Crowd Dev? New Platen design

It's most useful for the radius platens because of the amount of heat they build up due to having to push into the belt.
 
Ok, included @currenthill 's idea on the platen mounting block, increased the thread size and handle size to account for it. The compression slot is large enough to mill with a .187 endmill. This is a tough feature to create efficiently in steel, which is why I made it so large. Finished detailing on the chiller. Pretty much done and ready to make a prototype. Added a little laser cut hose keeper. Don't know when I'll get to actually making my prototype. I'll upload DXFs later to anyone that decides they want to use them as a starting point or to make it complete. Really, the majority of the machining is in the chiller and radius platens. The platen side(c-frame) can be laser or water jet cut, the platen mount (gold) as well. The mounting block can be made from bar stock, but in order to work the hole size for the shafts needs to be precise. Reamed .001" over ideally. The shafts are .625 diameter and need to be faced square and drilled and tapped in a lathe. Everything else can be drilled and tapped with a drill press.

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Costs for purchased components:
Adjustable 1/2-13 handle - $12.86
Push lock 1/8 NPT x2 - $6.35
Chromed 1045 .625 shaft 12" (cut in half) - $12.56
 
And I've ordered the parts and stock for my own prototypes. I'll build 2 platen assemblies, one rotary, one standard, and 4 interchangeable platens and chillers, with D2 platens, one flat, one 36" rad, one 48" rad, and one 60" rad.

ETA: Material costs for tool steel and aluminum
$36 per D2 platen
$11 per chiller
 
I have an idea for creating a radiused platen on the grinder.
Fix a rod to your work rest the length of the radius you want, square with the belt. Then another rod on the far end on a swivel. Then fix the platen stock square to the grinder end of that rod. Then just run it back and forth across the belt keeping it level with the rest. You can rough the radius out first by hand to make it quick and easy to finish.
This should work just fine if everything is kept square, and you could make any radius you want.

I can sketch that out if it doesn't make sense...

John, your assembly looks great. What is the clearance on the left side going to be? I'm thinking 5 inches is more than enough. 4 would work.
It looks like you can even drop the belt off the top pulley without removing the wheel if the platen is all the way forward, for end radius plunge work. Very cool. Well done!
 
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For those without a cad app, you can download this one to view and I believe print out. If someone has something better, post it please. :)

Anyone interested in having someone cut out a bunch of the frames for us? I'd be in for 2 of them. If we get enough folks it would probably be fairly cheap for each frame.
I'm fairly comfortable making the rest of the stuff, I think, but if there is a way for us to job those out relatively inexpensively I'd be up for that too. I figure I'd want about 5 platen mounts.

Heck, I guess I need to take some time this evening, list out the parts and the specs and see exactly what would need to be ordered vs what can be made in the shop.
Anyway, anyone interested in working out ordering a batch of these? Who is in?
 
Right now it's 3.4" if we want more I'll have to extend the C frame arms out further.

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That might be enough. I'd probably like at least 4, but it's not critical. I can cut mine deeper.
How thick do you think that frame needs to be? My Esteem is .374, but I have some .25 plate in the garage. Wondering if I can make that work?
 
I'm also wondering if that rod mount bar stock, if the cut can just go through one end? That would be easier than milling the thin slot.
 
It's .375 thick. I can laser cut them from that cheaper than, I'm willing to bet, any other source at even .250.

You can't cut it back further for more clearance because of the platen mounting block. It would be better to just extend the contact wheel arms another .6".

I don't know how cutting through an end will make it any easier to machine but it will make it clamp on the rod with the open end harder than the rod with the closed end. Far simpler to make it the way I did originally where you can bandsaw the cuts from the ends, but requires 2 threaded handles to clamp.
 
Brock love to see a sketch of what your describing as I’ve wanted a radius platen for quite a long time.

Not to derail, anyone know if it’s possible to rock a radius platen without a chiller? I understand the heat build up is pretty high, curious if graphite might help?
 
Why the need for 4" plus? It's no big deal I just trying to think of what the task is.
 
rubencete said:
felicitaciones amigos,estamos muy atentos al progreso del proyecto
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Gracias Rubencete
kuraki said:
Why the need for 4" plus? It's no big deal I just trying to think of what the task is.
Click to expand...

The two things I grind that come into play are the choil and tang.
I've gotten pretty good about working on one side of the grinder only, but every once in a while I try that left side, and am always disappointed in the short space.
 
I can make my frame different from what you have pretty easily I think. It's not a big deal.
The rest will still fit and work out fine.
I think I like the crescent shape vs the more square shape anyway. But it's just esthetics.
 
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