vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

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stankern
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vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by stankern »

used a vac puck on a adjustable clamp that was used for holding bird carving blanks
works quite good , its a good addition to vac hold downs in a small shop and is cnc built




the o rings come from lee valley tools a package of 3
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fixtureman
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by fixtureman »

I use All Star gasket material it comes in rolls and you can adjust it to the size of the puck

stankern
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by stankern »

I could not find a gasket that was flexible ,the ones I ran into were quite hard
these seem to work well .
The one thing to note is that the work piece will not come off but if there is a "lot" of
lateral movement the o ring can have some movement
This might be overcome by using two pucks

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rscrawford
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by rscrawford »

HDPE is very slippery. Try using corian for the puck - it has a higher coefficient of friction (use the rough side or sand it lightly) and the material won't move as much. You want the material to sit flat against the puck, so the gasket needs to be able to compress enough to allow that.
Russell Crawford
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glenninvb
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by glenninvb »

I use this EPDM closed cell foam cord 100' rolls or the Neoprene in shorter lengths .... just cut slightly long and butt... holds vacuum well and compresses flat
http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-foam-cords/=1174bak

stankern
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by stankern »

thanks for the info ...
where does one get ..EPDM closed cell foam cord 100' rolls or the Neoprene
and I have used corian but it needs to be doubled as corian is 1/2 thick ,to thin for a O ring machining and
a channel for the vaccum
wood also can be used ie cherry and a finish applied to vac proof it
BUT you are right about the slip, I never thought of it as I am seeing a lateral movement
corian does have a rough side .
Secondly the vac track would be easier to machine out in corian especially if one glues 2 piece face to face
Thanks ...again
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glenninvb
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by glenninvb »

stankern,
McMaster Carr..... the link I posted should work
I machined my vacuum table grooves .125 wide and .080 deep for use with 1/8" cord. With the table I can do most any size job that fits by putting cord where needed.
The nice thing about a table, it is machined flat and is great for rotary engraving acrylic or color core

P.S. like your wood pucks, simple and effective!

ger21
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by ger21 »

McMaster Carr doesn't ship outside of the US.
As was mentioned, get the gasket material from All Star Adhesives. It's specifically made for CNC vacuum applications.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

glenninvb
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by glenninvb »

ger21 wrote:McMaster Carr doesn't ship outside of the US.
As was mentioned, get the gasket material from All Star Adhesives. It's specifically made for CNC vacuum applications.
Didn't notice OP was in Canada, sorry
I believe McMaster will ship to Canada (according to website), may require min. and most likely more economical to find a local source.

Some commercial vacuum table Mfg. use round neoprene cord on grid tables, Tormach is one and they sell round cord in 10' lengths, many others (Techno, 2L) use square or rectangular cord http://www.tormach.com/product_pcnc_acc_vacuum.html

I agree some types of gasket are nice for thru cutting parts ... Allstar sells round foam cord as well for grids and pucks.. FYI
http://allstaradhesives.com/cart/catego ... d_sealants

glenninvb
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by glenninvb »

The only reason I've mentioned all this, someone wishing to build a grid type table that uses foam cord, the cord needs to compress flat to prevent warping of sheet goods.

stankern
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by stankern »

to rscrawford

could you explain more about using corian ,maybe I am missing a bit but is it not too thin 1/2 in
I best is a material I found was about 1 in thick then there is room for o ring grooves and a vac channel
its is touch drilling that hole through for the vac channel and brass fittings

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rscrawford
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by rscrawford »

Route a vacuum channel in one piece of corian, then glue another piece on top of that and route the plenum into the top piece. Then drill a hole through the side into the vacuum channel, and either tap the hole or simply silicone a brass fitting into the hole for the hose to attach to.

I've even used MDF for vacuum jigs. I just seal it well. Your hardwood example is also a good method. I've seen large furniture manufacturers make all sorts of oddly shaped vacuum jigs out of hardwood to hold curved parts being machined.
Russell Crawford
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stankern
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Re: vac puck used on an adjustable clamp

Post by stankern »

thanks a lot, I really like working with corian its tough stuff but the hardwood is the cheapest way to go ,I had used cherry 1 in 8x8 pieces
and gave each one 2 coats of sealer and that worked well
I need to roughen up the surface a bit as I am getting some lateral play with one puck probably not with 4
but its enough to run the work piece when running the cnc

thanks again

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