Touchscreen for the Automated Master Caster

[jmorris]

Here is a video of it running:
http://vid903.photobucket.com/albums...118_165907.mp4

You can see my mold tapper in action, good 'ol screw driver handle

That looks much less violent than others I have seen and love the tapper.

[Tazza]

Hatch - Those are the same style restrictors i got from Hong Kong for about $4 each, it just took a while to arrive.

The "tapper" was attached to a rather expensive sidchrome tool kit i got for my 18th

My restrictors screw into the cylinder so air going in and out is slowed down for smooth operation. My air valves use pilot pressure to operate, i don't know they would work properly if i had a restrictor mounted at the inlet to it. I like your setup so you can adjust the air at the control box.

Jmorris - it really tamed the beast down a lot, before it was quite violent. It runs more like yours does now, slow and smooth. I'd like to think it would last longer this way too as there is no impact on parts.

[Advil]

Another benefit I can see is you don't need the annoying sprue screen... makes it a lot easier to reach in and lube the mold or whatever.

[Tazza]

So very true, without the restrictors the sprues would be flung in all different directions......

[jmorris]

I'd like to think it would last longer this way too as there is no impact on parts.

I would think there should be little doubt about that.

[HATCH]

I think you could polish your mold and be good without the tapper

[Tazza]

Polish and smoke may do it some good. The sprue plate has slight surface rust it needs a polish too... I can't remember who it was, but another member did this to theirs, good to know it worked for me too.

[wymanwinn]

I think you could polish your mold and be good without the tapper

i use Bullplate on the underside of the sprue plate, top of the mold, MC centering rails and sprue pivots....rarely a stuck bullet.....i coat those areas about once an hour......)))

[Tazza]

The issue for me is finding it in .au I do drop a little synthetic oil on the pivot points.

[wymanwinn]

The issue for me is finding it in .au I do drop a little synthetic oil on the pivot points.

go here..... http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-The-Bull-Shop

bet they would be happy to mail ya some.....

wyman

[Tazza]

Thanks Wyman, i'll harass them and see what the go is.

[chloe123]

Operation is smooth. I hadn't noticed in your other videos that you have 2 cylinders operating your mold carrier.

i know you guys were taking about the nil affect of flow restrictors on pressure but it seems--and I get that I may be wrong--that the large bore size of the air cylinder enables this steady action.

I've been busy and haven't run my machine since a few weeks back but my flow restrictor doesn't really have that same affect. When I was adjusting it(after the comments to slow it down a bit) I noticed it helped in slowing the speed down but I'm pretty sure there was a point in which the cylinder simply wouldn't fully extend and would stall. In the vid above, there appears to be a bit of downward force despite the slow speed--it's very nice. It kinda proves(if the boolits drop more reliably) that the forcing the handle down aggressively isn't really related to boolits dropping from the mold

[Tazza]

The two cylinders you see on mine, one is the main air ram, the other is a gas strut, this was to get the mold carrier to return reliably to under the pour spout with a single acting cylinder. I don't think it is needed any more.

The larger the cylinder will produce more power if the pressure is the same. I can't see that a larger cylinder will be more smooth than a smaller one with a restrictor valve unless it is when it hits a point that it needs power.

You mention that your restrictors made the ram stall, you can try increasing the pressure to give you more force. The issue you may have is that the inertia without a restrictor is giving enough power to cut the sprue off reliably. The cylinder i'm using has a larger diameter and i run about 40PSI and gives more than enough force to do the job.

[wymanwinn]

Thanks Wyman, i'll harass them and see what the go is.

several notables on other sites say that Amsoil Saber synthetic 2-stroke oil is the same thing.....i might give it a looksee as well....

wyman

[jmorris]

The two cylinders you see on mine, one is the main air ram, the other is a gas strut, this was to get the mold carrier to return reliably to under the pour spout with a single acting cylinder. I don't think it is needed any more.

I would imagine it is acting as a shock absorber. As we have already discussed, pneumatics can be "springy" but much less so when connected to a hydraulic damper.

[HATCH]

I would leave it in place as its not hurting anything.
Any synthetic two stroke oil will work.

[jmorris]

I agree, I would like to know if it acts differently without it though.

[HATCH]

Yes that would be interesting to find out.
I think it helps smooth it out by providing some resistance .

[Tazza]

Hopefully i will get a chance to give it a test without the cylinder over the weekend and i can let you know if it is different or not.

I never thought about the fact it could be making it smoother, but it makes sense.

[jmorris]

Didn't think about it for a "smoother" but I have a bandsaw that I used a two way air cylinder full of liquid with both ends going into a ice maker water shutoff valve. Real easy to adjust feed rate, close the valve and you get zero movement, open it all the way and you get gravity feed.

Basically a controlled transfer of fluid from one end to the other.