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CNC Articles Phone: 516-328-3970 www.technocnc.com 133 community 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.