CNC ArticlesPhone: 516-328-3970www.technocnc.com125Automating the process of machining racks“When we got the new process for machining racks up-and-running, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven,” Zierenberg said. “The LC Series ma-chine does everything we need it to do at a remarkably low price. As far as durability goes, I have been amazed and satisfied. We have been running the machine all day, every day for two years and have no problems. By the way, besides being less expensive than other CNC routers, the LC also takes up quite a bit less space, which provides ad-ditional savings.”TheLCseriesmachineincludes a heavy steel ground stress-relieved base and an aluminum T-Slot table that can be easily converted to a vacuum table by installing the Techno vacuum table accessory kit. Because the frame is a single welded piece, there is no chance for it to get “out of square” or require alignment.“Techno’s sales team were very helpful, not only giving me all the information I requested about the machine, but also helping me fi nd the right software package and providing me with the necessary training to get my production up-and-running quickly,”Zierenberg added.The machine comesfully assembled and includes Techno’sWindows-based CNC G-Code interfacewith free lifetime software upgrades. The machine is available in three sizes, with work envelopes of 30 by 24 inches, 50 by 48 inches and 50 by 96 inches. Each of these models provides a repeatability of 0.001 inches, a resolution of 0.0002 inches and a maximum speed of 250 inches per minute. A wide range of optional equipment is offered including a laser scanning module, CNC lathe attach-ment, Porter Cable router, vacuum blower, and fourth axis rotary table. The 4-foot by 8-foot model sellsfor $13,995.Higher productivity meansincreased profi ts The increase in productivity that has been achieved with the new machine has significantly reduced Champion’s manufacturing costs. “Clearly, the availability of high-quality, low-cost routers has the potential to dramati-cally improve the profitability of every manufacturer that uses wood in their product, ”Zierenberg said.“Our savingsextend through the assembly process as well because the more accurate parts that we produce with the new CNCrouter avoid the need for manual fitting. Having lower manufacturing costs thanour competitors give us the opportunityto offer greater value to customers and increases our sales volume. Higher productivity means that we are able to handle this volume without adding workers, which increases profi t mar-gins. Techno’s LC series CNC is clearlythe wave of the future for woodworkingmanufacturing.”They don’t have the play or the requirement for adjustments that racks do; they also do not wear as easily as racks do and they are far less likely to get debris in the mechanism than racks to cause skipping and errant motion. A closed- loop servo control system provides constant position feed-back, higher power, and smooth continuous motion that eliminates the possibility of losing position in the middle of a part. Servomotors, unlike stepper motors, do not “lose posi-tion” and cannot skip steps. Servos are also far better for 3D applications because they can change speed “on the fly” without losing poweras steppers do.Zierenberg generated programs for the gun racks and a number of other wood parts, such as center dividers, used in the company’s different models of safes. He designed jigs that hold the particle board blanks in place.An operator simply loadsthe jig with a precut blank, calls up the appropriate program, and hits the startbutton. He then walks away while the router finishes the part.It typically takesthe Techno router about one minute for each rack that is machined. Some of the racks are more complex and take as long as four minutes. While the router is busy, the operator can work on other jobs, such as cutting out blanks on a table saw.
