[widgitmaster]

Here is a status report for this Newton's Cradle project!

Also, a member of the Zone has offered to make up the g-code for the plaque!

Thank You!

Widgit

[rcpilot82]

very cool!

[widgitmaster]

My Micro-Hite arrived today, and its much bigger than I remember! May be that's because the surface plat at my last employ was 1' x 12' x 18'

I suppose I have no choice but to muscle a bigger rock into my back room

I have spent an hour playing with it, and all I could find wrong was a few loose screws on the front sheet metal cover!

It powers right up and calibrates in a blink!

I'm a Happy Widgit !

[thebodger@roger]

Hello Widget
Wow the micro hite is a great score! We have abouth 15 of them in use in our shop where I work. The guys absolutely love them. In fact they use the micro hite in place of many other measuring tools. It is a very versitile tool. I hope you got an instruction manual with it, so you can see all the different ways it can be setup for measuring. I don't know what you paid for it, but if I recall when we aquired our models of the type like yours, we paid about $10,000.00 each. The only thing to be careful of, is damaging the steel band that elevates the measuring head. It usually gets dented up from parts being pushed into the band. It's no big deal to replace if you know the trick to doing it, and the band is about $50.00.

[widgitmaster]

Well, I just ordered a 430 lb surface plate & stand, I have no idea how I'm going to get it in the back room Roll it on top of some Delrin bar stock, so it doesn't scratch my tile floor

The plate is 4" x 24" x 36"!

Oh yea, the anonymous Zone member sent me a rendering of the plaque!
It had my name spelt wrong, but that will be fixed!
Thanks Mr. Anonymous, it looks fantastic!

Widgit

[widgitmaster]

This morning I started on the replacement top plate, it is much thicker, and will not bend under the weight of the balls!

Starting with a big block of aluminum, 2 1/2" x 12" x 14", this was about 1 7/8" too wide! So I made a line, and band sawed off the bulk, leaving about 1/8" extra. Then I placed the block in the vise and machined two clean edges on the block, removing all the saw marks.

Next I placed the block in the soft jaws, and took a very light cut off one surface. Then I flipped the block in the jaws and took another skim cut on the opposite side. Then I used a 2-3" micrometer to check the plate's thickness at six points, and wrote the numbers on the plate with a marker. I could see the plate was parallel within .0003", and .080" oversize. So I milled off the remaining material bringing the plate to its final thickness.

Next I inked up one end and used my calipers to scribe some basic guide lines, so I could see what needed to be removed from the top profile.

After taking many passes at 2800 RPM, 30 IPM, .040" deep, and full width of my 3" face mill, the contour began to take shape! But so did the pile of chips on the floor There is approximately .04" remaining on all the dimensions.

Being that the part is too HOT, I will either finish the inner surfaces with an end mill tonight, or tomorrow when it has cooled off! Otherwise it will shrink and the part will not have accurate dimensions!

[jalessi]

Eric,

How much did that chunk of aluminum cost?

Jeff...

[widgitmaster]

After the plate cooled, I took a 3/4" 2-flute end mill and hand ground a .25" radius on the points! Then I stoned them nice and smooth with a long 1/2" red triangular stone!

The actual radius cut small, but that's OK for this application So I milled all surfaces using this one tool, and everything had a pristine finish! So I grained it using some fine Scotch Brite pads!

Now that's done, I can stand it on edge and finish the width!

Widgit

[widgitmaster]

This morning I setup the large angle plate on the mill, clamped the part in four places and milled the long edge to size. Then I flipped the part and repeated the process, finishing the width of the part.

2nd setup held the part at 90 degrees, allowing me to mill one end square. Again I flipped the part and repeated the process milling the overall length +.020"

3rd setup, I removed the angle plate and clamped the part on the table. Using 1-2-3 blocks under each clamp. After everything is dialed in, I set the DRO to x,y-zero in the center of the part. Then I drilled the four holes under size, and bored them to .501" dia. for the corner posts.

