It's real time. I would tell you the IPM, but I don't recall what it was right now... I can look once I get home. I'm taking .125" in depth with each pass though, and likely could have taken more. It sliced through the MDF like butter. The audio on the video isn't a good example of what it sounds like in person. It's pretty smooth, while the video makes it sound pretty screechy.
That's a pretty good speed then. I'm not sure what the ipm is for our tables, but it looks like they cut about the same speed. Though I'm sure your table doesn't cost $120,000.
Yeah, as smoothly as it was cutting, I'm pretty sure I could have gone faster yet. I've got different profiles for aluminum and mdf, and the aluminum profile is much slower... This table is only about $117,000 cheaper. As a sidenote, I've been looking at the videos I took... They look much worse than I remember. I may have to live stream, but record at the same time and upload the recordings. When I view the live video as I'm streaming, it's definitely a much higher quality. I'll get it sorted yet!
I came home from work today to find a nice sized box on my front porch. Inside was one of the last items I needed for setting up my Romaxx CNC machine. It was a VT6040 vacuum table that I had purchased from ebay seller dcad100. It measures 24.0”x16.5” x 0.8125", and was the perfect size for my machine. The vacuum table will allow me to hold parts in place without clamping. Should I need to clamp things anyway, there are M6 holes on the table that should easily allow this. So, should we take a look at the table? Here it is as it arrived to me. Opening the box revealed a very well packed table. The table also came with a the necessary tubing for hooking up to a 2" vacuum line. Also included was a solid rubber mat for blocking off unused holes during vacuuming, and a holed rubber mat that sits below parts that are being cut. The holed mat not only allows transfer of suction, but will help keep the end mill just above the aluminum table surface. These should be easily replaceable should the need arise. The table looks to be of pretty good quality, and is well constructed. Now finally, here is the table sitting on the machine. As you can see, it's the perfect size. All that's left is to get the vacuum lines hooked up, and it's ready for use. More coming soon!
Neat! Is the table broken down into zones? Our bigger tables have zoned tops so you don't have to lay down pieces of cardboard in the non-cutting areas so the vacuum works. Those are some big assed holes though! I think the ones in our table are maybe .5mm in diameter.
Thanks! The table is a single zone, but frankly the table isn't that huge to begin with. Most parts I cut will take up a good portion of the table. The holes you see have smaller holes in the bottom. I'd say about .5mm sounds right. I didn't take a pic of the bottom of the holes, but maybe I could a little later.
so are you going to use some kind of riser? like a ring with a gasket around it to hold the work piece on the table? then cover the other holes? i worked on a CNC table that worked that way there were little rubber plugs for all of the holes so they wouldnt get clogged
I really don't need a riser. The rubber mat with the holes in it will serve that purpose. The solid mat then just sits over the remaining holes, cut to size of course. I've even seen CNC setups that can vacuum through a piece of MDF. I'm not sure I'll have the vacuum needed to pull that off, but I might try if I get a chance.
I've seen the vacuum pumps that can do that. They're about the size of a riding lawnmower engine. I don't know if any of our tables do that.
Yeah, they are huge, on much larger tables. I've been trying to think of things I could use as a sacrificial material under my parts, yet still allow suction. I could use rubber mats like what came with the vacuum table, but I'm hoping for an easier option. I got an outstanding deal a 2 stage tangential blower/vacuum capable of 97 CFM @ 2-In. Orifice and 81.8 Vacuum (H2O Sealed). I should have the mounting done tonight, and I can see how it does.
