Phase Perfect 20hp capabilities

[Anthony Spotorno]

I have a Phasae Perfect 20hp unit hooked up to an 80 amp circuit breaker. I routinely run my 5.5 HP dust collector along with my Martin T60 which I believe is also 5 hp and occasionally my 7.5hp j/p by Minimax or Felder XFormat shaper at the same time with no issues.

I am very careful never to exceed the total HP on the unit.

I am looking into a new CNC machine and would like to get the largest vac pump I can, which are 3 ph. Knowing that my ALKO 200 has a 5.5 hp motor would I be able to run a 15hp vacuum pump? Or should I stick with the 10hp version?

Does 20hp PP unit allow a full 20 hp to be used or should I be conservative?

[Travis Porter]

I have that unit, and I have run my 5.5 HP Felder, my 7.5HP jointer, and my 10 HP Wide belt all at the same time. I have never had them all under load at the same time, but I have had them all running when I have had to go back and forth between machines for quick things that I forgot or messed up.

I believe it allows a full 20 HP to be used. I would check the total amps required for all your machines and if it is within threshold go for it. Worst case, you could add another converter.

[John Kee]

The easiest way to find out the capabilities is to call Phase Perfect, their tech guys are good to deal with. I found out that my PP 10 HP unit would have no problem running 3 5hp units. The key was to start largest HP first.

[Brad Shipton]

I think you need to call them or contact an electrician who can do the load calcs for you. Vacuums are similar to air compressors in so far that they do draw near the FLA frequently. Your other machines likely do not except on very rare occasions where you are working them hard.

Do not forget the 80gal+- air compressor you will need for the ATC. That will kick on several times when run a program, and if the pressure drops too low the spindle stops leaving you to redo those parts.

[Anthony Spotorno]

I think you need to call them or contact an electrician who can do the load calcs for you. Vacuums are similar to air compressors in so far that they do draw near the FLA frequently. Your other machines likely do not except on very rare occasions where you are working them hard.

Do not forget the 80gal+- air compressor you will need for the ATC. That will kick on several times when run a program, and if the pressure drops too low the spindle stops leaving you to redo those parts.

I have checked and the PP unit will be ok.

What I did not realize that you need an 80gal compressor for the ATC and ZAxis spindle lift... I have one in the shop, it is single phase unit so would not figure into mix as I have 2 - 200amp panels in the shop. I was planning on getting a smaller pancake unit to run the ATC...

[Brad Shipton]

The HSD spindle is air cooled. Mine (10hp HSD) uses 3cfm continuously and I suspect yours will be the same. The air consumption for tool changes is quite low, but you do not want the pressure to drop then. Air is what engages the drawbar inside the spindle, so there is a safety sensor on that for very good reason. If it trips, your machine will get annoyed and wants to be homed again. That is a colossal nuisance because you have to find where you left off in your tool path. CNC's also make a mess, and they tend to leave chips behind for a variety of reasons. I (and most others) use quite a bit of air to blow off the table. I think your 15hp FPZ generates 13inHG. You may find at some point you need more than that for small parts. You can buy a venturi for your compressor to create a vacuum up to 25inHG, but they are air hogs. I got tired of my venturi and bought a little Becker pump for pods. I contemplated a 60gal tank like many others use but Gary convinced me the 80gal was the best choice. I am glad I have an 80gal now. An air drier is advisable too, but I have not bought one yet. The cooling air goes over your spindle bearings, and water in the air is hard on the bearings. I use an autodrain on my tank and a few in-line filters.

I am not sure if you found this or not, but here is a good discussion about all miscellaneous setup costs for a CNC: http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_bas...Level_CNC.html

Your work seems to be quite varied. Russel (http://www.cherryleaf-rustle.com/) is a member on the Camheads forum that has a ton of great fixture examples that I think you will find helpful to get some ideas for the projects you mentioned in your other thread. You should search the camheads site and read his threads. He seems to build a lot of custom chairs and does two sided work.