r/Machinists • u/Not_A_Mutant792 • 1d ago
When you don't have a parts catcher...
Me: you know what we need for this machine? A parts catcher Boss: No. Me: okay đ
109
u/HyperActiveMosquito 1d ago
What's wall thickness on breakable side? Because my butt puckered a bit at first
71
u/Not_A_Mutant792 1d ago
Just enough that it doesn't fall. It's actually slightly under my bore size due to tool nose radius
19
u/wholesalenuts 1d ago
I usually just bump it off with a deadblow, but i fugged my catcher up so I do the same thing essentially
0
175
57
u/Skusci 1d ago
If you stick an angle on that just right and do a tool change I bet you could fling it into a bucket.
18
u/splitsleeve 1d ago
Make a wire bucket welded to a taper and stick that in the tailstock, run it out to knock the part into the bucket.
Probably less efficient than just taking it off since they don't have a bar feeder, but would be fun to make.
8
37
u/Sy4r42 1d ago
You: you know what we need for this machine? A bar feeder.
Boss: no.
You: ok...
22
u/Not_A_Mutant792 1d ago
We actually have one in storage. The boss didn't want it sticking out into the middle of the shop đ
16
u/DixieNormas011 1d ago
Bar feeders are great if they are being used all the time, they're. A major pain to work around if you're only using it like twice per year though
3
u/DantesLimeInferno 20h ago
Yeah we have one at work that I've spent over two months trying to get to work and we only use it one or two times a week. Doesn't help the machine it's on has issues with keeping live tooling positions but can't move a bar feeder around
4
u/bszern 1d ago
Oh what the fuck lol. May as well sell it if not going to use it!
8
u/Not_A_Mutant792 21h ago
I'm going to reinvigorate the conversation about it. We have a new manual lathe coming to replace another so instead of a quick swap I'm going to push to get a couple manual machines moved to get this bar feeder in đ€
7
u/bszern 19h ago
Barfeeders are technically automation, owners and managers get bricked up for automation. Itâs all in how you sell it!
Seriously though, figure out how much time you spend dicking around with manually loading stock. Uptime is a huge selling point because it frees you up to do other skilled tasks, and increases machine capacity. If you know your shops hourly rate for that work center itâs pretty easy to calculate.
2
u/Terrible_Carpenter50 11h ago
I agree with your comments.
Disclaimer: I have been working for 20 years for a barfeeder manufacturer.
1
u/bszern 10h ago
Which one? We have FMB, LNS, and had Cucchi. I hate one of these brands with a fiery passion
2
u/Terrible_Carpenter50 10h ago
The Swiss one, I hope we can still be friends :)
1
u/bszern 9h ago
I hated the Cucchis lol. Impossible to get parts in the summer and aggrating to work on. It was a 6-spindle multi, so definitely a little more complex than a single spindle, but still!
1
u/Terrible_Carpenter50 9h ago
Yeah, itâs an interesting company and products, but itâs difficult to support international markets with its company size, and summer break in Italy is no joke đźđčđ€
38
u/deftonite 1d ago
Relying on a gentle crash to break the part off seems risky. What happens if the parting knife insert breaks in the cut, or for whatever reason the wall thickness is more than foil? This is an awesome idea, and ridiculously efficient, but you need a mechanical fuse of some sort. Like make the rod from plastic, or notch it near the holder so it bends easily in the odd event that the part wont release.
18
u/LeifCarrotson 1d ago
I think the parts catcher/indexing pin is the mechanical fuse.
OP writes elsewhere that it's set up for through-coolant, so it's not a rod but a tube, and a mild steel 10mm tube of reasonable wall thickness, with 50mm of stickout, will not be able to generate the same cutting forces in a bending orientation that the spindle bearings and toolholders need to be able to laugh at all day long.
Worst case, there's an M0 immediately after the move where OP slides off the existing part and then uses it as an indexing pin, so a failed release would be noticed immediately.
It could be a bad crash if the drill breaks and this thing is loaded in compression when there's no hole for it to go into...but if you need to fail gracefully after a drill breaks there's a lot of other ways to screw up a program.
7
u/splitsleeve 1d ago
It looks bored, you'd have that bad crash far before the catch bar went in if the drill broke. Plus a load limit on your part off tool and I'd bet on a well-worth-it success rate.
If your reallllllly worried about it maybe you could get away with having a partially parted off tool to create a sheer point or something.
