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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking Machines > Novakon > New Pulsar delivery set.
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    New Pulsar delivery set.

    I said new, but actually what I bought from John was the Demo model. I think they used it at the last show. It should be here tomorrow. Thursday the 11th.
    It was shipped on Friday and before the checks cleared.
    Thanks, John. My experience with international checks cleared faster. One thing I did not consider, however was the amounts. Mine are generally around a couple hundred. Both checks that John received was a thousand or more. I am pretty sure that makes a difference.
    I will document this one the same way I did for the Torus.

    On the Torus, there was a fire in it somewhere in the control panel. There was a Forensic Engineering firm hired by my insurance company. They did a report and neither John nor I have access to that report. I spoke in depth with the investigator during the inspection and he mentioned there could have been numerous causes. Many of which could not be attributed to anyone, but perhaps a perfect storm scenario.
    The final results are still ongoing and I will not comment further on it except to say that it was neither Novakon's fault nor ours. This means no further questions about it can or will be answered. I doubt that John can comment either.

    Looking forward to getting the new machine in.
    My poor old 80/20 mill sure does not like trying to keep up with the increased production that the Torus allowed. In fact, it can't. Back in the stone age tapping by hand. Uggg!
    More to come soon.
    Lee

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Posts
    889

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    That's too bad. Luckily no one got hurt. Since they discontinued the Torus, what did you replace it with? Ooops never mind, I should of payed attention to the title.........duh!!!!!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    I specifically asked them if they had a used one that would simply replace the Torus.
    They did. It however needed some updating. It was the pre production model. It has the newest wiring and components now just like all the production Pulsar's.
    I didn't want a servo model either. Steppers work great for me.
    Lee

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Posts
    889

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    What did you do with the old one?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    It is still sitting here. It actually belongs to the insurance company at this point and the last word I got from them was don't do anything with it yet.
    I will be storing it in a different spot. Under the car port part of my shop where my plasma cutter is. Most of the machine part may still be intact.None of the electronics are usable. Maybe the coolant pump and the spindle motor. Maybe X stepper as well.
    Lee

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Posts
    889

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    Well, that sucks.

  7. #7
    klarmmachining Guest

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    That's really bad

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    A little more about this. Insurance on the mill covered it's replacement. Minus my deductible. That is why John had two checks. I could have replaced the machine with something else. I chose to go back with a direct replacement instead. That should verify my feelings about the incident. Totally a fluke occurrence. Unpredictable and unavoidable.
    I will say one thing to anyone with a machine of any kind. Consider getting some insurance coverage. You can never tell when something might happen and it certainly pays to be prepared if it does.

    I have been focused on the negative since July. Time to focus back on the positive. More positives to follow.
    Time for a picture or two. This is at Novakon while the machine is getting updated.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_20140904_011046.jpg   IMG_20140904_011103.jpg  
    Lee

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Posts
    889

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    Boy that's a little guy. In the first pic, I had my eyes on the machine in the back towards the left. What is that?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    Quote Originally Posted by G59 View Post
    Boy that's a little guy. In the first pic, I had my eyes on the machine in the back towards the left. What is that?
    The one that takes up almost all of the background is a Torus Pro. It is massive for sure.
    I only make little stuff, so a little guy is all I need.
    Lee

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    I rented a skid steer this time. I had a couple piles of dirt in the yard that needed some spreading. Just rented a set of forks to go along with it. It's here already. The last place I rented from is out of business, so this place costs more. They were on time, however. Positives.
    Lee

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    Time for a few pictures..

    Just the usual shots here.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Arrival1.jpg   Arrival2.jpg   Arrival3.jpg   Arrival4.jpg  

    Arrival5.jpg   Arrival6.jpg   Arrival7.jpg  
    Lee

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    I contacted John about the missing gas struts. He mentioned that they are not needed and actually detract from performance. He also mentioned that this is the standard on all the Pulsars now, so if you receive one and they ain't there, now you know why. They are a necessity on my 80/20 mill. They were on the Torus as well, but I never removed them to see how it would work without them. Fewer parts is always a plus.

    I am waiting for the servo drive to arrive. I think he upgraded that part. This one has the smooth stepper installed. It still has the old BOB like the Torus had, but John said he would send me one of the new Arduino BOB's when he gets those ready. That should be very nice.

