How hard would it be to machine this part?

[kentrob11]

I need to fabricate a slightly different version of the volute mount on this pump. Basically it's the white part between the volute housing and the motor inside of the red outline. It's about 4" diameter at the pump mount and maybe 7" diameter at the volute mount...I'm going to be getting a CNC here in about 2 months and wanted to hash out some of the design work ahead of time. Any ideas?

[One of Many]

Hard? depends on your material. Other than that, its not so tough. It is just an adapter mount and over pressure flow clearance at the shaft. A two sided profile and with no undercuts should make it simple if fixtured properly. Maybe a 3rd operation to cut the base mounting slots.

DC

[kentrob11]

I was thinking of using a solid piece of 1.5" PVC sheet. I was under the impression after studying it that there would need to be a significant amount of undercutting! I don't have any cad experience yet (Waiting on my software to get here) so I'm just starting out.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by kentrob11 ..... after studying it that there would need to be a significant amount of undercutting!....

You are correct, just looking at it that is clear. BUT, and I choose to emphasize this very strongly do not get hung up on this.

That parts looks like it is injection molded; this equates to large numbers. Material cost is a consideration and also machine capacity, so with injection molding minimizing the material used is important. Remember undercuts on the part are kind-of 'over cuts' on the mold, they are easy to do at the mold stage.

You probably do not need to slavishly duplicate that shape. Figure out what features are needed for the function of the part and make sure these are duplicated correcly. But don't worry about features that do not contribute to the function but merely remove weight.