[SCzEngrgGroup]

Love the colours!

Those SS jaws ... ever think of using a plastic (eg UHMWPE) there instead? Remarkable tough stuff. I have been impressed.

Cheers
Roger

I can't imagine ANY plastic lasting long in that location. The problem is the brain-dead design of the TTS "ATC groove". It has a nice chamfer on the bottom edge, but a razor-sharp corner on the upper edge that literally "shaves" the fork as it goes into the groove. If you look at the Tormach ATC, they used hardened steel for the corresponding part, I assume for the same reason. Why on earth they didn't chamfer both edges, like the majority of real ATC holders, is a complete mystery to me. It would have solved a lot of problems. This whole project would have been a LOT easier if it used 30-taper instead of TTS.

Regards,
Ray L.

[RCaffin]

Hi Ray

The razor sharp edge is definitely a stupid. Perhaps they machined the part from the top only? Once it was in the drawings, no-one thought they could change it?

Anyhow, you should experiment with UHMWPE, including some stuff called Polystone (Ultra I think, green colour). Sure, it sounds as though plastic would wear away real quick, but the Polystone stuff is used to line quarry dump truck buckets. It can outlast several steel buckets quite easily. Rather than be super hard, it deflects and slides. Funny stuff to machine too.

Cheers
Roger

[mklotz70]

Wow! Those parts are beautiful Ray!

[kvom]

Does that mean filing the edge of the groove would improve performance/part lifetime?

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Does that mean filing the edge of the groove would improve performance/part lifetime?

With an aluminum or plastic fork, it would certainly help. With the SS fork, not worth the bother.

Regards,
Ray L.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Turns out, there's a whole set of skills required to accurately, and consistently trim the vacuum formed parts. And a whole lotta fixtures! I've finally got most of it sorted out, and should have good plastics in a few more days. Trimming will require the table saw, bandsaw, the mill, a RotoZip, a scribe, and an X-Acto knife! Each part requires at least one fixture, and some require two.

Regards,
Ray L.

[popspipes]

Hi Ray

The razor sharp edge is definitely a stupid. Perhaps they machined the part from the top only? Once it was in the drawings, no-one thought they could change it?

Anyhow, you should experiment with UHMWPE, including some stuff called Polystone (Ultra I think, green colour). Sure, it sounds as though plastic would wear away real quick, but the Polystone stuff is used to line quarry dump truck buckets. It can outlast several steel buckets quite easily. Rather than be super hard, it deflects and slides. Funny stuff to machine too.

Cheers
Roger

We used UHMW for chain guides, steel ones wore out in about 3 months, UHMW guides lasted for years, good stuff!

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I can see UHMW working well for chains, but things with sharp edges are another thing entirely...

I've finished all the fixtures and g-code for trimming the vacuum formed parts, and it's now quite quick and easy to get them fully trimmed. I made the first complete set of final plastics yesterday, and a second set took just a couple of hours today. Both came out quite well, in terms of the trim quality and fit.

If you look closely at the photos, you'll see several cosmetic flaws in the plastics. Chalk those up to the "learning curve" for forming, trimming, and gluing fairly complex vacuum-formed parts. I consider these examples "seconds", as the vacuum former was not working properly the day I made them. But they were plenty good enough to use as learning aids to figure HOW to properly trim and assemble the housings. The next ones will be perfect!

Attachment 327164

Attachment 327166

Attachment 327168

I expect to be personally delivering the very first production ATC to its new owner next week!

Regards,
Ray L.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

A few more photos, with the cabling in place:

Attachment 327308

Attachment 327310

All this time spent sweating the last tiny details is really paying off. These things are very easy to assemble, and should be very easy to install and setup as well. The biggest PITA job in any project like this - making the !@#$%^&*() wiring harnesses - has been reduced to a very quick and easy job - FAR simpler than on the PDB. Future units should be almost fun to build!

Regards,
Ray L.

[RCaffin]

I wonder - how long before we see a Chinese copy at half the price?

Cheers
Roger

[upnorth]

I wonder - how long before we see a Chinese copy at half the price?

Cheers
Roger

Well if we do it probably will never work right and replacement parts will be mostly unavailable. The parts you can get won't fit. I doubt I would stray far from a chinese made tool changer.

Glad to see it is coming together Ray. Seems like its a ton of work to take an idea from design to reality. Hope it works out for you.

Tom

[RCaffin]

I doubt I would stray far from a chinese made tool changer.
Do you mean a USA-made tool changer?
Cheers
Roger

[upnorth]

I doubt I would stray far from a chinese made tool changer.
Do you mean a USA-made tool changer?
Cheers
Roger

I think we have a language gap here Roger. I meant I would not stray far from a chinese made tool changer because I would never trust it to operate properly. It would need constant monitoring.

I have Ray's power draw bar and am very happy with it. I had a couple of minor issues. One was a VFD problem and the other was a load meter issue. Neither prevented the drawbar from functioning. Mostly an annoyance. Both issues were dealt with by Novakon and Ray quickly.

Tom

[kvom]

I would be happy with a Chinese tool changer if she were about 27 and a good cook as well.

[Bob La Londe]

I have put countless hours into both problems, and finally got the phone sorted out yesterday. It's now back to its normal 1%/hour battery usage. The PC, while better, is still going into sleep when it shouldn't, and crashing several times a day. I very much fear my only option will soon be to re-install Windows, which will mean, literally, a week or more of work to re-install and re-configure all the software I use on a daily basis. Not good....

Regards,
Ray L.

While not ideal there is a utility called "nosleep" that I have used a time or two on recalcitrant PCs that refuse to stay awake. Its been a long time, but I seem to recall it worked. Also double check the BIOS settings for the PC.

[RCaffin]

I think we have a language gap here
KaChing!
Nah, I was just a bit tired and missed what you were saying. I get it now!

Cheers
Roger

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I am finally getting around to doing some very simple videos to show off the ATC. Here are the first two of the series:

Novakon ATC Video 1 - Overview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmsxCH8dGiM

Regards,
Ray L.

[mklotz70]

Amazing!!! Gotta be pretty proud of this creation!!

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Just a teaser for Pulsar owners - Here is a rendering of the Pulsar version of the PDB + ATC. It is 100% identical to the Torus Pro version, except for the mounting brackets and the transfer arm itself. All other parts are common between the two. It will be available in the first half of next year.



Regards,
Ray L.

[Steve303]

Can't wait to see it in action Ray, Is the PDB for the Pulsar identical to the Torus Pro version as well?
Steve