Equipment Arrivals
May 22, 2008

 

Equipment has slowly been arriving.

 

One includes a Festool CT33 dust vac. At the moment it is paired with an RO 150 dual mode 6" sander.
The vac can be used with any portable tool fitted with a dust collection port. Fixed equipment like table saws
or similar equipment require a high volume collector instead of a high vac/low pressure unit like the portable
Festool unit. The Festool CT33 collects dust in a bag for easy disposal. It also uses HEPA filters and in auto
mode cycles on and off with the tool (sander, jigsaw, etc) that's in use. The particular sander purchased can
be used in a standard random orbital mode for fine finishing or slower material removal. It can also be shifted
into Rotax mode where the rotating motion of the sanding pad is driven much like a form of slow speed grinder.
It works very well for faster material removal, and when coupled with the dust collecting vac it's a very clean
operation. The vac also does a lot to keep the sandpaper from loading up. This keeps the paper working
effectively and increases its useable life. The airflow reduces surface temperatures which protects the material
from possible burns and reduces the thermal breakdown of the sandpaper's adhesive. End result; cleaner air,
cleaner workpiece, longer sandpaper life (at $0.75 per sheet it adds up fast). Festool also offers a wide range
of paper types and grits, anything from 24 grit to 4000 grit to buffing and polishing pads. Different paper series
are designed for particular materials, wood, metal, paints, automotive and 2-part marine finishes, etc. This means
more paper has to be kept in inventory at the shop, but the specalized papers do last longer and produce better
finishes than with other papers I've used in the past. I've also been using the vac with a Dewalt jigsaw and it has
worked well. It keeps the cutting area cleaner which increases visibility of lines being cut along, producing more
accurate cuts. It also keeps the air and workarea cleaner.

Festool CT33 vac RO150 sander

 

Measuring and mixing 300 gallons of epoxy by hand in an 8 hour day for a hull layup might become tedious.
The accuracy of the mix (2:1 for Mas Epoxies) is very important to achieve a proper cure. It is also critical
that the epoxy be thoroughly mixed for the chemicals to react properly. Towards the end of a work day a
manual mixing process and fatigue could lead to mistakes costing thousands of dollars in rework. Manual mixing
also requires mixing sticks or drill mixing attachments, mixing tubs or buckets, and other 'disposable' supplies
which add to the cost. As an alternative, mechanical metering and mixing machines capable or outputting 1-2
gallons per minute or more of accurately meterd and fully mixed epoxy. The below machine was purchased from
Michael Engineering. It is fixed at a 2:1 ratio and runs off of compressed air. When the pnuematic button is
depressed the machine meters the resin and hardener and pumps it through hoses to a dispensing gun. When the
still seperated resin and hardener exit the gun they are injected into a static mixing nozzle. The nozzle uses baffles
to mix the epoxy. It flows out of the end ready to use. When finished simply remove and discard the mixing
nozzle, wipe the end of the gun, and screw on the cap. All resin and hardener is kept seperate in the machine
and gun so that's all there is to cleanup. Everything can sit for days until needed for use again (just screw on a
new static mixing tip and it's ready to go). The particular machine at Cascade also includes a cascading barrel
rack. This means the upper barrels can be changed out when empty without introducing air into the mixing
cylinders. Otherwise the system would have to be bleed of air after each barrel change, a process which
wastes time and material. The entire machine and included barrel rack is on wheels so it can be moved around
the shop easily to each job. For large projects, disposable plastic hose will be clamped onto the mixing nozzle and
and led to a short knap roller. This will allow quick and easy dispensing of the epoxy during layups. Tthe
machine has been unpacked but is not yet fully assembled in the below pictures.
( the felt pen labels are mine, added after unpacking)

 

The mixing machine, HVLP paint sprayers, air files, and other equipment in the shop require compressed air to operate
Today the air compressor arrived. It has been partially unpacked in the pictures below. It is an Ingersoll Rand 7.5HP
80 gallon unit. It runs up to 175psi and runs on 3-phase 230vac power. It includes the performance package which
adds an automatic electric condensate drain valve, low oil shutdown sensor, and air aftercooler. After the compressor is
mounted and wired up a regulator and air drier will be installed to protect air tools and produce clean air for spraying
2-component coatings and other moisture sensitive products.