I had a little more time tonight, and was able to get the vacuum assembly finished. As of now, the vacuum table is completely ready to use. I am pretty happy with the way that things turned out. It's compact, easy to maintain, and fairly cost effective. Of course, none of that matters if the table doesn't perform as expected. Well, I'm happy to report that it performs even better than I had hoped. I know everyone is anxious to see how it turned out, so let me walk you through the rest of the setup process... There are really only 3 major components needed in a vacuum table setup. The first is obviously the table itself which I covered in the last update. The second is the source of the vacuum itself. For this, I went to industrial parts supplier Grainger, and picked up a vacuum pump. I selected a two stage tangential unit capable of 97 CFM and 81.8 Hg vacuum. There were more powerful units available, but this one was an outstanding deal, and worth taking a chance. So, let's take a look at the pump... Now, I should mention that although this is a vacuum pump, it's also a blower by it's inherent design. Unfortunately the only fitting for attaching a hose is on the blower end. That meant I had to get a little creative and epoxy a fitting over the vacuum hole. It was a simple fix, but just one more step I had to take before I could move forward. Okay, now we've got two of the three major components out of the way. The third? Well, that should be easy. We've got to have tubing connecting the table and the vacuum pump. This shop vac hose kit offered the perfect solution. As you can see the shop vac hose was a perfect match for the tubing adapter and splitter that came with the table. Now all that was left was to route the tubing and hoses, mount the pump, and connect everything together. As you can see, the whole assembly is pretty clean and simple. At this point I was pretty anxious to kick it on and do some testing. I'll try and get some video of that up in the next day or two, but as I mentioned above, I was very happy with the results. I could lay a block of wood in the center of the table, and with the pump running, it was surprisingly hard to move laterally. Keep in mind that this was without blocking off any of the other holes in the table. Doing so would increase the vacuum significantly. I'm pretty confident that as long as my feed speeds are appropriate, and my end mills are sharp, nothing is going to move while vacuum is applied. The only way to know for sure is to actually cut something, and I'll be doing that very soon!
I had a little more time tonight, and was able to get the vacuum assembly finished. As of now, the vacuum table is completely ready to use. I am pretty happy with the way that things turned out. It's compact, easy to maintain, and fairly cost effective. Of course, none of that matters if the table doesn't perform as expected. Well, I'm happy to report that it performs even better than I had hoped. I know everyone is anxious to see how it turned out, so let me walk you through the rest of the setup process... There are really only 3 major components needed in a vacuum table setup. The first is obviously the table itself which I covered in the last update. The second is the source of the vacuum itself. For this, I went to industrial parts supplier Grainger, and picked up a vacuum pump. I selected a two stage tangential unit capable of 97 CFM and 81.8 Hg vacuum. There were more powerful units available, but this one was an outstanding deal, and worth taking a chance. So, let's take a look at the pump... Now, I should mention that although this is a vacuum pump, it's also a blower by it's inherent design. Unfortunately the only fitting for attaching a hose is on the blower end. That meant I had to get a little creative and epoxy a fitting over the vacuum hole. It was a simple fix, but just one more step I had to take before I could move forward. Okay, now we've got two of the three major components out of the way. The third? Well, that should be easy. We've got to have tubing connecting the table and the vacuum pump. This shop vac hose kit offered the perfect solution. As you can see the shop vac hose was a perfect match for the tubing adapter and splitter that came with the table. Now all that was left was to route the tubing and hoses, mount the pump, and connect everything together. As you can see, the whole assembly is pretty clean and simple. At this point I was pretty anxious to kick it on and do some testing. I'll try and get some video of that up in the next day or two, but as I mentioned above, I was very happy with the results. I could lay a block of wood in the center of the table, and with the pump running, it was surprisingly hard to move laterally. Keep in mind that this was without blocking off any of the other holes in the table. Doing so would increase the vacuum significantly. I'm pretty confident that as long as my feed speeds are appropriate, and my end mills are sharp, nothing is going to move while vacuum is applied. The only way to know for sure is to actually cut something, and I'll be doing that very soon!
And so you are waiting on what? You know you want to. Just do it. Excellent work on the hose fittings. I did that on a sump pump a couple of years ago and it's still keeping my basement dry. One reminder. Keep the camera lenses and the pink parts away from the cutters. john
Our tables have light beam emergency stops in front of the cutter head (like a garage door). Accidental killed it one day videoing the Christmas ornament cutting process. We also have the ability to mount straight blades on the tables for cutting corrugated board and film type stock (like those decorative stickers you can get for laptops and phones). I've seen the vacuum not work right with that and it just drags the material around the table. Makes a mess real quick.
Oh, you're right, I do want to... I'm just a little shorter on time than I wish I was. Between soccer games for the kids every other day, and my neglected yard work, the only time I have is at the expense of sleep. The fittings look like they should hold well. I've got no concerns there. I'm pretty much to the point of mandatory ear plugs though. With the router, vacuum pump, and shop vac going, it's quite the cacophony. I've got no intention of letting this machine be a meat eater. I need all my digits! That would be a pretty good safety feature for sure. I think I'll have something to cut tonight... Lol, John usually knows what he is talking about.
Cacophony is an understatement. The airport will be calling you to keep it down. I hope you have a little extra saved up for your next electric bill too.
Lol, they just might. I'd never hear the phone ring though... I won't worry about the electricity until I start cutting out the cage. That's a whole lot of passes on 1cm thick aluminum...
