Tube laser video

[Troy]

Hairy


Where are you getting a pullmax for a song and a dance. I just happen to know a few songs and I'm a hell of a dancer and still can't get a pullmax. Maybe they just don't like my dancing though.

Troy

[Hairy-Neil]

I'm UK based remember.

Our manufacturing industry has mostly gone down the pan in the last 25 years and the market is not exactly flooded with this stuff but its out there if you know where to look or are prepared to bide your time.

[briggsy97]

I didn't just find the video link. The company I work for purchased one of the 3 axis machines 6 months ago. I am one of the two engineers that programs it. It will cut up to 4x4x.312 max. There is a fourth axis model, but it costs more and runs slower. We have nearly 400 different parts programmed on it thus far, and have only come across two that we couldn't run because of not having the fourth axis.

We run primarily 11ga squares and rectangles. The largest tube is 4x1.5x11ga. Compared to traditional methods i.e. band saws and machining centers most parts are finished in less than 25% of the old time standards. There have been some programming challenges, and the carborrization removal has been a pain, but it is a great machine, and I think we will get another one within a few years.

[gator 1]

After reading the post agian i see that joe posted the bit about the fourth axis. Got ahead of myself.But it sure would be nice to have one sitting in the shop when needed. Maybe for christmas.LOL LOL LOL

[Peter Miles]

In an interesting coincidence, I just spent two days in an aircraft fabrication class sitting next to a research machinist from Flow International.

Flow makes waterjets and he says that they are available in five-axis models now. The biggest problem with them when cutting complex shapes in tubes is that you frequently need to feed in a backing device to keep from cutting the back wall of the tube.

I think that he said their least expensive machine is still about $100K. The prices are coming down however, but still are likely to be out of home shop reach for quite awhile!

Next time I'm down in Kent (WA), I'll try to get a tour through the factory.

[anders nørgaard]

Originally Posted by gator 1

After reading the post agian i see that joe posted the bit about the fourth axis. Got ahead of myself.But it sure would be nice to have one sitting in the shop when needed. Maybe for christmas.LOL LOL LOL

No problem!

[FriarTuck]

I'll have to wait and pick one up from the tool crib at Boeing Surplus down south of Renton WA (if they're still there). Haven't been there for 10 years, but sure used to like to go thru there every once in a while. Half my stash is from there.

[mikeymike]

So when are they gonna come out with a hand held model? LoL
That's quite impressive.

Mikey

[harrygibus]

Originally Posted by Peter Miles

" The biggest problem with them when cutting complex shapes in tubes is that you frequently need to feed in a backing device to keep from cutting the back wall of the tube."

Hey Peter,

Obviously your friend knows more about this than I, but it would seem to me that changing the pressure of the cutting head (down) would prevent it from cutting through? It might take a while to find the right preasure, but it seems like it would work. Maybe changing the pressure is not as easy as I would think?

Just wondering,
Jay

[CustomMachines]

Yeah, those things are great.
a friend of my family has one in Modesto, Cali. that thing is amazing,
it would defenitly save a lot of time. (especially in a hand held model )

Grtz,
JJ