drifts above the limit later, you have a baseline to compare against.
Is a foundation block always required?
No. Many 3-axis mills and lathes run on a suitable reinforced slab with pads. Large 5-axis centers, mill-turn machines and high-speed spindles usually need a foundation block or heavy isolation mounts, because dynamic forces and thermal growth are larger.
The machine builder's manual states the requirement. Follow it, and if the slab is marginal, take vibration readings before and after installation.
What belongs in the handover package?
Geometric and leveling reports, ballbar results, drive parameter and NC configuration backups, alarm history, maintenance schedule, spare parts list and a dated list of open items with owners.
For audited work, add the ground resistance reading, air quality check and the acceptance part measurement record.
Can we install a machine while the shop keeps running?
Yes, with limits. Keep heavy cutting, presses and grinders at least 15 to 20 m away during leveling and test cuts, and stop them during ballbar measurement. Vibration and temperature swings during alignment reduce the accuracy you can hold.
Schedule the noisiest operations outside the alignment window. It is cheaper than re-leveling.
How does GreatLight handle machine setup in its own plants?
We run 127 high-precision CNC machines across three plants in Dongguan and a factory in Singapore, including 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers and 16 mill-turn centers. Every machine is leveled, geometrically checked and test cut against an acceptance part before it enters production.
Work is inspected 100% before shipment, with reports available on request. The same discipline applies to prototypes from one piece up to 10,000+ part runs.
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