HAAS TM-1 Enclosure!!!

[helocat]

I know this is an old thread. BUT I see AMCtony is still on the board, at least as of last Dec.

I dig how you made this enclosure. What did you use for door glides? I am looking at making something very similar for my TM-1. Getting tired of cleaning up coolant.

Thank you,

Mark

[hercules]

I was thinking of just adding on to the existing sheet metal that came with my machine, minus the stuff attached to the table obviously. Attached is a sketch of assembly that consists of a left and right side panel, a front panel and two door panels. In the assembly drawing the handles are shown on the doors as if they slide to the sides. I am considering making them counter weighted lift up doors instead. What do you think of this idea? See any flaws? Like was done by the author of this thread I would also have to extend the control arm out a bit to clear everything.

[helocat]

Originally Posted by hercules I was thinking of just adding on to the existing sheet metal that came with my machine, minus the stuff attached to the table obviously. Attached is a sketch of assembly that consists of a left and right side panel, a front panel and two door panels. In the assembly drawing the handles are shown on the doors as if they slide to the sides. I am considering making them counter weighted lift up doors instead. What do you think of this idea? See any flaws? Like was done by the author of this thread I would also have to extend the control arm out a bit to clear everything.

Looks good. I would put top corner gussets if not enclosing the top. The doors will create allot of movement just opening and closing. I too was wondering about using gas struts to neutralize (used up and down just dif. rates) a single center door that moves up and down. As long as the lip of the door is on the inside of the side panels, cant really tell there. Need that so coolant drips down to the lower pan. Side access also needs to be easy access to clean the non-auger machine out. I was thinking slide up panels like the VF's have for the sides then a flip down lower door below the main door to access under the bed for clean out.

Mark

[HelicopterJohn]

One thing to keep in mind is to make the enclosure wide enough towards the front to make sure when the table is in the fully forward position that you can shut the doors without hitting the vise shafts. I have a HAAS 2007 TM-1P with the factory enclosure and I had to cut about .750 inch off the vise shafts to get the necessary clearance. Per a suggestion from a friend of mine I made some special wrenches for tightening the vise jaws instead of the OEM handles. They were combination box/open end wrenches. I cut the open end head off and inserted a piece of heavy duty heat shrink over the shank. I also straighten out the wrench so it would hang perfectly vertical. Then I bought some "O" Rings at the hardware store and slip them over the hex shafts to hold the box wrench in place. I am using the Kurt D688 Vises.

John

[hercules]

Yeah good point. I agree I would need to add some gussets. I wasn't planning to close up the top. It doesn't seem like I need to do that. Not many chips or much coolant flies up that high now. Some chips do land on top of the umbrella tool changer if I cut hard and fast on aluminum though. Am I making a mistake not covering the top? I did intend for the side panel opening windows to be simple slide up sheets like the VF's use. Those do work quite well. Air assist cylinders is an interesting idea for the door if it slides up. I was thinking of counter weights and/or a cable and pulley or a cable and spring set up. In the end I'd like to make the door mechanism as simple and bullet proof as I can. And yes the flanges for the sheet metal would be bent inward towards the inside of the machine. On the bottom of the doors I planned to have that flange bent in and sloped down 10 or 20 degrees so coolant would drain off.

A bottom door or hatch for clean out and verifying that I have enough front side clearance for vise handles are two things I hadn't thought through yet. Good tips to save me some heart ache there, thanks guys! Any other ideas or comments keep 'em coming, I appreciate the help.

[KenFoulks]

Check out AMI, they sell an enclosure.

[WallyL7]

Wow Ken, that is quite the enclosure...did they say "glass" front windows????!!!!!

Looks good, though, Chalkboard. I remember having to get pretty creative catching all the coolant that ran out of our TL-1 and TL-2...

Good thing we had a full sheetmetal shop and weld shop at my last shop....