Experimental vacuum plate
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- Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:21 pm
- Location: Vallejo California
Vacuum plate
Yeah, I'll do something soon and I'll consider you suggestion as well.
Meantime, I have been using it and works great, but it could be even better once I get some bugs out, like mounting the vacuum pump away from the machine table. Is transferring vibration to the mill.
Solving the sealing problem and moving that pump out of the way will solve most of my problems.
Another thing I would have to do is isolate the pump with a box with foam to dampen the noise, but I would have to add a fan to keep it cool.
I made a safety lock for my new Clausing mill switch I won on eBay using the vacuum plate and the CNC mill.
I got inspired by Fred Ford's home page where he show his version for his drum switch. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Machining/index.html
Since I am more concerned about accidentally using reverse, I put a lock on the reverse direction only
Meantime, I have been using it and works great, but it could be even better once I get some bugs out, like mounting the vacuum pump away from the machine table. Is transferring vibration to the mill.
Solving the sealing problem and moving that pump out of the way will solve most of my problems.
Another thing I would have to do is isolate the pump with a box with foam to dampen the noise, but I would have to add a fan to keep it cool.
I made a safety lock for my new Clausing mill switch I won on eBay using the vacuum plate and the CNC mill.
I got inspired by Fred Ford's home page where he show his version for his drum switch. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Machining/index.html
Since I am more concerned about accidentally using reverse, I put a lock on the reverse direction only
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- Posts: 3803
- Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:21 pm
- Location: Vallejo California
Another job with the vacuum plate
I have been using the vacuum plate regularly and I still have to do some improvements.
The Vacuum pump get pretty warm, so I am going to build a shroud and have air being pushed by a fan thru the gap in that shroud.
Another unexpected job
I am cutting parts for my little Hummingbird Micro Drilling Table.
I have sold all five of six I made (one ended up for parts) and I am getting started building another ten.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... arch_type=
Little Machine Shop is going to carry them in their stock soon.
The Vacuum pump get pretty warm, so I am going to build a shroud and have air being pushed by a fan thru the gap in that shroud.
Another unexpected job
I am cutting parts for my little Hummingbird Micro Drilling Table.
I have sold all five of six I made (one ended up for parts) and I am getting started building another ten.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... arch_type=
Little Machine Shop is going to carry them in their stock soon.
There are no problems, only solutions.
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
- DICKEYBIRD
- Posts: 176
- Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:45 am
- Location: Collierville, TN
In another life & hobby, I cut all my sheet balsa & ply parts for RC model airplanes on this homemade CNC router.
I made a simple worktable/plenum from plywood and masonite with 576 holes drilled in it. The 1st job for the machine was to drill those 576 holes. I clamped 4 pieces of 1/4" foam board on it to be drilled at the same time and used those for sacrificial backing under the work to keep from carving up the table.
I just used a standard shop vac for the vacuum source. It held all work tenaciously as long as I covered any unused holes with cardboard strips.
I have done zero, zilch, nada RC designing/building/CNC cutting since I got my lathe & mill but still use it occasionally for the odd engraving job.
I made a simple worktable/plenum from plywood and masonite with 576 holes drilled in it. The 1st job for the machine was to drill those 576 holes. I clamped 4 pieces of 1/4" foam board on it to be drilled at the same time and used those for sacrificial backing under the work to keep from carving up the table.
I just used a standard shop vac for the vacuum source. It held all work tenaciously as long as I covered any unused holes with cardboard strips.
I have done zero, zilch, nada RC designing/building/CNC cutting since I got my lathe & mill but still use it occasionally for the odd engraving job.
Milton in Tennessee
"Accuracy is the sum total of your compensating mistakes."
"Accuracy is the sum total of your compensating mistakes."
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- Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:21 pm
- Location: Vallejo California
CNC
Did you make this CNC or you bought already made?
Nice little machine!
I bought mine from a friend that is nuts about making CNC mills.
I use plastic as substrate to cut thru also.
With the vacuum plate I am using crazy glue to hold the metal to a 1/4 Plexiglas as substrate. Then after finishing, I hit the parts with a small torch until they drop off like dead flies.
The method that you use is what they do with large wood routers, blocking the open holes with pieces of plastic or plywood.
I opted for a vacuum pump because I had one first, second vacuum cleaners are very noisy. Much more than the pump.
Also this pump has lots of sucking power, enough to machine metals.
I am new at this of sorts, specially on using a vacuum to hold parts.
I used to use double-sided tape. I still do on occasions.
As you, I go some times moths without touching the CNC mill and then I have to re-learn things, is tough.
Nice little machine!
I bought mine from a friend that is nuts about making CNC mills.
I use plastic as substrate to cut thru also.
With the vacuum plate I am using crazy glue to hold the metal to a 1/4 Plexiglas as substrate. Then after finishing, I hit the parts with a small torch until they drop off like dead flies.
The method that you use is what they do with large wood routers, blocking the open holes with pieces of plastic or plywood.
I opted for a vacuum pump because I had one first, second vacuum cleaners are very noisy. Much more than the pump.
Also this pump has lots of sucking power, enough to machine metals.
