[FandZ]

Hello All,

I'm looking to add a vacuum table to my 4x8 cnc machine. Researching, at first I was going to go for a Black box hurricane but then seeing the motors available to purchase I was thinking about going the DIY route. I'm leaning towards venting my vacuums out the back of my shop. My shop is in an industrial zone so neighbor noise isn't a big concern of mine. I currently vent my super dust deputy collector and shop vac out the back of my shop and it really lowers the noise inside the shop when the machine isn't cutting. I'm attaching a picture of the basic design on how I want to do it. Basically the blue pvc pipe goes to the pumps and will have a blast gate or a large ball valve. The red will be exhaust. Most likely I will use 4 outlets to limit the amount of back pressure. The white box will be a filtered inlet for the cooling fans with a separate exhaust fan. Is there any reason not to do it this way? Looking at the design of the black box I'm guessing it's more for noise reduction but I'm not really sure. Please let me know your thoughts.


Thanks,
Chris

[wizard]

Looks like a lot of work and screwing around.

Have you considered a Roots style blower?

[FandZ]

A roots style blower would be a little out of my price range. From reading around people seem to be doing well with 4 Lighthouse LH-7123 240V motors. With the type of tooling I'm using and size I think they will be a good match. I guess towards the end of the month I'll find out. Kinda looking forward to it.

[ger21]

I don't think venting outside will reduce the noise in your shop, but it should send a lot of the heat out.

I would think that connecting them to the tube at 90° like that is not the most efficient method for airflow, but that's just a guess.

[FandZ]

I don't think venting outside will reduce the noise in your shop, but it should send a lot of the heat out.

I would think that connecting them to the tube at 90° like that is not the most efficient method for airflow, but that's just a guess.

Hello Gerry,

I haven't really even begun to really design it yet. Just trying to see if it's really that simple. I'm thinking I'll use 3-way divider T pipes that have a more gentle transition. The owner of the building that I rent from has a ton of PVC pipes and connectors so I should have plenty to play around with. I was thinking about the heat too and how nice it would be to have during winter Last two Decembers haven't been that fun to work in. I'm dividing my workshop with a wall. CNC, compressor, and other noisy items on one side and detail sanding, spray booth etc on the other side. Even with ear buds under safety earmuffs, the noise of the router and compressor is really starting to annoy me.

[wizard]

Hello Gerry,

I haven't really even begun to really design it yet. Just trying to see if it's really that simple. I'm thinking I'll use 3-way divider T pipes that have a more gentle transition. The owner of the building that I rent from has a ton of PVC pipes and connectors so I should have plenty to play around with. I was thinking about the heat too and how nice it would be to have during winter Last two Decembers haven't been that fun to work in. I'm dividing my workshop with a wall. CNC, compressor, and other noisy items on one side and detail sanding, spray booth etc on the other side. Even with ear buds under safety earmuffs, the noise of the router and compressor is really starting to annoy me.

As far as vacuum motors go I believe Amtek is another supplier. Speaking of which these vacuums aren't exactly quiet. You might want to look around for a big industrial muffler commonly used with blower systems. At least then you could vent warm air into the shop when needed. Warm it will be too as vacuums had a bit of heat to the air they move.

As for controlling noise, you might want to consider the source. An enclosure around a machine can do wonders to drop the noise levels. In the case of a router they also help contain the dust. Yes enclosures can be a pain in the rear so the trade offs have to be considered.