It Is ALIVE! Automated Master Caster
Hello fellow casters,
After 7 months I have completed the automation of my Magma Master Caster.
It all started a couple of years ago when Dad decided he either was getting too old to cast OR he had no desire to load for himself anymore but he still had the desire to shoot. Either way, it left the job of casting and loading for him up to me and the brothers. As everyone knows, life gets in the way and I ended up being the supplier for my Dad's habit.
I had done OK feeding my own addiction with a Lee 4-20 PRO which had been modified with a PID controller and RCBS sizer but fell short with the additional duties upon me now.
One day after reading the numerous post by those who have Master Casters I broke down and purchased one. The intent from the beginning was automation. I quick call to Magma Engineering netted me a Master Caster with 1 mould of my choice which would be the 45-230 RNBB. The mould choice was a no brainier since 45 was the caliber of choice for him and I.
What I thought would be an easy task turned out to be a monumental assignment. First I had to figure out the drive unit. I considered pneumatic power but figured a air cylinder for the Star lube sizer was in my future so I settled on hydraulic. I quick look around netted me an all-in-1 power units off of an old pipe notcher and a spare motor which would provide me 1 for now and 1 "just in case". A visit to the local hydraulic shop got all the hoses and a switching valve.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/DSC01366.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/DSC01365.jpg
A few hours in the shop netted me a hydraulic cylinder. This started out as a 1 1/2" cylinder but later was reduced in size by sleeving the cylinder in order to get faster reaction time. The brass valve on top controls the return speed which was initially too fast. A little more time in the machine shop netted me the actuating arm seen in the picture.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/DSC01364.jpg
When it came time to figure out the control system I let my fingers do the walking though the parts catalog where the decision was made to use electronic timers. These are wonderful things which can control ever step of the action. These are mounted inside a weatherproof enclosure. Not seen is the step down transformer. Since I chose a 220V pot it only made sense to change some wires in the motor so it would operate on 220V. The timers are 120V so I needed to step the power down which is where the transformer comes in. This gives me the ability to plug 1 cord in then rock in roll. The only thing I wish to add now is a PID controller to better control the lead temperature. It seems the action of the machine causes the knob on the side of the pot to "walk" toward maximum temperature.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/DSC01360.jpg
You may wonder if I am happy with the way it turn out. Considering I was told by Magma that others had tried it and it could not be done I would have to say it was an overall success. I must be honest and admit there are a few small gremlins that still pester me but I believe one is related to a bad timer and the other is just a modification to the electromagnetic actuator that controls the lead pour.
As I type this it is running with no labor from me and putting out boolits at a rate of 550 per hour. I know it can run faster because last week on a test run I had it doing a calculated 800 boolits per hour but was having problems with the mould overheating. I think that could be solved with more cooling fans but at 550 boolits per hour I am happy!
Here is a closing shot of 2 hours production and an overall picture of the setup.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/DSC01377.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/DSC01361.jpg