The Large CNC got some much needed cleaning today, in the form of moving the Shark CNC. The Shark CNC is now located next to the RED laser, under the loft. Thanks @JennChilds for loaning me your helper.
Hopefully the Shark CNC will be up and running soon, a few wiring details away.
@dannym the goal is to rotate the large CNC 90 degrees, with the positive end of the bed towards the panel saw. Is this something that can be done with a few members help, or is there something special that needs to be considered?
What’s the goal here? We did initially try that configuration. It presented problems- the work area runs well into one of the main workbenches, it needed more clearance. Even then it awkwardly placed the kiosk in a traffic area and the whole thing choked off the walkway for the autobay.
It seemed like it would work on paper, but it didn’t, it required more clearance than people realized especially for loading sheets. We would need to have removed one or two of the main workbenches but that just didn’t make sense. We were left with access and even safety issues, members just couldn’t use it in that orientation and we had to take it offline for awhile but it resolved very well by turning it into where it is now.
I’d like to see a picture of what this overall shop layout would be. Physically lifting it isn’t the problem, there’s more to the installation.
I won’t be able to post a pic of the layout until tomorrow, not going to be at a computer today, but this rotation is part of rearranging to make room for the fiber laser. It might make more sense to do this move when we have more space cleared at the other end of the shop so we can shift things that direction if needed. I’ll defer to @EricP and @Jon on that.
Yeah, we need to make room for a second 4x8 (ish) CNC – the fiber laser. Sliding workbenches to the east is no problem, since the loft over Red is going away.
OK, I do want to get to work on the fiber soon since the CO2 lasers are getting close. I’ve had a lot of questions about placing it there though. Nothing is ever ideal, but that’s a heavy dust situation, it’s near flammables, and we haven’t talked a lot about the stock delivery situation.
One thing that came up some time ago is the heavier metal stock like steel sheet gets delivered by trucks that require a truck-height bay. Or at least “greatly prefer” it. That would place it where Blue was, or retask coworking. The need for a functioning truck bay has come up repeatedly for general needs too, and that is going to become more important with growth. By that line of thinking, the coworking one doesn’t have access for moving deliveries in and out without redoing walls significantly, although we’re partway there with the changes that were just made. The one where Blue was, however, is more straightforward.
I don’t quite see the value in removing the loft. Of course it’s not well utilized now, but a lot of our space isn’t, but it’s got potential like any other space and it’s doubling what we have to work with. The fact that it adds walls to the bottom can be a significant plus for some applications, just not every application of course. One potential match-up being that it could be the protective barrier the fiber laser needs, but the measurements seem wider than ideal on the initial look.
The goal of rotating the CNC table is to help with material loading. As it sits, it is clumsy at best to get a full sheet of anything on there.
I know that space is tight, but with moving the shelf storage, and the eventual move of the sheet storage, I believe it will be enough space for both CNC’s. I believe part of that move will require relocating the air compressor and the CNC dust collector. I believe the goal is to locate both of those on the concrete wall.
I’m not sure how many people are concerned about having a loading dock for unloading material. I would imagine most people are going to be unloading material in a vehicle that could use the auto bay for access. As you said, none of these are perfect solutions, but hopefully a step in the right direction.
I expect the fiber laser will require some additional material handling equipment. Maybe a mobile gantry crane would work; I’ve been thinking we should get it up and running and see how people like to use it before accessorizing in detail
I’d like to request that there’s at least 4 feet both the positive and negative X direction of the CNC machine when it gets repositioned. I’m often working with 12’ long material. I do half my cut, then reposition the sheet to do the second cut. The current spacing is just enough for when I need to do the 12’ cuts.
Loading hasn’t been a major issue for me. The only problem I’ve had is when doing some of the longer cuts is that I’ve blocked the walkway for a while. But with the shark moved, it’s easy to walk around the far side of the machine in that case.
When planning the placement of the laser, I hope there’s at least 3’ between the machines, because it’s nice if I can get to the sides with a vacuum for cleaning.
an aisle between the machines is non-negotiable, but if they’re next to each other they can share the aisle space
Good point on pass-through clearance. If there isn’t enough room on the wall side we can scooch everything east a bit more. Worst-case scenario, we’ll put bench wheels on the westernmost benches and say book 'em and roll them out of the way if you need more CNC length.
Heh. As long as they are lower then the CNC bed, I can just use them to prop up my material. I think the CNC bed is higher than the tables, but I’m not sure.
I’m kind of wondering where the CNC computer will be though. How will we have aisle space, not block the positive X direction, and be able to walk around the machine?
That’s easy. Extend the cables and place them on either side of the panel saw. Although it would probably be more feasible and manageable if the workstations were at opposite ends of one another.
