Just doing some layouts and wanted to know what the distance is between the cutting head and rollers so I can adjust for the feeder foam that will go uncut. Looks like an extra five inches of spare foam is needed.

Mark, I am sure you considered having the cutting tool feed in between the two rollers to optimize the material surface. Just wondering if you did, what were the drawbacks?

 

I'll have to go back and stare at some pictures but I was under the impression that the Phlatprinter3 did have the cutting bit go between the drive rollers.

 

You know, I believe you are right. I found a video online with a close up of the head cutting and it is between rollers . The angle of the still photos online, make the head look like it is sitting behind the rollers.
When I saw the last phlat lab live, it looked like the head was behind the rollers.
So now it looks like I only need maybe an extra two inches of foam margin that is unusable. With the size of kits I plan on cutting, I need every inch of depron used to avoid waste.

 

dhc8guru, you could attach some leftover foam with tape at the front and the back of the sheet and get almost 100% use out of it.

 

SO, the question is: What is the size of the "Safe Cutting Zone" for FFF or 15 X 39 Depron?
I think that looking at the skp file for Mark's Micro Hand-Launch Glider will reveal the PP III limits for the Depron, and a little math should reveal the amount of excess material required.

 

If both rollers are working in unison driving he material than, theoretically, there should be no waste since each roller will move the material until it passed it and one roller will take over for the other and the material will be under control, in the cutting zone, at all time.

 

That was my thought exactly!

Thanks guys and gals!

 

yes..but there is no support to the foam once it disengages from the front roller. The cutting bit would probably chatter the foam without the tension of the front roller.

 

Any word on when these beauties get shipped?

 

If you look at the pictures Mark posted you'll see that once it got disengaged from both rollers, it had already left the cutting tool, so it doesn't have to go that far and to lose contact with both rollers.

 

I've read the answer to this next question somewhere but I don't remember what it was or were I found it

Is the cutting depth limitation of 1 3/4" based on bit length or the two bars on top (not the pressure rollers with tape, the ones on top of the foam that keep it firm against the rollers)? Bit length would be an obvious reason, but I was thinking that maybe there a certain height at which the two bars on top would swing UP instead of DOWN on the foam material because they use a two way spring system (seen on Crash's video). Or maybe it's just too tight of a fit for a 1/16" bit to squeeze between the 3/16" gap between the rollers...

On a different note, I saw this at RCG and thought it could be rigged to the MKIII

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1313447

I'm sure it would work, probably at fairly low cutting speeds, but would there really be any advantage? I suppose it wouldn't make so much noise

- Jeff

 

ummm... let's see, if you rigged a new attachment for the Phlatprinter you might be able to use this to cut say an angle in a block of foam.... ummm, here is a good use for a fourth axis.

Yep, possibilities are coming to mind....