Vaccuum Table for CNC Mill

[ShopRat]

I would like to make a vaccuum table to place on my Cincinatti Sabre 750 machining center.&nbsp;&nbsp;I wish to hold sheet aluminum, plastics, or phenolics in thhickness of .020&quot; to .50&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;Size of sheet would be maximum of 18&quot; x 24&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;I want to be able to remove the table if needed to utilize other fixtures or vises.&nbsp;&nbsp;Any guidance on design and part requirements would be appreciated.<br><br>Thanks,<br> <p>Mike Butts<br><a href=mailto:michaelb@sccoast.net>michaelb@sccoast.net</a><br><a href= > </a><br>We are small, and offer CNC machining, Fabrication, reverse engineering, AutoCAD generated documentation in 2D or Solid Models. We look for the challenges that others pass up, working with numerous materials such as Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Inconel, Ha

 

[LTD]

Mike,<br>an auful lot depends upon the number and frequency and variability of parts you're going to make.&nbsp;&nbsp;A massive &quot;wood worker&quot; style of vacuum table can be many thousands of dollars, but a simple one can be made for the cost of a sub-plate and a couple hundred dollars.&nbsp;&nbsp;There are dramatic differences in set-up times, and even holding power.<br><br>Remember also that a small part will not generate much holding power - it's only 15psi max...<br><br>Also, you'll have to keep the parts secure in x and y some how too.&nbsp;&nbsp;Metals tend to slide because of the cutting forces.<br><br>Vacuum is not like pressure, you can't store much of it, so big tanks don't help anything except a little on the initial purge.<br><br>O ring squish pressure can overcome vacuum in local areas if there is not enough surface area, or if the material gets thin and flexes at the edge where the O ring is.<br><br>What do you program with?&nbsp;&nbsp;I saw the blurb about Autocad documentation, but how do you program?<br><br>Larry

 

[ShopRat]

Larry,<br><br>Thanks for the info.&nbsp;&nbsp;Very helpful.&nbsp;&nbsp;As for the programming, I create the geometry in Autocad, 2D or 3D, then use various lisp routines I've collected over the years to generate the toolpath offsets and g-code data.&nbsp;&nbsp;Doesn't have all the bells and whistles the $$$$ programs have, but they get the job done and cost for the routines was just &quot;surfing time&quot;&lt;G&gt;. <p>Mike Butts<br><a href=mailto:michaelb@sccoast.net>michaelb@sccoast.net</a><br><a href= > </a><br>We are small, and offer CNC machining, Fabrication, reverse engineering, AutoCAD generated documentation in 2D or Solid Models. We look for the challenges that others pass up, working with numerous materials such as Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Inconel, Ha