Thanks to the folks at Vectric / ShopBot PRT project

[Keith Outten]

This week I started a project helping our local high school bring their ShopBot 48 by 96 PRT CNC Router back to life. The Router was set aside for many years in the high school woodworking shop and during one of their cleanup drives to remove old computers the control box was mistaken for a PC and out the door it went. Years ago ShopBot used PC cases for their control boxes so the mistake was certainly understandable.

The folks at ShopBot identified the machine for us and the school was able to order a new control box for just over three thousand dollars. The arrival of the control box this week kicked off the project, yesterday we removed the gantry and both rails so we can start the tasks of getting the frame square and level again. Its very close to being level but the frame is skewed about one quarter inch between the corner to corner diagonal dimensions.

Last Wednesday I contacted Vectric to inquire about updating the VCarve Pro software the school had ordered when they purchased the router. Apparently the software was purchased though ShopBot, however when Vectric found out about our project they provided VCarve Pro version 8 with a 40 seat student license and one extra for the Shop Teacher. This is way more generous than anyone expected and although I wasn't surprised by their generosity I was so pleased that Vectric was so supportive of our project. I have always felt that Vectric is the best software company I have even been associated with based on the quality of their software to their top notch tech support.

Monday I will be removing the old spoil board and the plywood backer, then loosening several bolts so we can get the frame square again. I hope to to get this done quickly and reinstall the gantry so we can start moving forward on the project. I will undoubtedly be spending some time on the phone with the ShopBot Staff later next week as we mount the new control box and start the wiring process.
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[Keith Westfall]

Well done Keith!! Agree about Vectric, and glad they are supporting your commitment to the project.

[Keith Outten]

Here are three pictures of the high school ShopBot as I found it in the wood shop before we started the refurb. Although it looks a bit rough it appears that this machine hasn't seen a lot of use, the rails don't look like they are worn much. By the end of this week the view of this machine will be much different.

[Gary Campbell]

Keith...
Kudos to you and all that helped. I also volunteer my time to get/keep and old PRT running at my hometown High School up and running. I also make visits there to train students and teachers in both operation and Vectric software as both are transient.

This is a project that every CNC'er should take on. Make sure that the schools in your area own and teach something CNC. Help where you can.

[Keith Outten]

Yesterday I was able to get both of the rails shimmed so the ShopBot is ready for the new control box to be installed and then start the job of wiring all the motors, zero plate and the stop switches. I still have some work to do on the both of the axis, possibly some adjustments will be necessary for both upper axis.

[Keith Outten]

I got the new control box installed, it was a simple task to drill two holes and mount the box. I spent the rest of the morning yesterday tuning the rollers on the gantry, two of them were not contacting the rails properly. I had two students helping me yesterday so I had them cleaning the gear racks.

I plan to pick up the plywood deck and MDF spoilboard this morning and get the plywood installed if there is enough time today. I'm only working 2 to four hours each day so its going a bit slower than I would like. I need to find a wago tool to remove the existing connectors but I doubt I'm going to find one in the county.
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[Keith Outten]

Today I was able to install the plywood deck. Drilled and countersunk all of the holes for the carriage bolts so tomorrow afternoon I will be gluing the spoilboard to the deck and I hope to be able to get all of the wiring done on Monday. This job, along with my usual chores at home that includes garden planting, is taking its toll on my energy level each day. I will be happy to see this machine running and the students fighting to get in line to run the router
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[Keith Outten]

Friday I glued the spoil board to the plywood deck and Monday I rolled back all of the cables so I can run them more efficiently to the new control box. I have ordered a new DC hose from Wynn Environmental that should be here by the end of this week. The school has ordered a new dust skirt assembly to replace the original that was a fixed height design. The current model dust skirt will rise and fall with the router motor and support the new 4" diameter hose.

The County Electrician will be at the high school tomorrow to install the power cord and connect it to the control box and I will complete running the cables under the table and into the control box. I will have more pictures to share tomorrow.

We are getting close to the final countdown, certainly sometime early next week we should be making chips. I realize that my timetable is a bit long on this project but its Spring and I have a 7,500 square foot garden to plant and Mother Nature is in control.
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[Bruce Page]

Keith, did you go with the Kirk dust boot or something else? If you did, I would recommend that you order the 1/2" spacer and the 2" brush also. The 2" brush is nice with short cutters & v bits and the spacer gets used often as well.

[Keith Outten]

Bruce,

The school ordered the upgrade kit from ShopBot. Its not the best on the market but it is designed to retrofit the older machine, it includes all of the necessary attachment parts to convert to the new skirt.

[Jerome Stanek]

What was the reason to go with a dust foot that moves with the spindle. I changed mine to a set one that works a lot better

[Keith Outten]

All of the CNC machines I have used have have skirts that move up and down with the spindle or router. If your routing jobs that have considerable height variations you have to set your skirt height at the highest level of the job and you will often lose some vacuum performance when your to high above the job. At least this has been my experience, others may differ I guess but I would definitely forget to adjust the skirt more often than not
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[Keith Outten]

Well, I'm still working on the GHS ShopBot but getting closer to finishing the job. I have been though more software changes and hardware configuration adjustments than I can count. Installing a new control box on an older ShopBot is a challenge that I never expected. The last few days we have been adjusting the voltage on the drivers trying to stop the motors from overheating and reduce a nasty grinding noise when the motors ramp up or down. The motors were not adjusted properly by the guy who setup the machine originally so I think their life span has been reduced considerably. We are still waiting for the dust skirt to be delivered so we can connect the dust collection hose.

Contacting tech support gets me on the waiting list for a call back and since I don't work at the school its tough to stand around waiting for a call. The guys at ShopBot have been really supportive and have tried to help me the best they can given the access issues I have to work around and their schedule helping other customers.

Yesterday we ran a few toolpaths and made a sample piece to show the administrators at the school that we were making progress. We still need to fix a couple small problems but we are just about ready to machine the spoil board and put this project to bed. I honestly don't know how long the motors will last, they sound perfect when the machine is moving but the ramping up and down noise makes be think the motor life is near the end.

I'll get some pictures today of the upgraded ShopBot.
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[Jerome Stanek]

All of the CNC machines I have used have have skirts that move up and down with the spindle or router. If your routing jobs that have considerable height variations you have to set your skirt height at the highest level of the job and you will often lose some vacuum performance when your to high above the job. At least this has been my experience, others may differ I guess but I would definitely forget to adjust the skirt more often than not
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That is how I broke my first unit I was cutting thick material and the boot caught the edge and snapped off

[Jerome Stanek]

Have you read Brady's article on ramping