Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Counterbalancing & Rong-Fu RF-45 Project

-----Original Message-----
From: Carey L. Culpepper <mr.c@...>
To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com>
Date: 13 July 2000 02:59
Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Counterbalancing & Rong-Fu RF-45 Project

>Ian: A Bridgeport milling machine is not exactly a small machine. Just
>the table is probably a couple hundred pound,s or more, with nothing on
>it. The vise might be 50 pounds or more. That does not include the knee
>itself. Or 3 stepper motors at 25 pounds each. A lot of weight to push
>up. Gravity does a good job coming down.
>I do a few Jaguar racing cylinder heads on this machine. They are 28
>inches long and quite heavy. Add that to the mass and you can understand
>why string and buckets won't get the job done.

At work we have some fairly new leadwell vertical mill cnc's Ok they dont
use string but they do have 2 chains and a big counterbalancing weight
enclosed at the back to balance the weight of the head. These machines are
quite fast, I dont know the inches per minute,If it could travel for a
minute it would be half way down the road! the weight can clank a bit when
pecking and a chain broke once. I suppose the problem would be where to run
chains on a knee type mill apart from at the back of the knee? then it would
need some fairly strong brackets to support wheels to run chains to the back
and a lump of concrete .....Ok the air cylinder idea sounds more practical.

Chris Paine

West Sussex UK