As most here know I retired some years ago and then eventually set up a retirement shop. As part of the new space I picked up a early 2000's era 4x8 CNC. I've done a lot to upgrade that over the past 7 or 8 years and have it set up pretty much to my satisfaction at this point.
However, one key function has eluded me until now. Every time I run multi bit files I have to deal with manually changing tools.
It's obviously hard to justify the cost of an ATC spindle, tool rack setup and an air dryer for a $5000 used 20+ year old CNC.......especially one that is used far more for pleasure than profit. While Chinese spindles have significantly lowered the setup cost for a true ATC system it's still more than one can realistically justify in this situation.
THIS IS NOT AN AD for a new system. I'm merely sharing what I've found and bought into. I suspect there are plenty of small shop owners out there who will find this intriguing.
The link below will take you to Rapidchange ATC. There are a number of DIY ATC systems on Youtube but this is the only one I've found that is truly professionally designed and commercially available. Don, the company owner, has turned his idea of a DIY ATC into a viable business. If you peruse his site you'll find versions available for most all of the ER collect systems. However my Perske spindle uses something called a SYOZ 20 collet/nut setup. I sent Don a set of these and he modified one of the ER systems to accommodate the Perske.
I'm in the middle of installing this on my CNC right now. I've actually done a number of initial test tool changes and it does work. My SYOZ collet nuts require a minor modification in order to work with the Rapidchange ATC and I'll take 5 more of them to a machine shop next week to have it done. In the mean time I just have the one initial nut I had modified in order to test it all out. I'm looking forward to having 6 tools in a row in this new rack and watching it go from one to another.
As you watch the videos undoubtedly some questions of the operation will arise. The most significant will likely be accommodating the reverse rotation of the spindle for unloading and the abrupt, momentary stall of the rotation when locking the collet nut. This may end up being a cause for concern but in my case, with a 20 year old Perske spindle, and Chinese replacements a few hundred dollars away, I'm willing to give it a go.
The real clincher to all this, along with the fact that it actually works, is the cost. For $400 to $1000, depending upon the size and features you select, you have a complete ATC system. I've spent a fair amount of time on the phone with Don and he's actually sold hundreds of these. He's worked with router manufacturers and control software companies and has post processors for a wide variety of brands, with more in the pipeline.
BH Davis