Leatherhead for Destiny CNC (from Park Industries)

[RANDYMURPHY]

It's just a coincidence that there's a recent thread of Blick leatherheads. We purchased one for our Destiny but found that it's too big for our machine. It would severely damage our CNC casing, ball bearing, and spindle if the tool were to raise up into the machine.

We're looking at the Tenax brush plates, and they look like they suspend low enough that it wouldn't make contact with the CNC cover when raised up.

Does anyone have a Destiny CNC that would have any experience in using leathering tools?

Thanks,

[ChrisGraham]

From what I understand it is not recommended to try leathering using any electro spindle. When leathering you are spinning the spindle around 300-500 rpm. Maybe others will chime in that have tried it on a electro spindle.

[mikedean]

We do it on our ectrospindle. Intermac. 1000 rpm. No issues.

[Ger Vanderbas]

And we've done it also successfully with ours.

If I might mention, we have to try to think of machinery as systems of systems. An electrospindle of a CNC is one system, and then there is the tool retention system, and the saddle that it runs on, and the motor powering the spindle, and the amplifiers etc governing the performance of the motor, and not to mention the holder, and construction of the tool itself. Each have a distinct impact on the performance of the tool, and it's effectiveness.

Be wary of anyone who tells you there is a particular problem with any one general technology, because typically he is grasping to sell something else.

IN particular you should look for a max diameter and weight of tool specified by your manufacturer, and this will tell the story a bit about which models are designed to perform within the parameters of the tool that interests you.

What I don't quite understand with this question is the tool "raising up into the machine"

The Leatherhead is a springloaded device designed to achieve pressure. It is held by a toolholder that is already attached to the spindle. So, while the tool is on the stone under pressure, some of the upward pressure is absorbed by the system of springs, but the toolholder is already fixed in the spindle, so I'm unclear on why it should move up into the machine when it is already there. I'm sorry, but I don't understand the issue. Can you explain?

G

[RANDYMURPHY]

What I don't quite understand with this question is the tool "raising up into the machine"

The Leatherhead is a springloaded device designed to achieve pressure. It is held by a toolholder that is already attached to the spindle. So, while the tool is on the stone under pressure, some of the upward pressure is absorbed by the system of springs, but the toolholder is already fixed in the spindle, so I'm unclear on why it should move up into the machine when it is already there. I'm sorry, but I don't understand the issue. Can you explain?

G

Here is a picture of a Destiny CNC while running (found on Google images):

http://www.magnotti.com/images/phocagal ... n%2011.jpg

Notice that the tool is quite close to the front cover of the machine. At the beginning of a tool path, the spindle raises the tool up to a safe level before moving across the table. If the leatherhead were to be raised up, though, the 13" diameter leatherhead would bash against the bottom of the cover. And I don't know what would happen...

We decided on buying the Tenax Frankenfurt plate, which just BARELY fits in our cover. We also found that leathering is too time-consuming and we probably won't offer this after we complete the jobs we promised.

[Ger Vanderbas]

Gotcha the cover doesn't move up with the spindle.

So the answer was a tool that could clear the cover.

There is not a parameter in the control that would have reduced the safety stroke before the toolpath?