Tooling to make the summer theme park run

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Lloyd
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Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by Lloyd »

This is the only 'tooling' room, so...

I 'gave up' on my 'trigonometric' method for cutting angled holes on a 3-axis router, when I got this Summer's order for the theme parks.

We'll be turning out up to two full 4x8 sheets a day of small multi-shot plates for them, and with the 'trig' method, it takes about 14 hours to cut one sheet.

So... I endeavored to add a 'manual' B-axis to my router, so I could tilt the head about the Y axis, and just drill the holes.

It turned out to be pretty simple, except for the precision involved in getting all 45 holes to align properly. But now, I can drill holes at angles!

pix attached... Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by Boophoenix »

Look at you, getting all creative again. I should just invite ya up and lock ya in the container for a day or two with my machines to see what new functions you come up with, lol
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richardh08
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Re: Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by richardh08 »

Please forgive me, as I am lamentably ignorant of anything to do with engineering. I wouldn't know a 'B-axis', manual or otherwise, if it jumped up and bit me. Apart from being impressed by those pictures, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at.

I assume that such machinery normally moves the cutting tool along three mutually perpendicular axes, and that what you have done is to allow one of those axes to be set at at an angle of your choosing, relative to one or both of the other two.

If that is the case, your solution seems to be both simple and brilliant. The saving in time is remarkable.
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Lloyd
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Re: Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by Lloyd »

Richard,
Yes. We make many so-called 'angle-fire' multi-shot plates for the theme parks. They hold as few as two tubes at opposed angles, up to seven with symmetrical angling from 20-degrees to vertical.

My old method used the three perpendicular axes, as you described: X (L/R), Y (fore/aft), and Z (up/down). By virtue of some fairly complex (for me) math and 'convoluted' motions of the machine, and with the use of 'undercutting' tools, I was able to 'drill' angled holes, even with the tool held vertically. But it took forever.

Now, we'll simply tilt the head to a particular angle, and drill all the holes required at that angle, before changing angles again.

For purposes of description, the 'A' axis of tilt would cause the spindle to tip toward/away from the 'front' of the work, rotating about the X axis. The 'B' axis tips left/right, rotating about the Y axis.

The only 'downsides' are that 1) I'm restricted to the 11 fixed angles I've made the mount accommodate (but they haven't changed in years [Heh! Famous last words!]), 2) manual intervention is required each time the angle must change, and 3) I must have carbide Forstner bits custom-ground to fit the tubes. The old method, though slow, could use 'standard' tooling, because the tools were much smaller than the holes.

So, there are always 'tradeoffs'. But this will have taken only four days' work to build the accessory, and it won't prevent me from using the old method, if I need a non-standard angle or hole size. To boot, I also must re-design the dust pickup vacuum shoe. But the old one didn't work worth a darn, anyway, so that's actually a 'positive', in the overall scheme of things.

Lloyd
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richardh08
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Re: Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by richardh08 »

Got it!

So, Lloyd, all you need to do now (Hee, Hee!) is to add a motor that will allow the angle to be set under computer control...
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Lloyd
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Re: Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by Lloyd »

ACtually, Richard,

A proper pivot bearing (none now, because I'm moving it by hand), a motor, and some sort of 'positive locking mechanism' to precisely hold the angle under load, and you're completely right.

I even allowed enough 'overhang' on the new backing plate to be able to accommodate some of that, should I wish to motorize it.

Unfortunately, the way this router is built, it would not be reasonable to add any kind of 'A' axis. So, lacking full five-axis motion anyway, I'm not sure it's worth the expense and effort to motorize just 'B'.

But given my predicted productivity rewards of just that fourth axis, I may end up looking for a proper 5-axis machine to repair/refurbish. There really isn't much that can go wrong with modern CNC equipment, at least mechanically. High-speed spindle motors (this one is 24Krpm) are what usually wear out first.

LLoyd
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Pyro-Gear
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Re: Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by Pyro-Gear »

Lloyd what make is that CNC as it sure looks like one I was offered for free, the guy got it from an auction but can’t get or never got any software for it.
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Lloyd
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Re: Tooling to make the summer theme park run

Post by Lloyd »

Ken,
A lot of them look quite like that. This particular one is a ShopSabre 4896.

'Free' would be a good price! They 'lock' their software to a hardware license IN their controller board, so you wouldn't be able to just 'get' some software to work on it. And, the jerks will NOT support the old software, even to the extent of re-issuing the license ID. If you want a new license, you have to buy (at retail) their VERY expensive software AND a brand-new controller board! And you have to upgrade any XP box to Win7 or later. It won't work on XP, anymore. My machines (for the router) won't accept enough memory to handle Win7, so I'd also have to buy new computers! It just goes on-and-on!

But! (....) It costs only about $400USD to completely convert the thing over to a 'generic' breakout board, an ethernet-based controller, and either Mach3 or Mach4 software. Mach software will work on a machine of that nature just fine. (I have not finished my conversion, but I've communicated with several folks who have, with no difficulties.)

Just-about any relatively-modern 3, 4, or 5-axis router could be easily changed over to generic controls and Mach3/Mach4. The only reason I chose the older Mach3, is that its licensing scheme will allow me to freely move to a new CPU, if the old one craps-out. Mach4 requires that you communicate with the company to move it to a new machine. That's not a BIG deal, but if it tanks on a weekend, I might have to wait 'til Monday to be running again.

I might end up regretting that choice, but the price of the Mach software is small-enough that if I wanted to switch to Mach4, it wouldn't be too painful.

If you can identify the machine (and it's still available), I'll bet it would be easy to find conversion histories on it.

Lloyd
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