Good to hear from you again Buzz! Wow, vacuum system and all! What about the second Z? Hope all goes well. :)

Buzz,

Great work. What is the make of pendent you are using?

Looks exactly the same I purchased from http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/index.php?cPath=40
Arturo, the owner is a great guy to deal with

Hi Guys,
The decals are on, the vacuum hold down works, I don"t have the second Z axis installed and will be installing Blurrys ATC instead when they are ready. I cannot claim for the design of the vacuum system as it was done by Ed Stutz who installed this system on a ShopBot. Mine is similar and it works very well. It is drawing close to 9" Hg ( approx. 4.4 psi) through 3/4" Lite MDF on one zone in use with the others closed. This seems to work ok but I have not done any through cuts on 16mm or 19mm melamine yet. I have not got the outside edges sealed so there will be a slight improvement to the vacuum. Nils, I have gone to Texas Microcircuits MP2 for an MPG because it is easy to swap between the Router and the mill. It works very well.
I would like to apply for the serial number 60 since my birthday is in a few weeks and guess how old I'll be!:eek: What do I need to submit?
Thanks,
Buzz

Buzz, Just need a pic of the machine with decals, and something you have cut. We have seen the sawdust from the surfacing but no cutting. :) Congrats!

Got #60 in the wings... Just need to see dust, logos and paint :D !!!

:) Here are the pictures of the machine to date. The dust foot, vacuum grid and the supports for the vacuum system were machined on the MechMate and I did a table top for a poker table overlay but I can't find the pictures.:mad: The control box is pretty full and there is a fan installed through the back with an air filter. This worked with no problems to cut the grid for the vacuum. I just have some wiring to tidy up and will do it when the ATC arrives.
If anyone needs the G-code for the vacuum support or the dust foot I can supply it. The software that I use is Alibre Expert and Cam. Very good software for modeling single parts and putting them into an assembly.
I would like to thank all the MechMate Engineers who post on this forum and of course Gerald for the design - without this forum this would never have been realized. :D

Superb & Nicely done Buzz….. Proud owner of #60 !!
Thanks for sharing some of your pics.
Like the vacuum table !
Can you tell us more detail on it and more photos of your motor set up !
..…and another great Canadian story unfolds :D

Amicalement, Robert ;)

From #6 to #60..Well done and enjoy.

Nice photos buzz. Congrats!
What vacuum motors are you using?

Updated Builder's Log
 

Buzz,

Congratulations on completing your MechMate and earning Serial #60. I love your Vacuum System and Dust Foot.

Here is the Updated Builder's Log.

Please provide the dimensions of your MechMate for the Builder's Log.

Also, please review your Builder's Log entry and let me know any changes you want to make.

yes please let us know what motors you using

Hi John,
The table size is 120"x60" . Everything else is correct. I didn't realize when I started the build until I saw the start date. I've got to many jobs going and it is nice to have the MechMate running - now on to the software - another challenge!
Thanks,

Buzz

Sorry guys I forgot to include the vacuum motor info.http://www.centralvacuummotor.com/imperial.htm is the supplier and the motors are LH7123-13 on the Lighthouse Brand. With all four motors running and loaded as much as can be through 3/4" spoil board is 28amps @ 240V. I think with the table sealed around the outside two fans running in parallel should be enough. As things progress I will post the results for what holds the best. You will notice in the pictures that the grid board has edge banding around each zone. This is supposed to isolate for leakage. It seems to me that the spoilboard should be the same way for the same reason. A friend of mine is running a 4'x8' ShopBot with 4 isolated zones (one motor for each zone) on the grid and a 4'x8' non isolated spoilboard and cuts 16mm melamine in two passes - 15mm and 1mm cleanup pass in the opposite direction.
When I can I will post more.

Buzz

Nice job

Hi Buzz, any update on the vacuum holddown? Does your 2 parallel pump statement still hold for tiny parts?

Hi Ken,
I have been been busy doing millwork for a chain of stores and haven't had a lot of time to work on the MechMate. A method that a friend of mine uses to keep the vacuum high at part that he is cutting. Here one of the paint supply places has a real thin but tough plastic in a roll that is used for a drop cloth for painters. He covers the whole table and cuts out the area to be machined so it won't get caught by the cutter. I am finding that 7" Hg.holds most parts well - but depends on the depth of cut, how close the parts are nested, speed of cut, etc. Since things have slowed down for a few weeks I can get back to installing a 5HP ATC spindle - should have this running by the weekend. I will be running some comparison tests on full depth of cut on 16mm and 19mm melamine. This will tell how good the vacuum works.
I will update when things progress.

Buzz

Thanks Buzz, I'll be anxiously waiting for your results.

Good Luck!

Ken

I have been retrofitting a machine and have been working on vacuum hold down. I tried coating the grid table with a clear coat to seal it up. After a long painful process of getting in all of the grooves and still only half the table done, I thought...why not just flip the grid over and seal it from the underside which is flat. So save yourself some time if you decide to make a grid type vacuum hold down. I am also going to try the central vac motors. Nice job BTW.

Hi Mark,
I got one of the long nap rollers for rough surfaces at Home Depot and this worked well for getting in the groves. The only problem with just sealing the back is leakage from the adjoining zone that is not in use. I am still working on the spindle wiring for the ATC and should be running next week. Paying jobs keep getting in the way. I'm not complaining.
Buzz #60

Hi Buzz,
How did the ATC coming along?

Hi Ken,
I have setup a tool change station at the end of the table and am working on the tool change macro. Another thing that I have on the go is an auto tool zero location for different cutter heights. The Z carriage had to be turned 180 deg. for the new ATC spindle. The next project is to redesign the dust foot to move out of the way for the tool change. There is lots of work coming into the shop so working on the MechMate mods is in between. I will try to post some pictures this weekend.