[CROSSHATCH]

I know of one Automated Drawbasr for the Torus Pro and that is the PDB by Ray, lovely work and really well done. I do not own one but I have been looking at it for some time. I just can't deal with manual tool changes these day!

I have gone through different threads discussing the Pros/Cons of using Belleville Springs and some of the many issues that arise from that design.

For the sake of discussion, lets just say that issue is an inadequate amount of force that results in poor gripping force, thus allowing the tool to be pulled out during machining.

Lets also say, we manage to obtain the proper gripping force on the Torus Pro with Belleville Springs. Whats the biggest issue with doing it on the Torus Pro? Is it simply a lack of space in the Spindle Enclosure to accommodate the hardware?

Other than space issues, I don't see why it's not a viable option for the Torus Pro.

Cheers.

-Jason

[SCzEngrgGroup]

No reason it can't be done, but don't expect it to be easy. First, to get adequate toolholder retention, you really need on the order of 3500# of drawbar tension. That's going to be a good-sized stack of Bellevilles. A stack that size will need to be constrained, to keep it co-axial to the spindle and balanced. Space is definitely an issue on the Pro, as the spindle centerline is only about 1-1/4" from the front of the spindle motor, and the door is only about 2" forward of the spindle centerline. There is no room for the kind of very large air cylinder required to release such a spring stack, so you'll have to either go with a hydraulic system, or do away with the sheet-metal enclosure entirely.

Regards,
Ray L.

[Novakon]

The spring washer system was looked very seriously for a period of time for the Torus PRO. Overall, anything can be made to work, but the defining moment in designing the PDB system is it's ability to switch over to standard R8 tooling in a blink of the eye. Hands down, this feature alone meant that any tooling using R8, not just TTS can be used very quickly. This includes tapping heads which would almost be impossible to use without a rotary capture system used in the PDB. You may also have other standard R8 tooling available that may be utilized. Tooling costs vs the PDB have to be weighed out also.

[UniqueMachining]

Jason

While I can't explain why it is not practical, I can attest to the Novakon PDB.
Being vertically challenged I used to use a milk crate to reach high enough to change tools.
The speed and convenience was worth every penny.

John

[CROSSHATCH]

While I do think it's possible (anything is really), there are obviously great design challenges ahead. I'll most likely when it's time, place my order with the PDB simply because the hard work has been done. The time I spend researching and designing a new unit would be detrimental to my other work.

Just thought I would start something new here and get a feel.

Thanks,

-Jason

[johnedward]

thou shall not diy and decrease sales $ from the kon. for shame

[Hirudin]

I made a power draw bar (or "draw bar actuator" as I liked to call it). It worked pretty good but I didn't give it quite enough stroke length (mine has about 65 thousandths of stroke, I figure it should probably have about 100 thousandths. It looks like the attached drawing. The biggest hurdle was the amount of space available (note the cutout on the back for the spindle motor flange). My pistons are just a little larger than 2" in diameter. The second biggest hurdle was finding seals that worked.

I'm pretty sure I'm using these Belleville washers from McMaster-Carr in a ((()))((())) configuration. This configuration doesn't give quite enough travel to release the tool after they're compressed enough to hold the tool effectively. A fifth stack of three would have been better. Five stacks of four would be better yet. I never tried either of those arrangements though because there wasn't enough space inside the DBA I had already made and I was too lazy to make another.

A short video of a test I did after I finished it... The first half isn't very eventful, sorry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zXj7LT5Q6g

PS: wait, I forgot that I was using a different Belleville configuration when I recorded that video. The Bellevilles I linked to above are what I ended up with.

[kvom]

I was impressed by the lever-actuated drawbar on the Pulsar when I saw it some time ago. Wondering why that couldn't work on a Torus.

[LeeWay]

I am looking forward to doing away with my impact driver and using the lever draw bar instead. I mean the impact was fast, but fiddling with the sockets that get loose sometimes can be a pain. If it comes off, you gotta chase it down. That, however, isn't automated.

[Novakon]

I was impressed by the lever-actuated drawbar on the Pulsar when I saw it some time ago. Wondering why that couldn't work on a Torus.

We looked at the LDB to fit inside of the Torus PRO. The very tight space required a different approach and design. The eccentric CAM bushing in the LDB was just too large to adapt without major changes. After looking over the advantages of the new PDB designed by Ray, we abandoned the LDB concept for the PRO. The single most tantalizing feature of the PDB is still the ability to swap out to R8 tooling with a push of a button. For the Pulsar, the LDB is a very good application. By using tapping collects for the rigid tapping (having collets with the square drive) with the QTC tooling, we didn't see any reasonable need to be able to swap out with straight R8 tooling. However, we will adapt the PDB to the Pulsar and integrate the ATC into it also. This combination will make the Pulsar formidable in the market.

Here is an insight for down the road....

Soon you will also see to the Pulsar ensemble will be the coolant cabinet. While it is still in the design and quoting stage, it promises to provide clear door overhead room for jib crane access and side "overhead doors" for easy access. One last maintenance feature designed into it will be the ability to remove either side "module" by lifting it off with a set of handles. Any mill maintenance will not be hindered by a cabinet since it can be unbuckled and simply removed.

All of these features will be plug able into the Pulsar as as kits. There will be no worry about massive changes to adapt these kits. It should basically plug-N-play with a few tweaks.

Regards,
Novakon Team