    I ordered a Mini Pallet Jack last week and it showed up yesterday. I chose not to buy casters for this one and I think it was a good choice. The pallet jack is sweet. Rolls much better than the casters I used on the Torus. All for close to the same money. Northern Tools.
    It is a mini pallet Jack, but very nice quality. I bought it on sale as well. $30.00 off.
    It is small enough to stay stored under the Pulsar.

    Lee

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    For the Pulsar, I am making a real enclosure rather than the shower curtain. While the shower curtain worked okay, It would not work as well with a wash down system that the Pulsar has.
    Cleaning out the tanks and chips on the Torus was a nasty job and took some time every week.
    The upgraded stand should make it a rather easy task. Initial impression just from seeing it is that it is a far better design.
    I will be using aluminum extrusions and fiberglass panels. Polycarbonate on the front sliding doors. Should be rather simple. I have everything I need on hand already. I had bought it to do a full enclosure on the 80/20, but never got that far. It is still using it's old half enclosure. If it doesn't leak, it's still working.
    I'll post more later.
    Lee

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
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    1424

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    Bet you are glad to get that in the shop. Falling behind on shark guard orders?
    Tim
    Tormach 1100-3, Grizzly G0709 lathe, Clausing 8520 mill, SolidWorks, HSMWorks.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    We are always backlogged on orders for guards. Been that way since the very first week I started making them in early 2003. Lead time does fluctuate, but it hasn't been less than 3 months for a couple years now. Business is good. Production is quite a bit better with the Torus than on my 80/20 mill. Speed, end mill durability, rigid tapping all factor into that. While it gets the job done, it's pretty slow and more costly, which also means more labor costs.
    I make quite a bit more money with the Torus. Definitely paid for itself at least once. The Pulsar should be a step above the Torus. It is more user friendly
    I have a delay though on setting up the Pulsar. I hope to have it altogether by the end of the week. Hopefully the power of positive thought will shine through here. I needed to get some lights for the enclosure anyway.
    Lee

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Posts
    1424

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    good to know. I remember you and your product from that time period on sawmill creek or woodnet forums. good stuff. It is good to see innovation and small business survive in the days of the "global economy" (which are curse words for both of the former).
    Tim
    Tormach 1100-3, Grizzly G0709 lathe, Clausing 8520 mill, SolidWorks, HSMWorks.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    The Shark Guard is what started me off in the cnc arena as well. Funny that I set out to make a good blade guard for my own saw. That effort trickled into a full blown small business with two employees besides myself.
    You never know when that next big thing will be created but one thing is certain, you stand a better chance of prototyping it if you have a stable of cnc machines.

    Servo Drive for the spindle did arrive Monday as expected. It was not an upgraded version though. Same one as I had on the Torus. John mentioned that the version C require's a jumper to prevent a fault when stopping instantly from a high speed. My initial drive had zero issues with that. Again fewer parts is a better option. I am still working on the coolant enclosure. I was initially going to use something like small extrusions that they use for the 3D printers. I decided to use treated 2x4" instead. The uprights will be 2x4" and the cross bracing will be 2x2's. I have a pair of full extension drawer slides that I will mount on the top. It will have two sliding polycarbonate doors. One will have an astragal to cover the closure. Couple handles. Pretty simple design really, but should prove much nicer than the shower curtain.
    All told, maybe about $100 in it, though I had everything already. I'll post up a rendering of it soon. Then I expect it completed one day next week and I'll get some pictures and videos going.
    I bought two of those LED 10 Watt lights as well. One on each side. Didn't have those. John is sending a couple other extra parts and they should be here soon. More to come.
    Lee

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    This is the lights that I bought. They are a bit different than what Ray bought.
    LE 10W Super Bright Outdoor LED Flood Lights, 100W Halogen Bulb Equivalent, Daylight White, Security Lights, Floodlight (As Shown) - - Amazon.com

    I'll let you guys know how they work. Pretty inexpensive and nicely made.


    I decided there is no need to put the drawer slides on the top rail of the enclosure. Just on the inside top rail will still be mostly shielded from coolant by the polycarbonate doors.
    More to come.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 71Ku7P5rXRL._SL1500_.jpg  
    Lee

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: New Pulsar delivery set.

    Here is the render that I promised. All pretty simple stuff. The sides will be white fiberglass panels.
    The top of this is 35" above the coolant tray. The Pulsar sits lower than the Torus did. I did have an aluminum plate and rollers under it though, so that is part of the difference.
    I should be cutting some parts this weekend.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Enclosure1.jpg  
    Lee

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