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How Goes It
Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 331
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 Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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Greg said - I understand what you are saying when you compare moving a router to moving a stud or a sill plate, but its not the same thing. I can draw the path of a router to end up with a cabinet panel that I want to make. I can't draw the path a stud must follow from the rack to the fab table ...
For each framed wall, I wouldn't expect a person to draw the path all the way back to the lumber rack. In fact, CNC having as many different aspects to it as it has, I wouldn't even expect Alfred to even want to contemplate writing a CAM program for doing toolpaths, and G-code for the many different CNC machines that are on the market.
Though the typical small router table may be confined to a space of say 6' x 10', these things can have material handling capabilities. What this means, is that instead of one servo to move the router along the X, and another servo to move the router along the Y, and a third servo to move along the Z, you now have numerous other servo motors also, in order to move your plywood or lumber incrementally, all the way from the lumber rack to the table where your router carves out a panel, or nail gun nails up a wall.
Life for a controller can exist beyond just the basic 3, 4, or 5 axes.
Using something like G-code, one servo could control movement of a gantry from left to right over the lumber rack.
Another servo lowers a mechanism on the gantry to do the pick in the lumber rack.
Other servos may take the stud from the gantry at the lumber rack all the way over to the table where the wall is to be constructed.
Another servo could or would hold a stud precisely in place where it is to be nailed to a plate.
Another group of servos may retrieve plate stock.
And yet another group of servos may retrieve stock to cut for cripples.
Your router tables can also have vacuum mechanisms for holding things in place and shrouds for keeping the saw dust down, which is another aspect of a CNC controller's job, such as when to grab and hold a piece of wood, and when to release it.
You also have mechanisms for doing tool changes automatically.
Understand that a servo neither knows nor cares if it is moving a router, or moving a piece of lumber from a rack. The servo simply reacts to the voltage sent it which makes it spin in one direction or the other, or hold steadfast in one place.
Basically speaking --- a whole lot of servos, steppers, actuators, optical detection, ball screws, rollers, gantries, conveyors, racks, tables, vacuums, with any number of routers, and cut-off saws, tool changers --- blah, blah, blah. It's just a bigger erector set, that has tentacles that spread out across an entire building with more motors and mechanisms, and what not. But I'm pretty sure it is just CNC on a bigger scale then the small router table.
CNC at its' most basic, is a computer telling a bunch of motors, when each is to turn on or off, or hold steady.
There is other than G-code for controllers also. So maybe Weinman uses some other similar language. But, if you read the G-code sample, you get the idea --- the controller sends a voltage to a particular motor (one out of many) that turns on at a particular time within a sequence to a certain rpm, ...
There likely are subroutines or scripts where you need not bother with writing a bunch of lines of G-code in order to retrieve a stud, or in order to retrieve any number of studs and place them at 16" on center. I'd guess this is handled fairly automatically by software built into the controller. That is, after Weinmann does the initial set up of your factory and controller, and after you export the proper code out of your Weinman compatible CAM and into your controller, it's likely your Framer will automatically handle the retrieval of material per your plan or model.
Anyway, let me know what you you find out.
I'd be curious to find out if this is just another gangly CNC machine with a bunch more servos, actuators, gantry's, conveyors, and ball screws, and what not, that uses Weinmann's particular version of G-code (or other similar type code) to numerically run their Controller, which runs all the servos and accessories, which assembles the wall.
Like I say ---- sounds like CNC to me, or at least some variation of it.
Steve |
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How Goes It
Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 331
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| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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So I downloaded the PDF and looked at the webpage of Weimann's CNC-controlled framing extruder & CNC-controlled multi-function bridge
Looks to me like this thing would probably work with form•Z. Maybe it just needs a certain type of file for import such as SAT, STEP, or IGES. A good question to ask.
I wouldn't worry about how this thing retrieves a stud. It's all automated if you get the 250. It uses a vac to hold the stud on retrieval. I knew there was a vac in there somewhere!!!  I'm pretty sure you're not going to have to master any extensive code to get a stud. Probably none! Of course the controller will know where the studs are stacked, after your Framer is set-up by the Weinmann guys. Sure there is something to this aspect, but likely no big thing.
It looks pretty much like rake walls or parts of walls under gables will need to be hand built. I can't see how this thing can frame any wall other than one with bottom and top plates being parallel.
I'd also be curious to know max wall height and whether this would handle 2 x 6 walls.
Though I'm a little curious on how this deals with the framing of openings. The web literature was a bit sparse on this, other than briefly mentioning some kind of Rough Opening Table. Is any of this part done manually? Does this CNC machine cut the cripples, headers, trimmers, and sills, and then insert all the parts into position, hold them in place, and then nail them up? I'm guessing some of this is manual, but I could be wrong. And it seems like the machine only retrieves studs, and not these other parts.
You know i could be totally wrong, but it sure looks like this thing is looking mainly for, and maybe even only for a CAD model.
And being as Modelers such as form•Z and other 3D CAD packages are object oriented type programs, there likely is some way for Weimann's software to recognize what differentiates a stud from a plate upon importing your file into Weinmanns software. Maybe it's simply a matter of properly naming all the objects prior to import into the Weinmann program. Maybe it's simply a matter of orienting the project properly upon export and import, where upon doing so, the Weinmann program would assume that studs are the vertical members, and plates are the continuous horizontal members. This is something I would ask about. |
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lavardera
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 412
Location: merchantville, nj
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| Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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Wow.
Look - I was not suggesting that I would actually have to draw the path of the stud - just that the data set is different. A routing outline is easy - hand over a DWG or DXF file with the outline drawn. This likely requires additional tags or data entities in the CAD file to identify and define the size and length of framing members. I think that adding that capacity to PowerCadd is certainly a possibility
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greg |
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