Adding new tool positions to the ATC

[de5]

Several months ago I added four new tool positions to my ATC. At first I had them mounted on the front of the table, but I'm making some modifications to my table and had to move them. So now they are mounted on a steel support that is bolted to the side of the rotary axis bed. I gave up a little distance between centers on the rotary, but I still have 42 inches which is more than adequate for my work. Pictures below show location and clearance. I needed 12 inches between the front and back tools for dust boot clearance. I actually like this system better than the tool forks that are standard because nothing is stressed when the tools are picked up and put back down. Here's a short video that shows tool pickups with the dust boot on, and then with it removed so you can see the pickup action: http://youtu.be/sJZEu7S8BRw

[james mcgrew]

I have always loved the versatility of these machines !! nice work

[eandico]

No doubt! Nice work Charlie! I like how your holders don't stress like the forks.

[rcrawford]

Love it Charlie!

Ever since I saw your first modification I've considered changing all my holders to something like that, so I can make a smaller dust boot with no flap. Then use the air for the flap to make a pressure foot.

[de5]

Thanks guys. Russell, I'm interested in hearing/seeing your ideas on another dust boot. In my opinion, the problem isn't necessarily the size of the boot, but the fact that the 4" pipe is connected about 8 inches from the cutter. I've been trying to figure a way to channel all that suction right down to the action. My brushes don't really cut it. Also, you know you can tap into your air supply right behind the spindle. I did that for my air nozzle.

I don't know the life expectancy of the tool forks, but when mine start to wear out, I'm not gonna replace them at $70 a pop. I'll just build a new tool frame and change the macros to what I'm using for T9-T12.

[rcrawford]

I remade my dust boot a couple years ago to get the size down. I used 1/2" aluminum plate, and cut a rectangle hole as close to the spindle as possible, then heated up some 4" PVC pipe and pounded a wood tapered block a carved out to force it into the shape I needed.

What I want, is a round dust boot with the vacuum coming out from both sides at an angle. The whole dust boot could be 7" diameter and the two side vacuum ports would be around 2" x 5" each.

[de5]

I see what you mean about the smaller boot; you really got that pipe close in there. Is that sch. 40 PVC or thin wall? What did you use to heat it?

[rcrawford]

That's just thin walled drainage type pipe. I made the flat bottom piece by heating up some PVC and pressing it, then cut out the shape I needed and used the PVC adhesive to glue it to the shaped pipe, so I could bolt the whole thing to the dust boot. Then I supported the whole set-up by strapping it to a board I bolted to the Z axis.

I tried a couple methods of heating the pipe - first I put it in the oven, but the whole pipe got soft and both ends deformed when I tried shaping it. So I ended up putting the end I wanted to shape in boiling water. This left the other end cold so it wouldn't deform when I hammered in my shaping wedge (I just hand carved a wood shaping wedge).

[james mcgrew]

I have the same machine as Charlie (Yet 5 feet wide and 8 feet long)

I wanted a clear end and side to load and unload sheets and the controller faced a wall, so I Had CAmaster add the side bar for the tooling, two things happened
A) I got to go to 15 tools on the bar and B) I got a 108" use of my 96" table this has proved well worth it many times !

[Charlie_L]

What I want, is a round dust boot with the vacuum coming out from both sides at an angle. The whole dust boot could be 7" diameter and the two side vacuum ports would be around 2" x 5" each.

Russell,
While working today had another idea. A friend was over watching the machine cut some of his work. I have clear plastic fingers instead of the normal black brushes on my boot. However, he needed a flashlight to see the best. If you make that next boot, maybe install some LED's to really light up the work area? Just and idea.....

[rcrawford]

Russell,
While working today had another idea. A friend was over watching the machine cut some of his work. I have clear plastic fingers instead of the normal black brushes on my boot. However, he needed a flashlight to see the best. If you make that next boot, maybe install some LED's to really light up the work area? Just and idea.....

I was cutting some letters in box tops my father made, and trying to set zero to the top of the boards. I had to raise the dust boot flap and shine a flashlight in order to see the bit! My father told me to put LED lights in there as well!! Could use one of the relays already in place and control it with g-code.

[Cabinetsofatlanta]

Hi

Can you share ini files. What need to be modified to add additional tools?
I have carousel byt want to add additional tools at end of the machine.

Sincerely,
Rafal Kozdeba

[bmilam]

I tried a dustboot similar to yours where the hose was far back and the suction went straight down. I found it wasn't very efficient. I was going to have to make a docking station for it to do tool changes. I went back to the chinese style boot. The footprint is much smaller and the portion of the boot that the hose connects to is sealed and it takes in the air at the bit. It removes about 99% of dust and chips. I know this is for a water cooled round spindle but maybe it gives you ideas to employee in another boot.

My tools are mounted like yours and I love them that way.
https://wap.stonecontact.com/product...dle-dust-cover

[de5]

Hi

Can you share ini files. What need to be modified to add additional tools?
I have carousel byt want to add additional tools at end of the machine.

Sincerely,
Rafal Kozdeba

You should study your tool change macros until you fully understand them before you start trying to make any changes.
I altered tc, tu, and t0. Then I added the following extra macros to make it do what I needed for the extra 4 tools:
tu1-8, tu9, tu10, tu11, tu12
tc9, tc10, tc11, tc12

I will send you the macros for study purposes, but it would be foolish to install them and 'see what happens.' Yours are going to be different from mine since you have the rotary tool changer. You will have to take into consideration every possible combination of tool changes back and forth between the carousel and the stationary tools.

Here's another post that might be of interest to you. A few years ago I did away with the forks to incorporate an improved dust boot:

https://www.camheads.org/showthread.php?t=8479

[Cabinetsofatlanta]

Thank You

I know I need to be carefull. Below my email address for your convenience.

info@cabinetsofatlanta.com

Sincerely,
Rafal Kozdeba

Cabinets of Atlanta
www.houzz.com/pro/cabinetsofatlanta/__public
Phone / Fax: 404-933-5106