How thick is the acrylic that you're cutting?
It's not hard to lift flexibly materials on a vacuum table, even with a really good vacuum.
And your pump is only about 13"Hg, which is not a lot. Is there a CFM rating on it?
I have a 4'x8' router with a gridded phenolic table. 6 chambers, each chamber goes down the length of the table. You can see the pic for the specs of the vacuum we have attached. I have tried with both standard MDF and ultralight MDF (1" thickness) and I can't get good vacuum through it. Edges are sealed with 2 layers of latex paint, both sides are surfaced and am currently taking off layer by layer seeing if a thinner top with help.
Good vacuum to me is something that isn't easy to lift, while you can't slide anything on the mdf you can lift it up easily. When I vacuum directly to the table, its stuck like a sheep's head in barbed-wire. Is there any reason I couldn't cut directly on the table? I am onion skinning all my pieces (Acrylic with masking) so shouldn't be cutting into the gasket or the table.
If I add a bunch of 1/8" - 1/4" holes along the table will that help pass the air through? Granted my mdf sheet is 97*49 while my plastic sheets are 48*96 so I need to find a way to seal around those edges or just trim the mdf to size.
Pretty new to cnc, machine setup is taking a long time and I liked to get to production soon. Just looking for some guidance.
Thanks,
-Ross
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How thick is the acrylic that you're cutting?
It's not hard to lift flexibly materials on a vacuum table, even with a really good vacuum.
And your pump is only about 13"Hg, which is not a lot. Is there a CFM rating on it?
Gerry
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JointCAM - CNC Dovetails & Box Joints
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.25" acrylic. I cut really well directly on the table this morning, I can tell I need to seal around the edges or cut the mdf board to size. I can't see a CFM rating on the blower or in the manual, I'll have to check with manufacturer tomorrow.
Spoke with the manufacturer today about CFM. Looks like 215 CFM at 13 HG. We have the HRB1002, attached is the spec sheet for reference.
Earlier I was running a full table 4x8 bed, I tried a smaller set-up 2'x4' with ultralight MDF and while it is better, I can lift off 1/4" plastic still pretty easily. I haven't run it and I am worried of the bit pulling material up as I cut. I plan to onion skin everything but it is still a concern.