Pneumaticcally Controlled Blast Gates -- very clever

[John Poole]

Found this gentlemen and immediately thought Creekers would be interested in his inventions and web site. Specifically, here's a blast gate solution for your vacuum system.

http://www.nmpproducts.com/exhaust.htm

He provides a source for the parts. Each gate would require a pneumatic cylinder and control:

• Clippard FDR-08-4 Stainless Steel Cylinder $27.18
• Clippard MTV-4 4-Way Toggle Valve $17.02

Not inexpensive, but completely do-it-youself!

Here's a delightful video of the proprietor -- He appears to be the kind of guy that's fun to be friends with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikpkC...eature=related

[Robert Murphy]

I'm in the process of automating my shop as well. I went with PLC control for mine even though it might be a bit overkill. I'm basically using pushbutton inputs and solenoid valve outputs to control cylinders which are metered to actuate slowly. I am using timers in the program which basically allow gates to be open a few seconds before firing up the cyclone, and also using them for the shutdown sequence. I have the cabinet mostly built for all of this and am currently working on field wiring and conduit. I'm using 6" gates from Lee Valley, pneumatic components from AutomationDirect, and used stuff from Ebay. The PLC is a SLC504 AB. The cyclone hasn't been built or bought yet. I have it set up on a contactor in the control cabinet, but I'm thinking about using a VFD and alleviating the contactor. This has been ongoing....I'm on somewhat of a limited budget. My wife and kids come first, and she somehow manages to get her shoe collection up on that priority list! I am drawing electrical prints to all of this in hopes to teach the little tykes about electronics AND woodworking. Here are some pics of the stuff.
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[John Poole]

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I like your design of the blast gate -- it is more compact that Steamboat Ed's.

[John Poole]

I'm using 6" gates from Lee Valley, pneumatic components from AutomationDirect, and used stuff from Ebay.

What is the part number or specification for the cylinder to control the Lee Valley gate?
The A09060DD-MCYLINDER 9/16in BORE 6in STROKE DBL ACTING DBL END MOUNT MAG PISTON


I found the 6" self-cleaning blast gate at Lee Valley selling for $18.90 (quantity 1-4).

Are your push buttons something that toggle the blast gate in the following fashion: push once -- gate opens and remains open, push again gate closes and remains closed.

I'm not familiar with PLC, but I recognize SCADA as I used to work as an administrative assistant at Montgomery Watson (environmental engineers) and I recall one of the engineers specializing in SCADA and programming the various devices in their plants. I'm interested in the Beagle Bone and have been getting my feet into breadboarding sensors.

[Ole Anderson]

The whole concept of automating the blast gates in intriguing, but frankly, I don't know if I could put up with all of the extra control wire or tubing it would entail. Not that my shop is clean...

[David Kumm]

I went years thinking auto gates made no sense but with Alan Schaffter's help and Wayne Kaim at Kaim Inc, I started putting them in. They bring a grin every time I start a machine and I haven't forgotten to open one since. Dave

[Alan Schaffter]

If you have seen my fully automated DC setup you'll see I was able to do it for less money by converting my own DIY gates and buying cylinders, solenoid valves, and current sensor switches on Ebay. My system does not use PLC but is fully automatic- each machine triggers its gate via current sensor switches at each machine's wall receptacle. Whenever a gate is operated (automatically or manually by button) it triggers the DC. My system also has manual control in case I want to use a DC port to connect a vac hose, for maint, etc. All blast gates, solenoid air valves, low voltage wiring, and vinyl (low pressure) tubing are hidden behind the knee walls or under the floor. There is only one pressure line running to the valves, and all valves are near their blast gate and connected with short lengths of tubing, which makes for a very neat appearance.

Link to video of my system.

Blast gate:



Blast gates being modified to Autogates:



Prototype:



CR Magnetics, current sensor switch:



Two different types of SMC brand solenoid valves used:





Manual Control Station. Push-on/push-off button. Pilot light illuminates in both manual and auto modes.