In the same setup, I used a 1/2" 2-flute end mill with .093" radius ground on the points. Then I moved out an equal distance from center, and milled two long slots .5802" wide by .780" deep. These slots will be for the upper pivot bearings & shoulder bolts. The width of the slots is critical, so I used my digital micrometer and an adjustable parallel expanded in the slot to get an accurate measurement.

It's lunch time!

[widgitmaster]

So far I have the part clamped to the table, and the
DRO set to the center of the part. Then I plunge cut the bulk out and have started to finish the pockets. When the first set of pockets were finished, I extended the ram in order to finish the last pocket! Again I plunge cut using only the end of the end mill, and advanced .1" per plunge. This is much safer for the end mill and the part, as I can not afford any mistakes!

Next I put the vise on the mill in the long direction, strapped it down and milled the jaws true. With a solid stop, I milled a step on all four corners, this is where the little top buttons will nest.

Now I need to mill the 15 deg. angles, that's a job for another day!

So I washed & deburred the part, and put it on the surface plate with the big Micro-Hite. The results were very good, as the slots for the bearings were .0002" deviation in width and location! The slots were centered to the plate within .0005. and parallel within .0002"

Now I have been informed via PM that the anodizing process heats the aluminum to 180 deg F, that this will cause the parts to stress and distort! Which is probably what happened to the first plate! So my strategy is to make the multi-diameter counter bores to finish size, except for the diameter which matches that of the bearing ID. Then I will bore them after plating! This should ensure the precision will be in all the critical locations!

Now who is going to help me move a 480 lb surface plate into the back room A larger plate will give me more room for the Micro-Hite, and still have room for an angle plate and large parts!

The Micro-Hite is an obsolete model, and Brown & Sharp offers nothing in the line of parts or accessories! So I will have to make a few probes and attachments for it! Like one which holds a dial indicator!

[Bassthumper]

Now I have been informed via PM that the anodizing process heats the aluminum to 180 deg F, that this will cause the parts to stress and distort!

Really? At only 180 deg F? This doesn't seem like it would be enough heat to do that much to the aluminum. I wouldn't think it'd be an issue, but I'm far from an expert in the matter. Especially when it comes to the tolerances you've been working with on this project.

Very interesting if that's truly the case. I'd like to see a little more info to substantiate this though.

That being said, this is a very interesting project, and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product in action!

[CarveOne]

According to this site, it is the color dye process that raises the temperature to the boiling point, not the actual anodizing process. The site photographically details the whole process. I just know I'll regret looking up yet another how-to site and learning something new to do at home.

CarveOne

[mactec54]

Brassthumper by removing large amounts of metal from a part like this when it is heated
in the Anodizing process between 180F & 220F it will remove some of the stress in the part enough to put his .0002 holes out, it soaks at this temperature between 30min & 1 hour at the Anodizers

Every time you mill/grind etc on a piece of material you will put some stress into the material as well, it does not take much to put the stress in, it takes even less to take it out

You can even remove stress in a part by sand blasting/bead blasting, dry-ice is another way, or just put it outside for mother nature to do it for you

There is many ways for the stress to be relieved in a part, but this is a whole subject by itself

[mactec54]

CarveOne that is almost correct, the color does not or should not go over 140F to 160F mostly not over 140F

The Anodizing process is only 65F to 75F

After the color it is washed & then into 180F tank if they have Nickel Acetate sealer if you don't have Nickel Acetate for the sealer tank then you need to go to the higher temperature 212F 220F when using just water as the sealer

[CarveOne]

Hi Wigit,

No posts from you since last Sunday. Is everything ok there?

CarveOne

[Bassthumper]

Update?

[rcpilot82]

11/16/09 last activity. Hope everything is ok.

[CarveOne]

11/16/09 last activity. Hope everything is ok.

Yeah, me too. Maybe he just took this offline until he gets it working.

CarveOne

[widgitmaster]

Ok, calm down all you puddin heads!
I'm still out of town on a family emergency!
Not sure when I'll be back in the shop!
Widgit

[the4thseal]

i wish you the best