HPC Blitz 1200 calibration

[minifhncc]

Hey all,

I've read the manual at HPC regarding depth calibration... So I have a question... How often do you usually do it, and what method do you use?

Cheers

[Altashot]

I used a blitz for 12 years. It was calibrated to use in our shop the day we got it. It was brand new. It held that adjustment for 6 years until a new guy forced it because he changed the cutter and put the other one on backwards. It was then re adjusted and has been fine since. So, adjusted twice in 12 years of use in a busy shop. Good machine. To adjust it we use the yellow card and the tools that came with it, then fine tune it until it is pecfect. With due care, it should hold this tweaking for years.
I whish I could say the same about my HPC punch.

http://www.hpcworld.com/SoftwareSupport ... 238_00.pdf


M.

[2octops]

My shop machine was well used when I got it. I calibrated it that day and check it maybe twice a year for the past 15 years and have not had to adjust anything on it yet.

The 1200 in my van gets checked at the first of the month, every month. Usually it does not require any adjustments but every now and then it gets off a little. The machine is solid mounted to the van and travels 200-300 miles a day, 5-6 days a week on interstates, country dirt roads and construction sites so it does get bounced around sometimes.

Generally speaking though, they do not just get out of adjustment due to normal use.

[cledry]

We have 5 or 6 of them. One unit in a service vehicle had the bottom jaw move slightly which made calibration a nightmare. We also bought a new machine from HPC that has bad radial runout but HPC refuses to acknowledge. Very poor customer service. However most of the machines rarely need any adjustment unless they get knocked.

One thing to be very careful of is that when inserting the cards you may find warped cards that hit the delicate indicator needles, this will throw off your readings instantly.

[minifhncc]

Thanks all for your input.

But I'm left with a question... how often does the cutter need to be changed? And doesn't the cutter actually wear, meaning that somewhat frequent calibration would be necessary? Also, wouldn't a calibration be needed if the cutters are changed (i.e. if one need to cut furniture keys, as opposed to residential keys)?

One thing to be very careful of is that when inserting the cards you may find warped cards that hit the delicate indicator needles, this will throw off your readings instantly.

That doesn't sound good... What does one do if that happens?

Also, do you just follow the calibration guide as in the HPC manual? Because I found this calibration manual, which seems significantly different from the one from HPC: http://www.lsc.com.au/content/Documents ... cblitz.pdf

Cheers

[minifhncc]

Also @Cledry, excuse my poor knowledge, but what is "radial run out"? :\

Cheers

[Evan]

Thanks all for your input.

But I'm left with a question... how often does the cutter need to be changed? And doesn't the cutter actually wear, meaning that somewhat frequent calibration would be necessary? Also, wouldn't a calibration be needed if the cutters are changed (i.e. if one need to cut furniture keys, as opposed to residential keys)?

@minifhncc:

To answer your question:

The cutter heads do eventually wear out but they are all theoretically the same diameter... You unscrew the retention nut remove one cutter head and install a different cutter head depending on what type of key you want to cut with your CMB1200...

You need to be careful with how you store the code cards for the 1200... If you store them improperly they can warp as others have noted, this means that you would have to be extremely careful when using them for the reason Cledry stated... To repair a warped needle (if it is not badly damaged) you can attempt to straighten it but it is better to obtain an undamaged replacement part...

"Radial Runout" is the up/down motion of something (like a tire, but in this case the rotation of the cutter head) perpendicular to its axis of rotation...

As others have stated, the machine rarely if ever needs to be re-calibrated unless it gets dropped or is solidly bolted down to a work bench in a service van and therefore is subjected to every bump and dip in the roads traveled... The one I had access to at one of my former employers only needed to be re-calibrated once after someone replaced a part on it and loosened an extra screw by mistake...

~~ Evan

[Altashot]

A co worker made an insert to protect the needles from being bent. He removed the clear plastic face and fitted a piece of thin clear plastic acetate. ( At least I think it is called acetate. It is the see-thru material used in projectors.) I never bent a needles but then again I was always careful when inserting cards.

M.

[minifhncc]

The cutter heads do eventually wear out but they are all theoretically the same diameter... You unscrew the retention nut remove one cutter head and install a different cutter head depending on what type of key you want to cut with your CMB1200...

Thanks for the explanation.

But it just doesn't make sense that, if for example, I was using the large cutter a lot and then decided to cut a few furniture keys and put on the small cutter, which hasn't been used much. Then wouldn't the large cutter had worn more and hence I would need to calibrate it to the almost new small cutter?

