Machine Room

The machine room has a fully tooled Bridgeport mill and a

Hardinge tool maker lathe. It also has a vertical bandsaw,

workbenches, grinders, saws, miscellaneous tools, prototyping

raw materials, and component parts.  This is where all precision

manufacturing and modification of prototype parts is performed.

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Bridgeport Mill

A wide variety of prototype parts are made and modified on the

Bridgeport Mill.  It is a very precise and sturdy classic mill with a

2 hp motor.  It has been outfitted with a Sony Magnescale LH11

digital readout that provides positional information accurate to

.0001".  Parts can be attached directly to the 9" x 42" table or

they can be held by either a Kurt Precision Vice or a Yuasa

Rotary Vice depending on the type of part and job required.

The table has a movement range of 26" left to right, 9" in and out, and 13" up and down.  There is a very wide assortment of drills and mills of all kinds, along with a selection of different slitting saws for work on any kind of part.

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Hardinge Lathe

The first prototype version of our current head design was made primarily on our Hardinge Mill.  Another classic toolmaker machine, it has been fitted with a Sony Magnescale LH10 digital readout which provides positional information accurate to .0001".  Small parts are quickly mounted using collets, while larger parts are mounted using one of three inside/outside multi-jaw chucks.  The lathe has a part capacity of 6" diameter and 16" in length.  The lathe's tailstock is used to quickly begin the boring process on solid bars.  A variety of turning, boring, and drilling tools are used for various projects.

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Vertical Band Saw

The Powermatic upright bandsaw is used for everything from quick cuts to precision patterned cuts.  It is also used to rough cut the polycarbonate blanks that are used to make our abrasive disc backings.  The bandsaw has a work table size of 15" x15" and a maximum cutting thickness of 6".

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Hand Working Tools

The machine room also houses two benchtop grinders along with an upright belt sander with abrasive disc.  These grinders and sanders are used on various hand fitted parts along with deburring tasks.  They are also used to make tools for the lathe.