Last March, I began installation of a second CNC machine capable of work up to 60 x 144 inches in my 3rd floor studio. My first machine is now dedicated to wood carving while the second machine is for drawing and painting so I can now work several projects at once.
This turned out to be a MUCH more difficult installation than the first. The new machine is almost twice the size of my first — all the heavy pieces had to be carried up three flights of stairs and then bolted together like a giant erector set. The rails of each axis had to be carefully and precisely leveled and fastened exactly parallel — not an easy task with bubble levels and ultimately I bought a laser level which made the process possible — until then, I was really starting to pull my hair out (and I don’t have that much hair to pull anymore)! The bed and vacuum plenum engineering was much more problematic than I’d imagined because they had to be built up from several interlocking panels. In the end, it turned out that there were a number of electonic and electrical problems which I had a LOT of trouble diagnosing and repairing, so most of my work these past several months has been more engineering than art, but the machine is FINALLY complete and I am ready now to make some larger and more complex art.
New CNC machine with bed complete and two of three vacuum plenum panels installed. Holes cut in bed (one visible in foreground) for hookup to vacuum which provides suction through trupan ultra-light MDF surface).
One of the three 4 x 5 foot plenum panels with waffle cuts for vacuum distribution
detail showing vacuum waffle cuts on bottom surface
using CNC it was so very easy to cut an ellipse to perfectly fit the angle of the hose hook-ups!
vacuum plenum complete
3-zone control of vacuum to table via simple knife gate valves
vacuum hose hooked up to fitting on table bottom
New CNC machine complete with table planed flat. All that's left to do now is install compressed air hookup for painting and SWEEP UP!!!