Reply with QuoteI'm taking a guess here but I think you might have some version of a liquid ring vacuum pump.
It looks similiar to the ones we use at work.
Vacuum table pump help needed.
I’ve ‘acquired’ a few years old chine cnc router.
It has a vacuum bed made out of what looks like a hard plastic, about 50mm thick.
From what I gather this machine has only been run for a few hours in ~7 years.
After about ten minutes I had it all running - with moans and groans + but I’m buggered if I can work out the vacuum pump.
It’s a big three-phase motor connected to a pump but it also has a big box at the side which has a top vent, a centre pipe going to the middle of the pump housing and two taps, top and bottom. It was full of water.
The motor won’t turn although it tries to, If how hot the 3-p wires get is any indication. According to the owner it ran about four years ago but was too noisy so they just hoped the sheet of mdf would be heavy enough to stay put.
He has no idea how it all connects, or who the OEM is - it has been moved to storage which is where I first saw it. I’m fine with the vacuum connection, but whats the big box with water and taps for? I suspect the pump is rusted up and that’s what’s stopping the motor working. My next task is to separate the pump for the motor and seee if I can free it up, but the odd box and pipes has me stumped. Any clues?
The router itself is 3000mm x 1500mm with underslung rack and pinion drive system and looks like it would be a great bit of kit so I’m keen to take charge of it. It comes with a water-cooled spindle which they never connected the water for, so I suspect it may be buggered. Lucky I’ve got a 2.5kw ER20 unit with pump, almost identical, that I can slip in, if needs be. I also have a 1500w German air-cooled ER11 unit if I need it, but no speed controller - but I could knock one up from an arduino and bits.
Any help gratefully received.
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Re: Vacuum table pump help needed.
I'm taking a guess here but I think you might have some version of a liquid ring vacuum pump.
It looks similiar to the ones we use at work.
Re: Vacuum table pump help needed.
Thanks 1Jumper, that looks exactly like what it is.Originally Posted by 1Jumper10
I suspect they left it so long with the water in it that the vanes have corroded onto the housing. Probably buggered now, but I guess all I need is a replacement pump, I can reuse the motor, piping and water reservoir.
Am I right in thinking that the water needs to be changed occasionally as it will fill up with dust, etc? Should there be a filter or cyclone unit between the vacuum table and the pump?
And the two water pipes - the top one is for indicating the high-water point, the lower one for draining and you fill the reservoir via the top pipe?
Cheers for the help. Appreciate it.
Re: Vacuum table pump help needed.
Your pump might be okay. The vanes shouldn't come in contact with the housing. I'd just flush it with water until it runs clear and keep trying to spin it. If you can get it to turn it should work. When you start it up, start it up with minimal water until it's running at full RPM, then open your water supply valve easy. Our vacuum pumps here at work don't like to start up from a flooded state.
If you can get it to work you will have a pretty good unit.
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