[dcg4403]

I'm trying to get feedback from other operators that have the same dust boot system. We have the Cobra Elite CR-616 that was purchased in 2022. It has a pneumatic cylinders that drop and raise the boot.

I've been speaking to Camaster about the lack of reliability in this system from Day 1. During operation, the boot has been damaged on 5 occasions over the last 2 years (been able to epoxy and repair them a few times).

You can see in the attached pics the 3D printed dust boots with dual pneumatic cylinders. You can also see the wonderful black duct tape + epoxy that we used to "repair" the latest boot.

The 3D printed boot fails to raise during ATC changes and nothing prevents this. It then rams the boot directly into the tool holder. We've broken tool holders, too. As our machine is now out of the 2 year warranty period, they are wanting to charge close to $500 for our 3rd replacement boot. At this rate, I'm going to be spending $1000/year on boots.

It is really difficult to prevent this as we are running programs that require multiple auto tool changes.

I personally believe this is a design flaw, especially related to the reliability of the operation. There are no faults built into the machine that would prevent this. Meaning the machine doesn't know if the boot is truly raised or lowered. So I'm at the mercy of the boot operating properly 100% of the time.

And unfortunately, we've now had over a dozen indicents where the boot did NOT raise. We've been able to shot down the machine prior to damage on several occasions. As an engineer, I would never build a subsystem that must be 100% reliable, all the time, period. That's just not smart engineering or design.

And forcing the customer to ensure these cylinders are PERFECTLY aligned and PERFECTLY cleaned each and every minute, is not great either. These are not robust cylinders. And maybe we got a machine with cylinders that were never aligned perfectly from Camaster as this occurred fairly quickly upon purchase. But that's why I'm asking for user experiences.

Camaster informed us that this is caused by lack of service. Dust and debris preventing actuation. This is not the case. We treat our machine like a sports car and keep it very, very clean. The 1st time this occurred, the unit had less than 10 hours of operation. The issue is that over time, this system will become less and less reliable. Any type of alignment issue and the cylinders can get stuck. We are constantly waxing them to prevent this too.

Can anyone share similar experiences? I'm trying to identify if this is truly unique to me and our machine OR if this is indeed a design, quality, or reliability issue that Camaster should be addressing for their customers. Input very much appreciated.