[LeeWay]

I would suggest a GoPro, but you can't zoom the Hero 3 that I have. Not really low cost either, but certainly waterproof. When it is in the water proof case, the sound cannot be heard from outside, so you might need an additional mic.

I would look for one with wifi like the Gopro, but with zoom and is water resistant rather than waterproof. That way it can catch the sound.
You can always mount a piece of glass in front of any camera and that means you can go very cheap.
You will need extra lighting. My enclosure has plenty of light for machining. Two bright spots on each side. Then I also hung a drop light inside and it was still a bit dark.
I corrected it some with editing, but you can't beat having the correct amount of light to start with.

[RCaffin]

I have a water-proof WiFi IP surveillance camera in there right now, which I use for remote-testing the ATC. It works great, except, incredibly, it provides no way to record its video stream! It works ONLY with the application provided with it.

All you need is one good hacker. There's a video stream: it can be captured.
Cheap mobile phone in a Pelican case, w external mic.

Cheers
Roger

[UniqueMachining]

Ray

After trying a variety of choices I settled on a JVC Everio. While not water proof (new ones are available), a 70x zoom means you can mount it far enough away, so no splash.
Provides full HD, sound etc.

John

[EZfab]

Anyone here do CNC routing on MDF? I'm about to use a ShopBot to make all the new forms for the vacuum-formed plastic parts, and I've never done CNC routing before. I'm looking for some confirmation that my feeds and speeds are in the ballpark. Unless I hear different, I'm planning on starting with 12K RPM, 70 IPM, using a 1/4" 2-flute straight carbide router bit, with 0.275" depth/pass. It will be almost entirely slotting, to cut out straight-sided parts, with a few pieces that are 3D routed on their tops, using Adaptive clearing, followed by a parallel finish pass, and, finally, a pencil-line cut along the inside corners. I've "sliced" all the forms into 3/4" slices to be routed, then will glue them together, and do a quick sanding to smooth them.

Sorry for the late reply... I have never routed MDF, I have only ever cut it on my CNC's. That being said, It's the worst material in the world for cutting. Not just because of the mess, but because the binding adhesive contains formaldehyde. Not so bad on a panel saw (it's intended use) or a table saw with dust collectors. But when CNC'ing, there is 10 times the dust and it simply can't be good for you. I am amazed by how many people use this for Vacuum forming patterns, because it sucks for vacuum forming. If you have anything over 0.500" high be sure to use side wall draft on your vertical walls. 3 degree minimum works best, but 5 degree will work better. If you don't use a tapered side wall, the person doing the vacuum forming will have trouble releasing the parts from the MDF mold. This can cause chipping or flaking off of the the top layer of MDF along the edges. A good hefty radius along the top will help limit this if vertical walls are a must. Out on your coast you have a company called Golden West, they make a product called Butter Board. Best material in the world to CNC and Vacuum Form with besides aluminum. A bit costly though. Or there are other cast polyurethane pattern boards for CNC cutting that are designed for Vacuum Forming among other things. Not quite as much as the Butter Board, but still costly. I pay $207.00 for a piece 60" x16" x 2" plus UPS.

I use the MP-1055 a lot
Modeling Boards | Axson

They have several other types of model and tooling boards.

[jpniewski]

Ray, I've been messing around with IP security cameras for my home for the last couple of years and have learned a lot from the various camera forums. This model:

Aliexpress.com : Buy V1 Bullet PTZ Camera With Card Slot 2MP 3X ,with POE,IR 50m Night Vision CCTV IP Camera Hot Sell from Reliable camera remote control car suppliers on Shenzhen Huisun Technology Co., Ltd.

has gotten good reviews and records to an internal micro SD card. I don't have that camera, but if you don't need the PTZ, I just bought this KAZ‐200DR20A camera with 2.8-12mm auto-zoom lens. You'd need an NVR to record with, 1080P model mini-NVR is about $25.

Attachment 320474

Joe

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Amazingly, I found an app that will talk to the IP camera I have, and allows me to record. Hopefully it will work ok. Thanks to all for the tips!

Next step is improving the lighting. It's not easy to get good video of something that is mostly black! Once that's sorted, I'd like to do a few videos showing how the ATC is used - setting up the tool mapping, loading and unloading tools from the carousel, and some of the (many!) other functions built into it, like the self-test functions.

Regards,
Ray L.

[RCaffin]

Hi Ray

Fwiiw: you can become a Wedding Photographer with a two-week training course. But it takes several years of training and experience to become a competent INDUSTRIAL photographer. I had the extremely good fortune to get some training from one of the best industrial photographers in Australia.

One of the biggest problems is the huge dynamic range of brightness in an industrial scene. Try to use very diffuse muted lighting, and watch out for reflections.