I am new at this of sorts, specially on using a vacuum to hold parts.
I used to use double-sided tape. I still do on occasions.
As you, I go some times moths without touching the CNC mill and then I have to re-learn things, is tough.
There are no problems, only solutions.
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
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- Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 1:05 pm
Gore makes an expanded-PTFE seal material that has a round cross-section like an O-ring and in diameters as small as 3/32". See McMaster-Carr, page 3401 for sizes and pricing.millman5 wrote:If the buna N doesn't compress enough to allow your part to pull down flat. I seem to remember seeing closed cell foam cord somewhere in one of my publications.
When I was in the automotive machine shop business, I had a vacuum crack detection bench that used a piece of closed cell foam to sit the head gasket surface of a cylinder head to. With 20 in. Hg pulled on that you couldn't have knocked one loose with a sledge hammer.
We use some adhesive-backed closed cell foam material at work to create laminated gaskets. The CCF material is available in thicknesses of 1/32 and 1/16". I think that the 1/16" material will squeeze down to about 0.015" thick with enough pressure/force. I suppose that a flat sheet gasket would be more of a PITA to work with than an O-ring, though.
Last edited by Mike_Henry on Sat May 31, 2008 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mike, near Chicago
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Seals
Ideally the parts should seat all the way down flat with the tops of the plastic table.
The hardness of the O ring vs. amount of vacuum does not let this happen.
So I put a shim inside the vacuum area. I need to play more with the type of O ring.
I am sure that there is a grade soft enough for what I am using.
Right now I am up to my ears with projects. Not enough time for everything.
Thanks for your input. I will run a check on Mc-Master-Carr
The hardness of the O ring vs. amount of vacuum does not let this happen.
So I put a shim inside the vacuum area. I need to play more with the type of O ring.
I am sure that there is a grade soft enough for what I am using.
Right now I am up to my ears with projects. Not enough time for everything.
Thanks for your input. I will run a check on Mc-Master-Carr
There are no problems, only solutions.
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
- DICKEYBIRD
- Posts: 176
- Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:45 am
- Location: Collierville, TN
Thanks Jose. I built the router back in 1998 out of MDO plywood from plans I saw in the Dec. '94 Nuts & Volts magazine. I modified it & strengthened it to suit me and used a MAXNC 3 axis stepper motor/controller kit. It is slow and weak but I learned a bunch about CAD & CNC with it. It's amazing how accurate it is with simple drawer slides for the rails!
Now if I could only afford to convert my X-3 to CNC!
Now if I could only afford to convert my X-3 to CNC!
Milton in Tennessee
"Accuracy is the sum total of your compensating mistakes."
"Accuracy is the sum total of your compensating mistakes."
Re: Vacuum plate
Really nice-looking setup!Jose Rivera wrote:I made a safety lock for my new Clausing mill switch I won on eBay using the vacuum plate and the CNC mill.
I got inspired by Fred Ford's home page where he show his version for his drum switch. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Machining/index.html
Since I am more concerned about accidentally using reverse, I put a lock on the reverse direction only
Added to the database at homemadetools.net: http://www.homemadetools.net/rotary-switch-lockout
Ken
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- Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:21 pm
- Location: Vallejo California
Re: Experimental vacuum plate
F.Y.I.
Just a matter of information about the vacuum plate.
It works, but I opted for either double-stick tape or regular hold-down clamps.
1) The reason is that the noise of the pump is annoying.
2) Extra electricity needed.
3) If the job needs to be continued later, turning the pump off will shift the location a little. I corrected this by using three dowels that will allow to re-locate accurately.
4) Larger parts will not hold enough because they require more vacuum than the pump provides.
For some special purposes yeah, is handy, but the experiment was just that ... an experiment.
Just a matter of information about the vacuum plate.
It works, but I opted for either double-stick tape or regular hold-down clamps.
1) The reason is that the noise of the pump is annoying.
2) Extra electricity needed.
3) If the job needs to be continued later, turning the pump off will shift the location a little. I corrected this by using three dowels that will allow to re-locate accurately.
4) Larger parts will not hold enough because they require more vacuum than the pump provides.
For some special purposes yeah, is handy, but the experiment was just that ... an experiment.
There are no problems, only solutions.
--------------
Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
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Re: Experimental vacuum plate
put a small to mid sized spin on oil filter after the contamination filter noise will drop next to nothing
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Re: Experimental vacuum plate
We built a vacuum table at work to hold plastic parts. We have a compressor shed and we located the vacuum out there, so there is no noise inside. The vac also has a remote indoor switch along with a 5 gallon holding tank.Jose Rivera wrote:F.Y.I.
Just a matter of information about the vacuum plate.
It works, but I opted for either double-stick tape or regular hold-down clamps.
1) The reason is that the noise of the pump is annoying.
2) Extra electricity needed.
3) If the job needs to be continued later, turning the pump off will shift the location a little. I corrected this by using three dowels that will allow to re-locate accurately.
4) Larger parts will not hold enough because they require more vacuum than the pump provides.
For some special purposes yeah, is handy, but the experiment was just that ... an experiment.