Cheers

[Altashot]

The difference in diameter between a sharp cutter and a dull one is so minimal that it shouldn't make a difference for everyday use. I used re-sharpened cutters along side new ones and never had to re-calibrate between cutters. From new to dull a cutter may lose 0.003"-0.004" or so. (I never measured it; educated guess only.) From my experience with the Blitz, the thickness of the lines on the cards and the thickness of the needles limits the machine's accuracy to 0.005" to 0.010". (Measured and field tested.) I don't find that to be a problem however since I code cut keys for all sorts of thing using several cutters and my keys work. If and when I feel that a key isn't up to my standards, I tweak it. That is why I love that machine, Let say I feel that a cut should be a "4 1/2 or 4 1/3 or 4 + 1 line thickness" , I can do that. If the shoulder stop of a lock is deeply indented, I can tweak the spacing to accommodate for that. The two axis and their screws have infinite positions.......I love the machine for it's simplicity and efficiency. Of course some computerized machine can do that too, but........I'd rather turn 2 cranks than push umpteen buttons......A steady hand good judgement and a good eyeball.......To me, that is where the craft is.

Did I mention I love my HPC?

M.

[minifhncc]

Okay, thanks for the explanation.

I was asking because my HPC Mini Speedex seemed to lose calibration after a few keys were cut initially. It was not cutting as deep as it should've, which implied that the cutter was wearing (I found out after a key I cut didn't work in the lock, which meant that it was cut too high). But it was okay after I re calibrated.

Also, I've noticed with the HPC manual for the blitz that the maximum one can adjust is like 0.3mm. That seems awfully small... what happens if one needs to adjust/calibrate the machine more than that?

[Altashot]

I never knew that the adjustment range was 0.3mm.
Whatever the range is, it is enough to get mine cutting Schlage "as smooth as silk". I use original Schlage cylinders as my benchmark. Anything "more tolerant" than that works fine. I do know from experience that I need to cut Sargent keys a tad deeper, 1/3 of the thickness of the needle. It's not much but it makes a difference. Medeco keys are about the same. Best, I cut to "jusssssst" passed the line. Ford 10 cut, I find it needs to be 1/4 cut shallow, I don't know why. The card may be off??? I do know however, that I need to do it, because I know my machine ,and that is "the way she likes it" .......Like shooting a gun at a distant target, you know you gotta aim high, but, how high? .....You got to get to know your machine.

If you can't do that with yours because it wont hold a setting or is just acting too erratic, then maybe it needs repairs...?

M.

[Evan]

Okay, thanks for the explanation.

I was asking because my HPC Mini Speedex seemed to lose calibration after a few keys were cut initially. It was not cutting as deep as it should've, which implied that the cutter was wearing (I found out after a key I cut didn't work in the lock, which meant that it was cut too high). But it was okay after I re calibrated.

Also, I've noticed with the HPC manual for the blitz that the maximum one can adjust is like 0.3mm. That seems awfully small... what happens if one needs to adjust/calibrate the machine more than that?

With tracer duplicators you have to be careful that you have properly tightened the screw that holds the tracer/stylus in place... If it is loose and you really press the key into it hard when cutting you will actually move the tracer a bit... That sounds a lot like the phenomenon you are describing...

~~ Evan

[Evan]

The cutter heads do eventually wear out but they are all theoretically the same diameter... You unscrew the retention nut remove one cutter head and install a different cutter head depending on what type of key you want to cut with your CMB1200...

Thanks for the explanation.

But it just doesn't make sense that, if for example, I was using the large cutter a lot and then decided to cut a few furniture keys and put on the small cutter, which hasn't been used much. Then wouldn't the large cutter had worn more and hence I would need to calibrate it to the almost new small cutter?

Cheers

No, as all the cutters start out supposedly the exact same diameter, you might need to adjust hoe you dial in the keys when you use the cutter which is worn -- but since the only real difference from one cutter to another is the shape of the cutter head and the included angle/width of the seat it cuts one worn cutter would not effect in any way using a not-so-worn cutter to produce another type of key...

~~ Evan

[minifhncc]

With tracer duplicators you have to be careful that you have properly tightened the screw that holds the tracer/stylus in place... If it is loose and you really press the key into it hard when cutting you will actually move the tracer a bit... That sounds a lot like the phenomenon you are describing...

Yeah I thought of that. But wouldn't that mean that the copied key would've been cut deeper? That certainly wasn't the case...