A weekend at AGD Europe

[manike]

Shh don't tell AGD(E) but I 'scooped' some pics while I was there working on the C&C extremes this weekend just gone. ...

Firstly we spent the weekend just sorting out how we would run production on the new extremes's, this means no new fancy gun pics to show you but you get to see my attempt for 'jig of the year award' It's a masterpiece... It should allow me to write programs from afar for AGDE and also fit all of the parts that require machining for the whole Extreme into one 'easy set up' jig.

Here's the jig... This is the main fixture with two bodies attached allowing us to machine each side.

This is the back of the middle parts of the fixture, these autolocate in a poke yoke design. John can make many blanks of this and they all locate the same way to the main fixture. He only needs to set up once for any parts he then needs to machine. I can then machine each one differently to hold different parts of the extreme and in different set ups.

Here it is with John fixing the middle of the fixture into place. It's a mini-mill so John looks to 'scale' working in it I'm standing at 'normal' height looking over his shoulder hehehe (actually I'm over normal height...)


To be continued...

manike

[manike]

...continued.

Three bodies ready to start machining...

Here is the battery pack that might go with the new C&C... Along with a warpfeed module for lefties...

Here is a Tequila Extreme put in especially to make CPhilip jealous


manike

[Gecko]

god i hate you...........

so jealous..........
Hrmmmm can you say extreem emag for final project in cnc class?
Awesome pics manike
Gecko

[RSUAVE911]

manike,

Are you keeping the aztec drawings as a body?

The tequila looks really cool, good luck!

[manike]

Originally posted by Gecko
god i hate you...........

so jealous..........
Hrmmmm can you say extreem emag for final project in cnc class?
Awesome pics manike
Gecko

Gecko, with my software I can do some pretty special things like reverse engineer other people's CNC code.

This means if you wrote point to point code on another system I could take it into Tebis. Check it is viable, that it won't break through anywhere it shouldn't or mess up the mill etc... and then we could run it to make your own private design.

Hhmmm only snag is I can't release the body CAD. If you do anything I can always scale it to fit the body though...

If you wanted your own emblem or something we could work it into a gun... I'm actually thinking about designing a 'standard canvas C&C'. It would have certain cuts to get a simple clean style but then other areas on it would be open as a canvas for the customers own specific requests. That way you can have a very personal gun. The first of it's kind is likely to be done for Bob 'RKL' and should be interesting! It may well have some technologies used that you have never seen in paintball machining before...

manike

[manike]

Originally posted by RSUAVE911
Are you keeping the aztec drawings as a body?

I keep everything I have written. Those were just prototype bodies that were put on the jig to test it all out.

The first C&C design to make production is still undergoing some fine tuning.

manike

[RSUAVE911]

Ok, but as a suggestion, you probably do not want them and do not care, and I know you are still working on them BUT I think it should be more body curves then designs, this way it would probably be lighter too. Just my unwanted two cents.


P.S.


Sorry for copying you Post Count thingy.

[RT_Luver]

Originally posted by manike


If you wanted your own emblem or something we could work it into a gun... I'm actually thinking about designing a 'standard canvas C&C'. It would have certain cuts to get a simple clean style but then other areas on it would be open as a canvas for the customers own specific requests. That way you can have a very personal gun.

so your saying if you wanted your own design and maybe your nick name or something on your gun that you could possibly do that?That'd be TIGHT A**

[manike]

Originally posted by RT_Luver
so your saying if you wanted your own design and maybe your nick name or something on your gun that you could possibly do that?That'd be TIGHT A**

yep That's the idea. Obviously it would be done to order so would take a little longer And it would need to fit within certain 'criteria'.

manike

[Gecko]

yea i have access to 2 brand new hoss 5 axis mills at school. I just need to get a body to get some dims off, i was going to do a merlin body but mabye i'll do a extreem.......
Lol i talked to my CNC teacher (we are using mastercam and programming by hand) and he had heard of tebis. Do you guys have any demo or trial discs? I like to get experience in as many cad packages as possible
check out the pbcity excal forum, a new milling style has popped up and looks really nice
thanks manike
Gecko

[manike]

You should be able to do some funky stuff with those mills. Wish I had access to a full continuous 5 axis mill for aluminium cutting (actually I may have an offer coming up... ) Heck tell me what controller you use and I'll write the code and send it over to you I'll help you get that 1st hehehe

I had to program by hand at Uni also Makes you appreciate the 200,000 blocks of code that goes into cutting one of these bodies just a little more! Let alone the 140M of code in one cnc file that I have written for some vehicle projects!

