Automatic toolchanger

[buscht]

Has anybody built this toolchanger?
http://home.insightbb.com/~joevicar3/default.htm

I can see benefits to adapt this idea to a router type machine and spindle.

[georgebarr]

I have not built one yet. How about a different approach to tool changing. I saw one professional cnc machine where all the tools where on one of the sides of the table. The machine spindle has to move to one of these tools to pick it up. This seems a much easier setup. Any ideas on how to get this to work?

[HuFlungDung]

What you suggest is perfectly feasible, George, but those tools are retained by the retention knob system. This means you would have to build your own spindle, because you need through the spindle access for the drawbar mechanism. This is not handy for the guys using a commercial router for a spindle. But, it could be done.

[avsfan733]

can someone explain for my sake exactly how the tool changers on production cnc machines work?

[BeerFizz]

Does anyone know how the Sears/Crafstman Quick Change collet for the Porter-Cable routers actually works. Would that be a good candidate for a tool changer.

Jeff (Davis) how do your collets works.

best Regards
Phil

[HuFlungDung]

Originally posted by avsfan733 can someone explain for my sake exactly how the tool changers on production cnc machines work?

Yes we had a thread discussing this not too long ago:

http://www.cnczone.com/showthread.ph...eville+washers

[HomeCNC]

Does anyone know how the Sears/Crafstman Quick Change collet for the Porter-Cable routers actually works. Would that be a good candidate for a tool changer.

I don't believe that these collets hold a tool in a known position.

My collets do hold the tool in a fixed length. This is the benifit of automatic tool changes. You don't need to stop the code to fix the Z tool length. But like Hu said, we router users can't use the draw bar method of holding the fixed tooling.

I feel that using tooling like what I designed is the best option for router users. When its time to change the tool, my router shuts off, and this is what I hear when I'm away from the router.

[georgebarr]

I found a web site that has a tutorial on tool changers at:
http://jjjtrain.kanabco.com/vms/mill_tool_holders.html

[georgebarr]

Here is a picture of the retention knob. I am still learning about tool changers. Found a good tutorial at:
http://www.servoproductsco.com/html/sam_7_cnc_atc.html