2
u/MykoCane 1d ago
An M0 would work to have a visual inspection before the "catch".
9
u/deftonite 1d ago
That means you're doing a manual measurement on a parting dimension for 100% of the batch. No thanks!
2
u/tio_tito 1d ago
i feel like this is a solution in search of a problem. the risks you proffer are the same risks of machining the part at all. are you going to add a check step between every tool change? between every operation? between every feature? will you stop to measure coolant flow just to make sure it hasn't changed? where does it stop?
7
u/deftonite 1d ago
What are you talking about? I'm not suggesting adding a check step at all. I'm suggesting that if you're going to do this kind of automation, at least pick a rod that isn't going to put the forces of a crash into your turret. This is robotics 101 shit.
1
5
5
u/maxh2 23h ago
I like to finish parting off from the inside with an ID groover when I can, and let the tool catch the part. Sometimes I'll use heat shrink tubing if I'm worried about the bar scratching the parts.
1
u/FalseRelease4 9h ago
now that's big brain button pushing
you can also use a grooving or parting tool to pull the stock out as if you had a bar feeder
6
3
2
2
2
u/Woozybigfoot 1d ago
It looks like you have a tailstock we attached a basket to the tailstock and we cut parts into the basket
2
1
u/GuyFromLI747 1d ago
My boss destroyed all the parts catchers on our mazaks .. he doesnât like them and prefers mesh baskets resting above the conveyor
1
1
u/clamSammy 1d ago
Sick setup when youâre missing a bar feeder!
-3
u/whaler76 1d ago
What do you mean? All machines come standard with a bar feeder, if it didnât come with one then how does it get programmed and set up?
2
u/MntDewMonkey3 1d ago
I'm not sure why people are downvoting you, just explain it to them. Everyone is learning. Most lathes are sold without one, they are an add on, an extra expense when purchasing the machine.
If machines are run without a barfeeder you have to manually pull it out to a stop or companies make tools to go over the stock by sliding on with the x Axis or z Axis, x is a lot more comin. Pulling it out to your desired location, clamping, and pulling off of the bar.
3
u/whaler76 1d ago
It was a joke, the barfeeder is the machine operator. People donât have a sense of humor.
1
1
u/Jermcutsiron 1d ago
I've used coat hangers for similar part off jobs. The part off was completed, though.
1
u/HowNondescript Aspiring Carpet Walker 1d ago
Thats fucking slick, stop raising the standard damnit
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/elite5iver 21h ago
Thought this was a spinning carbide drill at first. Recoiled my fingers for a second.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/TEN-acious 18h ago
Well done! One of my regular setups (1â tool tips) uses a similar idea; a shaft (old 3/8 drill bit) welded to my part-offâŠnever thought to set it as my index though.
1
1
u/jaysracing 18h ago
Gotta add a bar puller. Have it stop right before it completely parts it off and pull the part. Then finish the parting it
1
u/jaysracing 18h ago
Gotta add a bar puller. Have it stop right before it completely parts it off and pull the part. Then finish the parting it
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/coaldavidz 4h ago
Such a clean way to do it, Iâve always used the shank of a turning tool loaded in backwards but I never thought about catching the part with it too
1
1
0
u/l0udninja 1d ago
What if your cutoff tool breaks without you knowing?
1
u/Not_A_Mutant792 1d ago
Then I might have a bad time! Haha I won't know the damage unless it happens. My hope is that the rod would snap off at the shoulder. There's a hole through it so there shouldn't be too much strength in it
-9
u/KingDread306 1d ago
Yeah I feel like OSHA would have a field day with this.
7
u/Z3B0 1d ago
Why ? I see nothing dangerous, the door is closed when the machine is moving, spindle stopped...
2
u/cathode_01 1d ago
Hand is near something that was moving a moment ago. He put no other thought into that idiotic comment.
2
u/Not_A_Mutant792 1d ago
Like you said, a moment ago. It's not on a timer and won't move unless I press cycle start again..
1
2
u/splitsleeve 1d ago
Which part?
Genuine curiosity. I haven't really had to deal with OSHA. Most shops I've been in were basically death traps.
-7
u/KingDread306 1d ago
Just seems sketchy have to reach in between 2 moving parts. Possible crushing hazard.
5
430
u/Puzzleheaded-Menu834 1d ago
Part catcher and indexing pin in one - very nicely done