fun with CNC, made soft jaws for my lathe

[rsr911]

Thought I'd post some pics of my prototype soft jaws. I need two sets so I figured it would be faster on the CNC, boy was I right!









In the one pic you can see an AXA toolholder for my small lathe. Last picture has the jaws temp mounted on the lathe chuck. I need to get three longer bolts tommorrow and some stock to make more jaws. Total machine time for each jaw was only 35 minutes without optimizing speed and feed.

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-Christian D. Sokolowski

[This message has been edited by rsr911 (edited 01-26-2006).]

[This message has been edited by rsr911 (edited 01-26-2006).]

[Dawai]

Ain't aluminum awesome to watch.. the sparkle.. the fluid spraying, the soft metal just eats away. Zoom Zoom..

It is impressive.

HEY, I got this sheet of mirror stainless on the front of my cabinet where yours is rustin. (mine was UGLY) I carried it over to the pedastel where the big gap is.
Is that box stayin on yours machine? If so.. I can get more stainless.. I am tempted to roll some around the pedastel, SHiny stuff, eye candy..

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

Eventually I want to replace my bridgeport with a CNC milling machine. Maybe next year. I'd get one now if I knew I was going to be using it. I was looking at the new CNC machines Grizzly sell. Has anyone seen them in action yet?

-Adrian

[mochinist]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by 3 Phase Lightbulb:
Eventually I want to replace my bridgeport with a CNC milling machine. Maybe next year. I'd get one now if I knew I was going to be using it. I was looking at the new CNC machines Grizzly sell. Has anyone seen them in action yet?

-Adrian</font>

Dont replace the bridgeport, it is always nice to have a machine that is dedicated to manual work. I don't know anything about the grizzly cnc, what size is it, and how much is it.

I seen this machine in a link at the pm site, it looks like a nice cnc, alittle pricey for most home shops though. http://www.tormach.com/Product_PCNC_main.html.

You could also convert your Bridgy to a cnc, I don't really like the converts though, but I would take one if that was the only way I could have a cnc.

[This message has been edited by mochinist (edited 01-26-2006).]

[mochinist]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by rsr911:
Total machine time for each jaw was only 35 minutes without optimizing speed and feed.
</font>

Are you usin a cam system or hand writing the code? I know you said you didn't optimize the speed and feed, but 35 minuttes for those is a long time. I would guess about tem minutes is all each one of those jaws should take on a machine that size not pushing any pushing any spindle speeds or super fast feedrates. So what speeds and feeds were you using?

P.S. I am not being critical of your programming, so please don't take it that way, I am just curious.

[Dawai]

Before you buy a machine Adrian, email me.

The machines is just part, the tooling, the software, the design software, the coolant, the computer, the metalflake, the stainless steel, the lil blinking lights.. Ahh the joy of toys.

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

Dave, Is this a good machine? I just found it in the local want ads:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Chevalier 3 axis CNC bed mill mach w/5hp spindle motor. BT40 taper w/Anilam 3300 3-axis ctrl. New in 2000. Still lk new, low hrs. Pd over $34,000. Priced to sell at $6000/bo</font>

-Adrian

[Michael Moore]

Adrian, the BT/NT taper tooling doesn't seem to be anywhere near as common used as the CAT40 does. Also, doesn't the former often require a toolbar that screws into them (like R8), instead of using pull studs for a tool clamp?

Christian, the potential ease of making fixtures and tooling with the CNC makes it really attractive. I've already made one small part on my mill that I probably wouldn't have bothered with when I had a manual mill, because of the fixture it needed for holding the part in the final cuts.

Now I can make a custom block to bolt a part to, or mill out some complex outline in a set of soft jaws to hold a part. Pull up the program, switch cutter comp to the other side of the outline, and let it go on the soft jaws.

I think the fixturing possibilities are potentially as valuable as those of machining on the actual part. If you can't hold it so you can machine it, you are kind of stuck.

I haven't even looked at what I might make for the lathe.

cheers,
Michael

[mochinist]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by 3 Phase Lightbulb:

Dave, Is this a good machine? I just found it in the local want ads:

-Adrian</font>

Hmm sounds like this one
http://www.locatoronline.com/machines/detail293958.cfm
If it is, that means it is manual speed controlled like your bridgeport, so no ridgid tapping with that machine, you will need a self reversing tapping head. That really isnt a big deal though. The size taper tool holder it takes is not that common, but you can still buy them new and used from multiple places, and yes they are drawn in with a toolbar.

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

I think this is the CNC machine that I'd like to get next year. I really like the Centroid M400 CNC controller too:



http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0498

-Adrian