CNC ArticlesPhone: 516-328-3970www.technocnc.com133community and since then the system has won followers worldwide at affiliated studios in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Seattle, Munich, Mexico City and Florence. While the system was originally conceived for dancers, it has proven equally successful with children, the elderly, and those recovering from injuries and illness.The Gyrotonics Expansion System is a patented design that uses hand- and foot-operated wheel bases and pulley suspensions to precisely hone the body through some 130 variations on 50 different sets of exercises. Workouts typically last between one and two hours and consist of slow turns synchronized with rhythmically-released deep breaths. Weights used are much lower than typical exercise machines generally on the order of 30 pounds.Horvath builds each machine himself, and this is a key selling feature of the equipment. The base and support elements are made of wood while other components are machined aluminum. In the beginning, Horvath built wooden components with a jig saw, using intricate templates to guide his hands, and heavily sanded each piece after cutting. There were two problems with this approach. It took so long to build each machine that, considering his other time commitments, Horvath was precluded from turning the exercise machines into a serious business. Second, the lack of precision provided by jig saw cutting meant that the components of each machine had to be individually fitted.Then, about fi ve years ago, Horvath heard about the Techno computer-controlled router that can produce wooden components in far less time than a jig saw. The 3-axis gantry router himself, although he does use part-time employees from time to time.T e c h n o r o u t e r s h a v e antibacklash ball screws for play-free motion that make it possible to produce circles that are accurate to the .0005 inch machine resolution. These ball screws also make it possible to produce wooden parts as accurate as the machine resolution. The ball screws have excellent power transmission due to the rolling-ball contact between the nut and screws. This type of contact also ensures low friction, low wear and long life.In five years of operation, Horvath has never had any problems with the machine. This is partly due to the strength and rigidity of the table. The Techno machine is constructed from extruded aluminum profi les that can support all the materials that Horvath uses and provides easy clamping capability. The machine also has four ground and hardened steel shafts and eight recirculating bearings in each axis. This shaft and bearing system produces very smooth play-free motion and an extremely rigid system that produces high-quality cuts.All in all, since purchasing the new router, Horvath has been able to turn his exercise machine concept into a profitable business venture. The precision and repeatability of the router makes it possible for him to perform all production work himself and will make it easy to delegate manufacturing to others, if required by future growth, without sacrificing quality.from Techno follows a pattern that is programmed with a drawing program. Rather than tediously trace the contours of the template, Horvath can now simply put a piece of wood on the Techno router and fl ip the switch. It produces parts in about 1/5 the time required on a jig saw. A key advantage is that the router can generate a 3-axis motion. This means that operations such as rounding the edges of a part, which would normally be done in a second operation after jigsawing, can now be accomplished in a single setup.The accuracy of the computer-controlled router is also far greater, which provides additional time savings. The Techno system has an accuracy of ±0.1 mm (±.004) in 300 mm and a repeatability of ±0.01 mm (.0004). This precision eliminates the need for most manual fi nishing operations and for individually fitting components. It makes it possible to build more accurate and better looking parts that are interchangeable with each other.The Techno router was relatively inexpensive. Horvath estimates that he paid for its cost last year in one single order for fi ve machines. Horvath himself is computer-illiterate, but he has a friend who converts his sketches into AutoCAD drawings then uses a CNC programming package called Mastercam to produce a fi le that the router understands. Once the program is finished, Horvath operates the machine in his workshop. When he wants to produce a part, he simply loads a piece of wood and pushes a few buttons to start the machine. He does nearly all the manufacturing work All in all, since purchasing the new router, Horvath has been able to turn his exercise machine concept into a profi table business venture.