Routing Precision Board HDU with a Techno CNC Systems Machine

Techno CNC Systems has worked with Coastal Enterprises for a long time, so we thought it would be fun to have them fabricate a sign out of Precision Board HDU.  Bob Valentine put together a CAM design using both the Techno CNC Systems and Coastal Enterprises logos.  He then routed a 2″ thick piece of PBLT-30 into a work of art.  You can see the final product below and also get speeds and feeds information for cutting Precision Board using a Venture Plus CNC machine from Techno CNC Systems.

 

Speeds and Feeds for Engraving (1.25″ v-bit with 0.5″ shank):

Speed: 18,000 RPM
Feed: 1,000 IPM
Chip Load: 0.05″
RDoC: 0.6125″
ADoC: 0.5″

Speeds and Feeds for Endmill (0.5″ flat endmill upcut):

Speed: 18,000 RPM
Feed: 1,000 IPM
Chip Load: 0.027″
RDoC: 0.25″
ADoC: 0.76

Since 1986, Techno has been solving the toughest manufacturing challenges helping sign makers, woodworkers and general fabricators with their production needs. Their CNC equipment is designed to route, carve, drill, and engrave in wood, plastic, foam, aluminum and other materials for a wide range of applications.  You can contact them at (631) 648-7481 or visit their website.

Not sure which density of Precision Board you need for your project?  Review our Material Selection Guide to choose which density and whether you need PBLT (low-temp) or PBHT (high-temp) Precision Board.  You can also request free samples.

 

Hand Shaping HDU made simple with Precision Board Plus

The Concrete Canoe Team of Chico State University was determined to build a mold out of high-density urethane this year when they found Coastal Enterprises Company through their competitors at University Nevada Reno Concrete Canoe. They initially intended to go with a mold design that would be CNC machined. However, due to changes in design they ran out of time and were forced to hand-shape their mold.

Foam 1

PBLT-10, PBLT-15

Foam 2

PBLT-10, PBLT-15

 

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PBLT-10, PBLT-15

Foam 5

PBLT-10, PBLT-15

Foam 8

PBLT-10, PBLT-15

They were a little apprehensive at first having never worked with high-density urethane before. “We weren’t sure exactly how smoothly it was going to go, but once we started to work with it, we loved it! The Precision Board cut easily and was insanely workable. Using only hand tools, rasps, and files the results were smoother and more streamlined than we could have ever hoped for.” Chico State Team Member Kaylie Humbert said.

“The canoe project itself took months, however the Precision Board mold that we created only took a single day. It was so easy to work with I would absolutely recommend it. None of the team members had any experience working with Precision Board before and as beginners we were very pleased with the results that we were able to achieve. I can only imagine what professionals would do with it.”

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For more information check out Chico States Concrete Canoe Team.

Cornell Formula SAE Team Adds Aero Kit to 2014 Race Car

Anytime a project involves adding a motorcycle race engine to a four-wheel chassis, its bound to be pretty awesome. Cornell’s 2014 FSAE car, ARG14, weighs in at only 420 lbs. and boasts a turbocharged 2007 Honda CBR-600RR engine and complete carbon fiber monocoque frame. ARG14 got a chance to bare its teeth this past month when hundreds of teams from all over the world got together with their formula-style race cars for Formula SAE Michigan, held at the Michigan International Speedway, to find out which school brought the fastest car and who would walk away with bragging rights till next year. It’s a tough competition, with some teams utilizing professional drivers and Formula 1 wind tunnels during the car’s construction – these teams are serious about winning. Cornell 2014 FSAE Team Leader Jesse Green describes the changes they made prior to the 2014 race: “This year we made several major changes to help us achieve our goal of winning the competition. The first was the addition of an aerodynamic system, to increase the drivability of the car and and maintain competitiveness, as many other FSAE teams have also been adopting aerodynamics.” Screen Shot 2014-06-03 at 3.38.26 PM In order to implement this major change, the first thing students did was perform a vehicle stability analysis with a two wheel model. With this, students were able to determine the minimum aerodynamic forces needed to stabilize the car, and a baseline for the desired aerodynamic balance. Additional testing helped students establish target lift and drag values, enabling them to accurately calculate desired aerodynamic performance and come up with a model to provide the most beneficial amount of downforce. According to Jesse Green, “We used the Precision Board Plus donated by Coastal Enterprises to make master molds for the carbon fiber parts that make up the aero kit. We had experience with Precision Board from when we made the molds for our carbon fiber monocoque frame in 2011, and it worked perfectly to produce our aero kit with minimal time or effort.” By generating 300lb. of downforce at 60mph, the team could attend Formula SAE Michigan confident that their car would perform well at the race.

IMG_1339Precision Board Plus PBHT-40 for the carbon fiber monocoque frame being CNC machined by Sierra Technical Services.

Cornell’s ARG14 ended up placing 44th out of 107 different teams, and are walking away with valuable insight from the new techniques implemented this year that they plan to master for next. According to next year’s Team Leader, Nina Buchakjian, “Cornell Racing has a strong heritage of building extremely powerful racing vehicles with incredible acceleration times. We definitely plan on continuing this for our next prototype, the ARG15. One major change will be in our chassis design, which is still being finalized. The redesign will focus on making the engine more accessible and serviceable. And of course, we aim to win!” See more about the Cornell FSAE team at cornellfsae.com. IMG_2656 IMG_2660 MIS2014_07