Optical Limit Switches

[HimyKabibble]

Does anyone here have a design for good, coolant-proof optical limit switches? I hate to re-invent the wheel....

Regards,
Ray L.

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by HimyKabibble Does anyone here have a design for good, coolant-proof optical limit switches? I hate to re-invent the wheel.... Regards, Ray L.

I think that coolant proof and optical are almost imcompatable. As soon as you get some coolant on the window of the optics, the switch may or may not work. We use fiber optic limit switches on machines at work but a soon as the fiber gets dirt or water on it it doesn't work properly.
Capcitive or inductive proxes may work better. I am looking into better limit switches for my machine also, especially the home switches as I would like real good repeatability.

Mike

[polaraligned]

Automation Direct has some good quality (made in Italy) mechanical switches. May be worth looking into. Lot of people have good results with a mechanical switch.

Scott

[HimyKabibble]

I think you guys are missing the point - the optics go in a sealed enclosure, so they never see the coolant. It's very commonly done. What I'm looking for is a good enclosure design.

Regards,
Ray L.

[jemmyell]

Hi,

I have some Industrial Hobbies optical limits that I am not going to use. PM me is you are interested.

-James

[LUCKY13]

If he is not interested I would be.

They should work on his BP clone with a little work though and would make nice sensors that are water proof and are suppost to be designed as a machanical stop also incase there is a runnaway.

I dont know how well they would really hold up on that BP with the servo's your running though HimyKabibble, incase a runaway that is. Thats a lot of table to be stopping with a aluminum stop. The past owner of IH did test on the IH mill to see if they would withstand a dead plowing from a runaway table and it did no damage at all to them ( a few scratchs but the switch/housing held up great) .

As far as there intent function they are a great setup, (water proof,accurate,repeatable,strong,ajustable). As long as you dont try to run through them with the table they should be fine, and may even be then. If not a steel housing could be made up to replace the aluminum and use the sensors/switchs rods and ajusters and have a upgraded version of them. The past owner of IH went to a lot of trouble to make his stuff bullitproof in anyway he could.



Jess

[HimyKabibble]

Originally Posted by LUCKY13 If he is not interested I would be. They should work on his BP clone with a little work though and would make nice sensors that are water proof and are suppost to be designed as a machanical stop also incase there is a runnaway. I dont know how well they would really hold up on that BP with the servo's your running though HimyKabibble, incase a runaway that is. Thats a lot of table to be stopping with a aluminum stop. The past owner of IH did test on the IH mill to see if they would withstand a dead plowing from a runaway table and it did no damage at all to them ( a few scratchs but the switch/housing held up great) . As far as there intent function they are a great setup, (water proof,accurate,repeatable,strong,ajustable). As long as you dont try to run through them with the table they should be fine, and may even be then. If not a steel housing could be made up to replace the aluminum and use the sensors/switchs rods and ajusters and have a upgraded version of them. The past owner of IH went to a lot of trouble to make his stuff bullitproof in anyway he could. Jess

I received the switches from James yesterday. I plan to figure out a means of mounting them that will protect them - probably just by mounting them in a position where the hard stop will prevent them from getting clobbered in a runaway.
I am surprised at how crude the machine work is on them. Is that normal for the IH stuff? Parts of these look like they were almost chewed out by beavers, rather then being nicely milled. They're functionally very good, but really crude looking in places.

[jemmyell]

Don't take those as examples of current IH products. They were very early manufacture. However, I'm not sure they would give much emphasis on the esthetics of a part like that.

-James Leonard