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    Member smoking_rubber's Avatar
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    Default Identify best rotary table to use

    BACKGROUND: We are a plastic injection molding company. We have a line of off-the-shelf enclosures that we cut various holes in for thousands of different customers. New Age Enclosures | Official Site The parts are typically 2-5" rectangle. Basically, we're cutting button holes into remote control cases. That's not exactly what we're doing every time, but that's the concept and the sizes we're dealing with just for reference. We have thousands of customers and they all want something different in a different box.

    PROBLEM: We have to cut holes (2nd operation) in the boxes. We're doing this on two Haas TM1 milling machines. We make aluminum fixtures (core side) to hold one or two of the cases. So it's basically load the part, lock the clamp, press the GO button on the Haas, the mill comes down and cuts a rectangle or two, then retracts, then the operator removes the part, blows off the core, and repeats the cycle. I NEED TO SPEED THIS UP.

    MY IDEA: Build two identical fixtures (for every part we make) and put them back to back on a rotating table. Then while the machine is cutting the part on the backside we're swapping the part on the frontside, then the table rotates 180 degrees so we can rinse and repeat. Theoretically the mill never stops.

    WHAT I NEED FROM YOU: I need help identifying the right rotating table. It's got to be motor driven. It's got to be fairly accurate +/- .001". It needs to be big enough to hold two fixtures so I think 12" diameter would be good enough, but bigger would be better. THEN, what's the command to rotate the table 180? I can't say money is no object, but it's got to do what it needs to do and the cost is just what it costs.

    Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for taking the time to help me out. I've researched but I've seen prices anywhere from $300 to $11k so it's obvious I don't know exactly what I'm looking for.

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    Community Moderator Jim Dawson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Identify best rotary table to use

    You could use a RT to do what you want. The TM1 is RT ready, but a 12'' Haas RT is expensive. The other downside of doing what you describe is having to override the door safety and have an operator working near moving tooling....... Not good.

    Since your parts are flat-ish, why not make interchangeable pallets to mount the parts on. Have two pallets, load/unload one while the other is running. That way the machine down time is minimal. I would set them up so they just clamp in place, located by dowel pins.

    I would also load up as many parts as will fit on the table.

    We built a tooling plate that stays permanently attached to the table, then make interchangeable pallets that attach to that which gives us a very accurate quick change system.

    Jim Dawson
    Sandy, Oregon, USA


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    Member smoking_rubber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Identify best rotary table to use

    Yes I believe a Rotary table is what I need. Which one EXACTLY? I'll certainly have a vertical barrier between the fixtures to avoid the possibility of the operator getting hurt. Yes, my parts are flat-ish but we're cutting holes on any and every surface. Ideally, I'll fab a plate that can mount any fixture I make. Right now, most of my fixtures look like your forearm with two case halves mounted to the front and back of your hand. Then toggle clamps coming off your wrist. This allows me to mount it in the vise in any orientation whether I'm cutting the sides, the ends or the face. Here I'm typically cutting two parts at a time if I can, but sometimes it's only one at a time. Either way it's the traditional cycle of load the part, cut the part, remove the part, and repeat. The machine is stopped during unload and load, but I need to make the cycle faster. I'm aware that I'll need to make all new fixtures (2 of them for each part and each orientation)



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    Community Moderator Jim Dawson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Identify best rotary table to use

    That being the case, this RT is plug & play and meets your size spec. https://www.haascnc.com/machines/rot...ls/hrt310.html

    You might be able to use a smaller RT and attach a tooling plate to it to get a larger swing.

    There is also a possibility that you could cludge something together with an external controller and operate it with the Aux M code outputs that are available on the Haas.

    Jim Dawson
    Sandy, Oregon, USA


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    Community Moderator Jim Dawson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Identify best rotary table to use

    I took a look on EBay and found this. Check with Haas for compatibility with your machine

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/HAAS-HRT-31...-/222828774833

    Jim Dawson
    Sandy, Oregon, USA


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    Member smoking_rubber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Identify best rotary table to use

    AWESOME! Thanks that's what I was looking for. I have reached out to MTS (our Haas rep) to determine compatibility or cost to upgrade for 4th axis. Thanks a lot Jim for your time and assistance!!!!

    I'll definitely have to fab a mounting plate (with a barrier between the fixtures) so I like the idea of using a smaller table. How small would you recommend with a 12"-14" plate on top? Again, we're not hogging steel with 1" end mills (on this machine) ... we're just cutting small holes through .100" plastic using 1/16" end mills. I have a VF3 for cutting steel molds, copper electrodes, and aluminum fixtures.



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    Community Moderator Jim Dawson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Identify best rotary table to use

    I would think you could go with a 6 or 8 inch, your cutting forces just about nonexistent. Just make the plate heavy enough not to flop around, maybe 3/4 or 1 inch thick aluminum.

    Jim Dawson
    Sandy, Oregon, USA


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Identify best rotary table to use

Identify best rotary table to use