We don't do a demo disk of our software. We do however have special situations for Universities and colleges that want to use our software. It's still not 'cheap' though. The Royal College of Art (a very famous design school) uses Tebis to run their 5 axis machine.

Let me know when you are ready for a body, since I know you I 'may' be able to help get you a raw one. I'd need to check though...

manike

[Gecko]

lol in class we are still doing 2 axis stuff pretty much bolt patterns........ Hopefully get into some cooler stuff as class progresses.
They are all new hoss machines, http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/ME/MFE/HCCM/
If you need something done on the mill i'm sure i could sneak it in, only tricky thing would be the fixturing.
I can't imagine trying to program a 5 axis machine with even a small toolpath. So far i like what i'm doing and hopefully have found what i want to study and do with the rest of my life (scary.....). Should have a manufacturing engineering tech Bach. degree in 2 years.
I'd bug my dean for tebis but i already conned him into buying a mini mill. (I have access to the 5 axis stuff through and agreement between my school and wpi)
I'll definatly get back to you about a body, i have a rough 3d model of an extreem body so i will play around that for awhile.
thanks
Gecko

[nutz]

that stuff is sweet... the mill in pic #1 and 2 looks kind of like the ones we have at school which i am learning to use... right now i am learning how to create designs and toolpaths for the lathe and mill... we are doing darts on the lathe and letters on the mill... after the letters i might try to mill my friends initials into his extra angel breach!! lol we'll see how that goes... but damn those extremes look nice... when are we going to see them coming to the US??

[manike]

Gecko, the link directs me through to here...

http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/M.../machines.html

Those are all Haas machines... the minimill in the bottom right corner is the same as what we are using over here

If you have a minimill then that's exactly what I wrote AGDE's postprocessor to work with.

My software takes a CAD part with holes and fixtures etc and as long as you have set up the database it will program the lot around all five sides (with a 5 axis machine) with the touch of one button Takes all the crappy work out of making tools!

Fixtures can be a pain but not that hard to solve...

Oh and I wasn't overly impressed with that new Excalibur milling... maybe it was just too hard to see under the busy annodising. I think there is more potential from that body though.

Nutz, I am glad you are enjoying all ofthis. I honestly love my work, I feel like an artist when I program a 5 axis machine

They will be coming to the US once they are finalised but I don't have any time schedule for that sorry.

manike

[giant1515]

all this cool stuff you get to play with. I might have to go back to school for this... and i'm just about to graduate with the first bachelors... *jealous* Anyone know a good school in the southeast US for this stuff?

[manike]

Congratulations on your graduation. What have you got your bachelors in?

It is cool stuff, but I'm glad it's not the only thing I do.

Sometimes when you are doing the same type of stuff over and over it can get boring (but that's true of anything I think).

manike

[cphilip]

Ok Simmon! Hand over the Tequila Fade body right now! You know I realy need it don't you?

Nice look at the inside. Interesting stuff Manike. Thanks for the peek.

[giant1515]

Thanks!

I'm done in april with a degree in Management Information Systems. I picked it out of the blue when it was time to pick a major as a sophomore. It's worked out pretty well. Its interesting, but still cubicle work.

That's one reason i'm thinking about taking some classes in machining or something like that. That way i'll have a hobby that's not cubicle related as much. There is programming involved in the complex stuff I know, but at least you get to hold the results in your hands. Databases, networks and all that fun stuff bridge on intangible and are not quite as fun.

I do actually have a job lined up consulting, but I'm still looking for the ever elusive stationary job so I can get a dog and build some relationships with the local pb people.

[TEN]

Sorry cphilip

I know who is getting that Tequila. EarthQuake
If he can just wait until friday. Hehe I know I would be climbing the walls just waiting for a beauty like that.



Anyway, nice pictures.

[cphilip]

Dang... you guys have all the good stuff.