Cheers
Roger

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I do LOVE having a dead-reliable ATC! It's been cranking out parts for the first production units for the last couple of weeks, with not so much as a single minor hiccup. All those months of torture testing have definitely paid off. It is sooooooooo nice being able to setup a job, hit "Start", walk away for as much as a 2-3 hours, then come back to a whole pile of shiny, new parts. Today I ran the first job that actually required all 12 tools! Can't wait to get time to build the first 20-tool unit.

Regards,
Ray L.

[RCaffin]

Hi Ray

Just one problem with a good ATC: your bill for materials is going to climb drastically.

Cheers
Roger

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Hi Ray

Just one problem with a good ATC: your bill for materials is going to climb drastically.

Cheers
Roger

Roger,

That's OK, because hopefully I'll finally have some money coming in for a change.... :-)

Regards,
Ray L.

[TOTALLYRC]

Roger,

That's OK, because hopefully I'll finally have some money coming in for a change.... :-)

Regards,
Ray L.

Money coming "IN", what a concept!!!!


Mike

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Well, the Torus Pro has really been earning its keep the last few weeks. It's cranked out a ton of absolutely beautiful, precise parts, with nor fuss or bother. I really LOVE this machine! So much nicer to work with than my old knee mill, as good as it was. The Pro just runs all day, every day, and the parts come out absolutely consistent, and always within about +/-0.001". The ATC just makes it that much nicer, since it needs so much less baby-sitting.

One nice surprise - the parts for the ATC are, on the whole, faster and easier to make than the parts for the PDB, so the first 4-unit ATC production run is going quicker than I'd expected, despite the much larger number of parts. When I get the final production fixtures done, production should be relatively easy.

I've also ordered another IP camera to mount on the machine, this one having remote pan, tilt and zoom. So, I should be able to finally get some good videos of the machine and the ATC "in action". I will almost certainly have to "tone down" the coolant flow, and probably switch to a clear coolant for videos. With the normal flow of blue coolant, it's impossible to see much of anything when the machine is running.

BTW - A tip for other Torus Pro owners. My machine has a pre-production "deluxe" stand, which does differ considerably in some respects from the production ones. One problem I've always had is leaks, though the source has proved remarkably difficult to identify. And, oddly, it has always seemed to leak more when the coolant level in the tank was low! A few months ago, I got lucky and happened to look inside the stand at the right time to see what was actually happening. When the coolant level gets low, the pumps "churn" the coolant, and it actually splashes UP, through the chip screen, and out to the side walls of the base enclosure. I pulled out the screen, and put a sheet of Formica under the half of the screen closest to the pumps so the splashing can no longer go through the screen, and splash onto the side walls of the base. The result - NO more leaks!

Regards,
Ray L.

[RCaffin]

Hi Ray

OK, your machine has advanced to the stage of having an ATC. That's good.
Now, when are you going to follow the lead of various aerospace companies and Detroit car mfrs and switch to MQL, and get rid of that messy coolant?
Seriously - read up on it. You are not machining tons of hight tensile steel, so MQL would be perfect for you. Zero mess, lower costs.

Cheers
Roger

[EZfab]

Hi Ray

OK, your machine has advanced to the stage of having an ATC. That's good.
Now, when are you going to follow the lead of various aerospace companies and Detroit car mfrs and switch to MQL, and get rid of that messy coolant?
Seriously - read up on it. You are not machining tons of hight tensile steel, so MQL would be perfect for you. Zero mess, lower costs.

Cheers
Roger

I agree. I stopped with flood coolants many years ago and never looked back. I initially had issues in my VMCs with chip build up. I ended making a separate airline to the cutter to send a higher volume of air to clear chips. It was controlled with a Dayton time relay that had 2 knobs to control time delay and duration. It worked great and had a minimal effect on air consumption. And, now that I'm rehashing old memories i think i need to build another. Lost both of mine in a move years back.

[RCaffin]

And, now that I'm rehashing old memories i think i need to build another. Lost both of mine in a move years back.

You lost both your memories? Oh, that's so bad. My condolences...

OK, OK. :banana:
I use a continuous air blast through a rather small nozzle - cool cutter and clear chips. And a pulsed mist delivered via a venturi in the air blast nozzle with '2 knobs to control time delay and duration'. Also works fine.

Cheers
Roger

[LeeWay]

Now that makes no sense to me. It does for regular machining of course, but does nothing for the housekeeping side of things. A production machine develops a lot of chips generally. Flood coolant is a tremendous help keeping those chips in the basket where they belong. Not in the machine pan or table and vises. A washdown pump is really a very good tool and saves lots of time and effort to keep the machine clean.
I do a lot of tapping as well and lubricant would probably help much more than coolant for that, but for general machining, I think coolant is more important than lubricant. This is why so many companies have developed so many formulas. You can find one that is just right for what you are doing. Same applies to MQL too. I am sure the right MQL setup will provide plenty of cooling.
Nothing toward maintenance and housekeeping though.
My coolant setup is pretty green. I never have dumped any out. I always add to it. Even when I clean out the tanks, I reuse what was in there. I just filter it through a few paint strainers when pouring it back in.

