Is production appliication possible with a shopbot if outfitted properly?

[jdsfurnrestinc@aol.com]

our primary use of the shopbot would be cutting 30inch dia. table tops from 5ft.x9ft. sheets of mdf or flake bd.we also would be suppling arched mortised leg panels.we need to yield 5oo sets per month ,we can only allot 1 week per month to this project to be competative.my concern is the shopbot is mainly used by hobbyist and signmakers?any input would be appreciated.

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Absolutely.

I would advise buying the Colombo spindle and going for a 5X10, 5X12 or 5X16' table. With a custom 5X16' you can get 2 sheets of 5X8 on it and minimize sheet swapping time. Get the vacuum table option if you can swing it. This will save you a lot of time in the clamping/unclamping of material. Don't be fooled by the low price...The ShopBot is a high quality accurate machine and more than adequate for the type of work that you will be doing.

I estimate that it would probably take 10 minutes max per 5X8' sheet of actual profile cutting time. (guesstimating) That doesn't include you removing the cut material and clamping/cleaning the table off and reloading the next sheet.

There are a lot of factors involved...Your efficiency in achieving your time goal is largely contingent upon your ability to run the machinery properly ~ IE- the right cut speed and the right bit, proper clamping etc.

If you are a one-man show, then the 1 week to do all of the cutting won't leave much time for sleep. If you have more than one person or able to work an additional shift, you should be able to meet your goal each month without difficulty in my honest opinion.

Hope this helps...By the way, post your location so that other Shopbotters in your neck of the woods can give you a demo. I have a 5X16 with the Colombo and I live near Philadelphia, PA (NJ).

-Brady

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

"my concern is the shopbot is mainly used by hobbyist and signmakers?any input would be appreciated."
*****

I think the correct statement might be "more hobbyists and signmakers use the ShopBot." Brady is correct on the durability and accuracy. At the rate of 100 units a day one would need to calculate cut rates and such. A second option for a tool might be to have two carriages on the largest table size. One could be cutting on both ends of the table at the same time.

A complete second machine would be another thought. In production systems, a vacuum table should be 'standard'.

Ron

[elcruisr]

We are doing production runs on a 5x12 machine. It is also equipped with a vacuum table, a 5hp columbo spindle and a double set of y motors. All of which I think are essential for what we do. One bit of advice is get the biggest vacuum pump you can affford. Also give yourself plenty of time to learn to use the software and machine. Don't plan on setting it up one week and production the next. This will be true of any machine you buy anyway. Also educate yourself on tooling and feed speeds and their relationship with accuracy and cut quality. A typical run for us would be in 3/4 ply or mdf cut at 2" per second at .75" depth per pass using a 3/8 compression spiral. As long as you keep a sharp tool in the spindle this is about the max it's capable of in our experience.

[jdsfurnrestinc@aol]

thank you for your input regarding production.we have been pricing cnc machines of all price ranges ie. 10,000-140,000$ shopbot pricing seems almost too good to be true.iam not doubting what i am reading,just cautious.our shop is located in bear,delaware...thanks again.iwill look forword to your input.

[gerald_d]

Jeff, everything said above is entirely valid. My additional 2 cents is that you have to invest more of your own time for setting up and outfitting the ShopBot than the machines at the $140k end. The expensive machines come with a technician/service guy for a few days and you may be allowed to peer over their shoulders only.

However, doing your own setting up means that you have an intimate knowledge of the equipment and you can do your own repairs if something does go wrong. You don't have to rely on an expensive service technician from far away.

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Jeff,
I work in Newark/Glasgow DE at AstroPower & live in S. Jersey.

E-mail me and maybe we can link up some time next week.

bjwat@comcast.net (mailto:bjwat@comcast.net)
-Brady

[rdayalc602@rogers.com]

I am considering shopbot as a prototyping tool to speed up designing new products and also to allow cost effective solutions to architectural detailing.
Anyone in the Ottawa area that I can talk to.
Has any one tried taking a carving, scanning it in, scaling it and then routing it out ?
Raj

[kerrazy]

Raj,
You are in Luck, I have the latest prt 96 out of Shopbot, all but 4 weeks old here in Ottawa On.
more than happy to do some messing around with t if you want try.
call me @ 613.266.3253

Dale Kerr
LiveWorkPlay Inc.
Against The Grain

[joe]

Jeff,

This type of work is perfect for the SB, coupled with a spindle and vacuum, and proper bits.

However: when I do the numbers, this would be a tedious way to spend one's time.

"There is more to life than making it go faster"
Desrali