Typical behind-wall installation:



Below floor installation:



Wall with two 6" and one 4" autogates (all gate hardware is behind the wall):

[Robert Murphy]

John,
Here is a link to the cylinder that I use. You would need the brackets associated w/ 3/4" bore under pneumatic accessories if you were planning to mount in a similar fashion as me. 3/4" bore is a little overkill as well, but I think they were only a few dollars more.

http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/..._Bore/A12060DP

Some say the Clearvue aluminum blast gates are cheaper, but I had already bought mine. I'm using an independent start and stop button. The buttons are spring return, but will be latched or "held in" in the program. Hard to explain how the program takes care of it if you don't have any PLC experience. I, on the other hand, know absolutely nothing about SCADA! I like Alan's use of CT's (current sensing switches). That would entail less parts and money! Great thinking. I'll post pictures of my shop when this project is complete. I'm OCD and all my stuff is very streamlined and neat. The ducts will be overhead w/ the gates on the ceiling too. The air lines go through PVC conduit into the wall and up in the attic. They will pop down right at each gate. I have conduit in the floor supplying tools in the middle of the shop and they have extra wires for the pushbuttons. Glad to see other people are doing and have done this!

[John Poole]

Link to video of my system.

Wow! Thank you for going to the effort to document what you've done. Very inspiring.

[John Poole]

Just found this link from reddit woodworking where a guy built his own wireless remote controller. I have a wireless remote controller I bought and it has met my every expectation.

When I use it, what is always running through my mind is -- should I leave the dust collector (2 HP) running on the chance I'll need it within the next 15 minutes as it is the start-up of the collector that wears it and costs $$. Also, what is the appropriate time interval a dust collector should be left running? This same kind of question runs through my mind regarding my air compressor. Ingersoll Rand advises that the compressor should not come online (go from stop to start) more than 6 times an hour, yet when I use my sander it does so more than 6 times (I have a 7.5 with 80 gallon tank that was rated for 26 cfm continuous duty). I need to sit down and crunch some numbers, take some amperage readings, and determine what the sweet spot is for leaving a dust collector running vs. stopping it.

For the more computer inclined: http://diyourfaceoff.com/diy-dust-collector-remote/

[Alan Schaffter]

Just found this link from reddit woodworking where a guy built his own wireless remote controller. I have a wireless remote controller I bought and it has met my every expectation.

When I use it, what is always running through my mind is -- should I leave the dust collector (2 HP) running on the chance I'll need it within the next 15 minutes as it is the start-up of the collector that wears it and costs $$. Also, what is the appropriate time interval a dust collector should be left running? This same kind of question runs through my mind regarding my air compressor. Ingersoll Rand advises that the compressor should not come online (go from stop to start) more than 6 times an hour, yet when I use my sander it does so more than 6 times (I have a 7.5 with 80 gallon tank that was rated for 26 cfm continuous duty). I need to sit down and crunch some numbers, take some amperage readings, and determine what the sweet spot is for leaving a dust collector running vs. stopping it.

For the more computer inclined: http://diyourfaceoff.com/diy-dust-collector-remote/

John, I had the same thoughts and concerns. You are right, it is not good to start and stop the DC blower motor too often. Fortunately, a DC blower motor is under least stress/pulling least amperage when all blast gates are closed. I could have installed a delay-on-break relay on the low voltage control circuit to delay DC shutdown and provide time for me to go from machine to machine. But since my DC control is separate from the gate circuit except for DC start and I have manual buttons for the DC low voltage control located around my shop, I chose to leave the blower running until I decide to shut it down. Actuation of any gate starts the DC, but I must manually shut it down.

To me the most important factor was to have each gate open and close automatically and the DC start. I may still add a delay-on-break relay someday, but I'm fine with it now since the DC is located outside my shop where the noise of it running doesn't bother me and so far it has only been a minor inconvenience to turn it off when there is a big break in the action.

One of the DC control stations (got some Delta button/covers on Ebay, but had to adapt momentary button mechanisms (from Radio Shack) to them):



For those contemplating systems like these. Check Ebay for cylinders. You'll find tons of used and new/old stock Bimba cylinders (major brand) on Ebay. You may have to wait and watch to get enough of the correct size/style and prices have gone up since I bought mine, probably because demand for robotics hardware has gone up at the same time. Don't be as concerned about the bore as the stroke. I found a stroke = 1" + gate diameter to be just about right for my homemade gates. To accommodate a cylinder with a longer stroke I found it easier to use a gate with a longer slide than add a stop. With my easy moving gate slides, even under full suction, I only need about 15-20 psi to make them work. Some of my SMC pnuematic solenoids came with flow restrictors (just needle valves) so I use them to slow down the speed of gate actuation, prevent damage, or avoid creating a pneumatic guillotine!

