Chip Conveyor Upgrade Sharp VMC

gundog · Apr 3, 2020

I finally got some time to do a couple upgrades to my Sharp VMC. I have been having problems with chips sticking to the conveyor and then falling in the coolant sump. I designed an air manifold to blow low pressure air on the conveyor to clean the chips so they drop in the chip hopper.

This is the simple manifold.

The manifold attached to the removable panel at the back of the conveyor.

I had to add this rubber skirt because it was blowing chips outside the hopper.

3t3d · Apr 4, 2020

Now it is time to run the conveyor/air on an M code.
Running it al day will Kill you on electricity costs.

gundog · Apr 4, 2020

3t3d said:
Now it is time to run the conveyor/air on an M code.
Running it al day will Kill you on electricity costs.

The conveyor has to be turned on with a button I am sure it could be programmed to run with each program but what I have found is it works better to turn it on when I want it on. I let the catch area fill a little with swarf and then I run the conveyor just far enough to get a new clear area for the next batch of swarf. The swarf it just cleared is now draining the coolant off. I do think I will add a solenoid type air valve so that it comes on when the conveyor is operating.

Nerdlinger · Apr 6, 2020

Very nice! We did something very similar on ours...thin, wispy “HSM” chips not falling off the conveyor and then piling up under the belt in the bottom of the coolant tank until coolant overflows and tickles your toes. We used to have to clean out the bottom of our coolant tanks every 3-4 days but now it’s maybe once a month after adding the air knife dealy. It seems like this is more and more of a common problem. The last LNS chip conveyor I bought has an air knife on it that works well. Good job!

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