Today however will be the very first time that I have to get rid of a few gallons of mixed coolant. Finally swapping over from Koolmist 77 to Castrol Syntillo 9918.
It is what we have been running in our new Timesavers machine and it works the same way as the Koolmist. Never needs dumping.
Just add to it. I expect it to preform well fo machining too.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

MQL is no panacea. I used FogBusters for years. I switched to flood about 5 years ago, and never looked back. Mist CAN work well, but is very fussy - the nozzles have to be well-aimed at all time, or disaster results. Deep pockets are a particular problem. And the nozzles tend to clog easily. Just a few seconds without coolant on the kind of cuts I typically do is all it takes to destroy the part and the tool, and even knock the machine out of tram. This all basically necessitates multiple nozzles, and careful, near constant, monitoring. Mist is also VERY NOISY, and it blows chips EVERYWHERE. I'd never even think about going back without a totally enclosed machine. I need to work in the shop while the machine is running, and the noise would drive me insane.

Flood, in comparison, is nearly silent, and it is easy to have enough flow that aim is all but irrelevant. And, mist coolants, like KoolMist, absolutely suck at drilling and tapping. Micro-drop is another option, but the equipment is expensive, and it is nearly as fussy as mist.

[EZfab]

MQL is no panacea. I used FogBusters for years. I switched to flood about 5 years ago, and never looked back. Mist CAN work well, but is very fussy - the nozzles have to be well-aimed at all time, or disaster results. Deep pockets are a particular problem. And the nozzles tend to clog easily. Just a few seconds without coolant on the kind of cuts I typically do is all it takes to destroy the part and the tool, and even knock the machine out of tram. This all basically necessitates multiple nozzles, and careful, near constant, monitoring. Mist is also VERY NOISY, and it blows chips EVERYWHERE. I'd never even think about going back without a totally enclosed machine. I need to work in the shop while the machine is running, and the noise would drive me insane.

Flood, in comparison, is nearly silent, and it is easy to have enough flow that aim is all but irrelevant. And, mist coolants, like KoolMist, absolutely suck at drilling and tapping. Micro-drop is another option, but the equipment is expensive, and it is nearly as fussy as mist.

Interesting opposite experiences we have had. My misters are rather cheap. There are 2 nozzles and I have very little trouble aiming them. And most off all, they make no noise at all. When adjusted properly, the mist can barely be seen or heard and all but evaporate on the spot. That leaves my chips dry and easily removed. All 3 of my Bridgeport CNC's (a V2XT, TC-1 and TC-2) came with flood coolant, and I will agree it is far more forgiving. But it was a chore to keep it clean, full, algae free and off the floor. In my 2 years working from my garage with 2 CNC's I have had only 1 mister clog and they are quick to clean and get going. I use koolmist in mine and I have no trouble. I do a lot of drilling and deep pockets, but no taping.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Interesting opposite experiences we have had. My misters are rather cheap. There are 2 nozzles and I have very little trouble aiming them. And most off all, they make no noise at all. When adjusted properly, the mist can barely be seen or heard and all but evaporate on the spot. That leaves my chips dry and easily removed. All 3 of my Bridgeport CNC's (a V2XT, TC-1 and TC-2) came with flood coolant, and I will agree it is far more forgiving. But it was a chore to keep it clean, full, algae free and off the floor. In my 2 years working from my garage with 2 CNC's I have had only 1 mister clog and they are quick to clean and get going. I use koolmist in mine and I have no trouble. I do a lot of drilling and deep pockets, but no taping.

Sounds like you are using the inexpensive mister nozzles that basically just blow mist at very low pressure on the tool. Those are fine for very conservative cutting, but pretty much useless for really aggressive cutting, and also for deep pockets, as the chips will just sit in the pocket getting constantly re-cut, destroying surface finish, and wearing the tools out very quickly. I'm doing 90+% of my work at max RPM, with feeds up to 150 IPM, running the spindle near it's power limit a large portion of the time. Without very effective chip clearance, and equally effective cooling, things will go real bad, real fast. A low-pressure mister would require me to slow down drastically.

Regards,
Ray L.

[LeeWay]

Koolmist suggest running it at like 4 oz to the gallon, but we always ran it double that, so it worked fine for tapping.
It likes to eat polycarbonate though.
The Castrol switched to this AM is working great on our parts. It was basically dropped in my lap because it came with the Timesaver machine. Hardly any smell, but smells a little better than Koolmist. It is even leaner than the koolmist. Probably used a quart to 5 gallons, but it is rich according to the hydrometer reading. Need to add another gallon or two.
I will just run it rich like it is.
We usually add a gallon of water a week. Shop is air conditioned.