[Todd Brewer]

I set up a search on Ebay for dual-acting pneumatic cylinder. Got so many hits that did not work (1" stroke) etc. that I stopped searching. Maybe my search criteria is flawed.

I really like the idea of automatic startup of the DC and gate actuation., just not able to find the components at a reasonable price. There is a local source for pneumatic cylinders and I still may go that route, but somewhat pricey. For me, the automatic blast gate control is very appealing. Having to run over to another machine because I forgot to close the gate can get tiring.

[kevin sommer]

I am trying to build my automatic blast gates. I am open to building my own gates or buying some from Lee Valley. However i cannot find any plans and part numbers to build a system. i was hoping to use Alan Schaffters plan, but his video link above does not work. Does anyone have his plans or link to a video that works, that shows me what to buy and how to build it? thanks

[Alan Schaffter]

I set up a search on Ebay for dual-acting pneumatic cylinder. Got so many hits that did not work (1" stroke) etc. that I stopped searching. Maybe my search criteria is flawed.

I really like the idea of automatic startup of the DC and gate actuation., just not able to find the components at a reasonable price. There is a local source for pneumatic cylinders and I still may go that route, but somewhat pricey. For me, the automatic blast gate control is very appealing. Having to run over to another machine because I forgot to close the gate can get tiring.

I am trying to build my automatic blast gates. I am open to building my own gates or buying some from Lee Valley. However i cannot find any plans and part numbers to build a system. i was hoping to use Alan Schaffters plan, but his video link above does not work. Does anyone have his plans or link to a video that works, that shows me what to buy and how to build it? thanks

Wow, this is an old thread!!! Unfortunately, my video is no longer hosted on the defunct American Woodworker website or the website of the WW magazine that purchased AWW and killed it off. I was never able to find my original to upload to Youtube. If anyone finds my video please post the link.

In an effort to contain cost I purchased my stuff on eBay so bought what was available at the time and at the right price. I often ended up with slightly different parts from gate to gate. Some of my solenoid valves were purchased in a multi-valve manifold and had to be modified. In other threads here and on other WW forums I included some part numbers. This is not a kit or plug-and-play project- you'll need to educate yourself on pneumatic solenoid valves and cylinders, and current sensor switches and search for the correct parts. For those reasons I was never inclined to do a full set of build instructions. If you don't want the hassle you can always go with iVac. I don't know their current prices but believe they are quite high and their gates only come in 4", but they do what mine do, except I believe their high-end model is wireless. I expect if you buy the components retail, a single gate could cost over $100 (when I built mine I believe the cost was around $35 or less per gate for everything including the homemade gate. If you Google my name and "blast gate" or "autogate" you may find more of my posts and gate info. I'll answer the last two questions.

Todd, Kevin, to ensure my gates moved easily and were self-cleaning I built my slides from laminate that was long enough so they would go all the way through the gate body. If you don't add a linkage which will mechanically double the cylinder throw, you'll need cylinders with throws slightly longer than the gate size, i.e. a 6" gate requires a cylinder with a 7" or longer throw. You can easily use cylinders with a much longer throws by making the slide longer. I used dual acting "Bimba" cylinders (Bimba is a major manufacturer) primarily with 7/16" to 1" bore (whatever I could get at the right price. There are literally thousands of them on the eBay and many are NOS. You just need to search for what you need. Here is a link to a set of 7 4" cylinders for $29. If the seller doesn't give them, use the model number with the info on the Bimba website to determine specs.

I purchased the solenoid air valves on the eBay as well. There are many brands, but there will be a ton by "SMC", again a (the) major supplier of pneumatic automation equipment. You'll need 5/2 (5 port, two state) valves like this one. Some of my solenoid valves were purchased in a multi-valve manifold and had to be modified to work. If you use current sensing switches, the solenoids will need to have coils that are low voltage DC. The current sensing switches were by CR Magnetics. Retail they go for $20+ ea. but I got mine on Ebay for less than $10 ea.