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UNIMAT / BELTS / MANUALS / ACCESSORIES
As a fellow UNIMAT user this site is maintained as a service to the UNIMAT community. You will find information and parts for the UNIMAT DB200 & SL1000 and UNIMAT 3
Hi, I'm Doug Feistamel from the Chicago area
The Unimat DB/Sl model was first introduced here ( North America ) in the mid 1950's by Emco .This precision miniature Table Top Machining Lahte/Mill was made in Austria and sold world wide in the hundreds of thousands until production ceased in 1977. It's replacement the Unimat-3 was made between 1976 and 1990. These wonderful little machines are now orphans since Emco discontinued support of accessories, parts and manuals.
The uses of these machines are as unlimited as the skill and imagination of the operator given the wealth of accessories available.
There is resurgent interest in the Unimat here in the U.S. and the secondary market reflects that, as prices for machines and accessories are on the rise. Machines are brought down from storage shelves, rescued from boxes in the basement, bought at flea markets, they trade hands on the Internet and are brought back to life as new generations discover the enjoyment their fathers found working with their hands .
These machines have gone through some changes during the length of production, I will go over them briefly as they are documented on other sites. The machines have not changed in basic design or overall appearance. The first DB's were cast iron and painted hammertone silver with two styles of motors, the early one was silver with a switch at the bottom, the later motor was a gray/black Dutch manufacture motor, with hand wheels more detailed with waisted handles.The later production DB's/ SL's were of cast aluminum-zink ( white metal ) and painted hammertone green, the handles on the hand wheels were now a straight taper, there was a change in the mill mast and socket design. The early units in this production had a green metal cased motor with exposed brush access.The next change, that came sometime in the 70's, was the U-100 motor of gray plastic with an orange built-in slide switch, this motor was internally fan cooled and continuously rated ( probably their best motor ). In the final years of production the green steel cased motor returned and the hand wheels were now made of plastic. From what I have read, I believe over 400,000 units were produced.
Please keep in mind that: these features overlapped in production cycles, I am not a Unimat expert, any Unimat information, additions or corrections that you would like to share I would gladly post here. Note: In General the Unimat DB, DB200, SL, SL1000 parts & access. are interchangeable.
The first Unimat I bought ( about 30 years ago ) had no belts. The fellow I bought it from assured me they were easy to find, maybe forty years ago this was true. I tried O' rings. I tried belts. I made them. I bought them. I still wasn't happy with them. I finally teamed up with a belting manufacturer and I am now able to offer the best fitting belts ever to ride the pulleys of a Unimat!
Please have a look at these other pages of interest on my Unimat web site
Here is something of interest from my belt specifications:
The tension is a percentage of the pitch length and is in the middle of the recommended range.
The belt is not glue bonded but rather, heat welded and is as strong as the belt material itself.
The belts are sized not only for low and medium speed operation, but also to allow for the forces placed upon them at higher speeds.
Although the material has a memory, the belts will stretch a little after 20 or 30 minutes of use.
This material has a very high coefficient of friction and will not have a problem transmitting power for this application.
Of all the elastometers available for power transmission, this material (polyurethane) is the best suited and most widely used.
These are self-tensioning belts, as no mechanical adjustment is provided, therefore the initial length is important.
This page was last updated on: October 24, 2024
For questions. Use this E-mail address.
Be sure to use .net NOT .com or email will bounce back
To place an order for belts, manuals or other parts, scroll down to Unimat Belts & Parts Order Page. Or click on this link!
Providing belts, since 1999
At the Parts Order Page you will find links to printable order forms for Unimat DB/Sl & Unimat-3. Instructions to place an order via mail or internet, ( PayPal ).
Specifications (from manual)
Horizontal
Swing over bed.............. 3"
Swing over cross slide...... 1.6"
Distance between centers.. 6.9"
Vertical
Spindle nose to cross slide. 6.25"
Drill to center of circle...... 6.125"
Components
Headstock rotation........... 360 deg
Headstock spindle bore takes .250"
Headstock spindle feed.... .625"
Tailstock travel................ 6.5"
Tailstock spindle travel.... .75"
Carriage travel............. 6.5"
Cross slide travel........... 2"
Tool post capacity ( centers standard 1/4" tool bits )................... 3/8"
Handwheel calibration..... .002"
Spindle runout............... .0005"
Motor.......................... 1/10 HP
Speed range ........... 310-5200 RPM
Over-all dimensions...... 14 1/2"x4"x5"
Weight.................. 30 lbs
Received an email from Dave, said he could not find the specs. for the DB/SL on the web site. All these years I over looked that. Here it is. Thanks for bringing it to my attention...
Motor Brushes Available Now For ALL UNIMAT Motors
In Stock!!
UNIMAT DB/SL THREAD SIZES
Headstock, tailstock spindles M 12-1.
Leadscrew, cross-feed screw M 8x1 (left)
Allen head screws M 6x1
Spindle locating screws M 4x1
Hand wheels M 5-.8
thread size - pitch
NEW! Pix From Unimat Hobbyist, Machines and How They Use Them
Run-out tolerances for the Unimat DB/SL.
These are acceptable tolerances.
Spindle run-out .0005"
Three jaw chuck run-out .003"
Drill chuck run-out .005"
All questions encouraged. But, please be aware that with-in the twelve pages of this web-site there is a wealth of Unimat information. Take your time and surf all pages, some are very long. Somewhere on this site is the answer to your question, a solution to your problem, good technical info., amusing story or interesting antidote.
NEW! Vintage Flyers, Price list, Acessory catalogs, Paper material
Special Offer, Flat rate $8 S/H for order
SPECIAL NOTE:
Shipping the Unimat
Each year I receive a number of emails from users who have a bent / broken motor bracket and or damaged hand wheels and need replacements.
This year the number has sky rocketed..
More damage is caused in transit to the Unimat than any other situation.
The factory shipped these machines disassembled.
The motor, motor bracket, tailstock, and handles were all in their own wrapping. This prevented these parts from damage.
The lead screw is made of mild steel, when hand wheels are knocked in transit, the end of screw is bent causing the wheel to wobble.
If you are purchasing a machine, request that the seller remove and pack these items separately.
It will save a lot of grief later.
Celebrating 25 Years of providing the best belts to ever ride the pulleys of Unimat DB/SL and Unimat-3
UNIMAT-3 Mill head service updated
U-90 Motor Ball Bearing Replacement Kit In Stock
email Doug