nightmare adjustable camber press

[strangesnowboarding]

hey everybody, so there has been some interest shown in our adjustable press so i figured that a thread describing the press would be the best way to help you guys see all the bits and pieces.

just some history (in case you did not read the history in my workshop post)
got this press 2 years ago over in breckenridge from the underground (a retail shop that decided it wanted to start pressing boards). before breck this press was on the warehouse floor of solid snowboards out in california.

its mega burly (2 6x6 steel beams top and bottom) and set up for production schedules. it is heated and liquid cooled and the bottom camber mold is totally adjustable (including tip and tail).

i will be talking about the press in the x,y,z axis (x is along the length of the press, y is the depth of the press, and z is the vertical direction)


presscavity by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

the camber/rocker is taken care of by a mild steel plate welded to two mounts at either end of the press. the mounts allow the plate to rotate and also move in the x direction. i am surprised every time at how much the plate can flex.
6 supports that run in the y direction can be moved to different points on the xaxis and adjusted in the z to create the profile of the snowboard. there are also another 7 supports that add strength so that the plate flexes in a uniform manner. all of the height adjustment is done by backing the bolts in and out of the steel that they are attached to.
i do not yet have a CAD program designed that lets me place the supports with a chart, so have just been adjusting and checking to make sure that our profiles are accurate.


mainpress by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

the clam shell type is awesome for loading and unloading the snowboard as well as getting the top mold in and the bottom adjusted. we are still having to cut the top molds but are working on a system so that we can make 2 different styles of board in one day.


tip:tailadjustment by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

the tip and tail arcs are machined out of aluminum (we have several already but are in the process of getting more made) and they bolt to the steel plate to allow for different sizes of board. care has to be taken at this point to make sure that everything is square and tightened down.

so thats the press, we are still working out all the kinks (and have not yet started with the cooling system). but so far it is the greatest design/build tool that we have (cnc will be better!). its nice to be able to adjust rocker/camber from board to board without making expensive and time consuming molds.

bring on the questions, and if anyone is seriously considering trying to mimic this system i can give you all the thicknesses and dimensions. it will require some serious machine shop work and welding but is great option.

tom
nightmare

[doughboyshredder]

My first question is how does the plate get the rocker shape?

I have an adjustable press also and with the ends mounted solid. When I have the center adjustment cranked for camber everything is good. I haven't set it up for rocker yet, since i haven't built anything with rocker underfoot. I haven't been able to wrap my head around how to keep the center down though. Is it just the weight of the plate that is pushing it down to make contact, or does it not really get the shape until the pneumatics are turned on, or are the adjustment bars threaded in to the plate?

Does my question make sense?

[strangesnowboarding]

hey doughboy

the plate flexes to the desired shape once the pneumatics are pressurized, camber is easy to set because you are forcing it up like you said, with rocker we have to set the braces (height and location) and then pressurize to get the final reading on the rocker profile. this has been a slow process, moving up and down 1/16turn to get everything accurate.

i have also noticed that after doing several boards, the plate tend to retain some "memory" of the bends. we have to re pressurize flat to get it back to normal.

hope that answers your questions.

[jvangelder]

So do the tip and tail plates have the radius that ends flush on the plate that is above the lower "cattrack" which is above your adjustment blocks?

Is that lower cattrack a sandwich of 3/8'ish square bar with a plate on either side?


Defiantly a unique press, i may have to borrow your adjustable tip/tail idea

[strangesnowboarding]

jvan

the tip and tail pieces end flush on the track on bottom (not perfect but within 1mmgap).
here are the materials in order from the bottom up.

1.5cm steel plate
1.2cm drywall material (not sure exactly what it is, feels like drywall and is a little chalky)
alum plate (1mmish)
1.2cmx2.5cm solid alum stock, 2 holes bored through each one for fluid transfer
(tip and tail pieces)
alum plate (1mmish)
heater blanket
alum plate (1mmish)

!!!snowboard!!!

the tip and tail are sweet, i will continue making them out of aluminum, i dont think wood is a good choice when it gets that thin. they are made up of thick aluminum ribs and with a machined sheet across the top.
expensive, so im glad we have enough options for now.

[Brazen]

I'm in love with this machine. It's like what I would have built if I had money

[BCCB]

hey everybody, so there has been some interest shown in our adjustable press so i figured that a thread describing the press would be the best way to help you guys see all the bits and pieces.

just some history (in case you did not read the history in my workshop post)
got this press 2 years ago over in breckenridge from the underground (a retail shop that decided it wanted to start pressing boards). before breck this press was on the warehouse floor of solid snowboards out in california.

its mega burly (2 6x6 steel beams top and bottom) and set up for production schedules. it is heated and liquid cooled and the bottom camber mold is totally adjustable (including tip and tail).

i will be talking about the press in the x,y,z axis (x is along the length of the press, y is the depth of the press, and z is the vertical direction)


presscavity by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

the camber/rocker is taken care of by a mild steel plate welded to two mounts at either end of the press. the mounts allow the plate to rotate and also move in the x direction. i am surprised every time at how much the plate can flex.
6 supports that run in the y direction can be moved to different points on the xaxis and adjusted in the z to create the profile of the snowboard. there are also another 7 supports that add strength so that the plate flexes in a uniform manner. all of the height adjustment is done by backing the bolts in and out of the steel that they are attached to.
i do not yet have a CAD program designed that lets me place the supports with a chart, so have just been adjusting and checking to make sure that our profiles are accurate.


mainpress by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

the clam shell type is awesome for loading and unloading the snowboard as well as getting the top mold in and the bottom adjusted. we are still having to cut the top molds but are working on a system so that we can make 2 different styles of board in one day.


tip:tailadjustment by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

the tip and tail arcs are machined out of aluminum (we have several already but are in the process of getting more made) and they bolt to the steel plate to allow for different sizes of board. care has to be taken at this point to make sure that everything is square and tightened down.

so thats the press, we are still working out all the kinks (and have not yet started with the cooling system). but so far it is the greatest design/build tool that we have (cnc will be better!). its nice to be able to adjust rocker/camber from board to board without making expensive and time consuming molds.

bring on the questions, and if anyone is seriously considering trying to mimic this system i can give you all the thicknesses and dimensions. it will require some serious machine shop work and welding but is great option.

tom
nightmare

Tom first off that is sickbirdness! Can you get more pics of the lower adjustable mold? How exactly is it adjustable??

BCCB

[Alex13]

That's pretty cool. I'd love to build an adjustable bottom mould and this is one of the best examples I've seen. How adjustable is it, i.e. could you build a rocker/camber type profile a la never summer boards?

[strangesnowboarding]

bccb
you can see the adjustment methods in the first photo, there are 6 "yaxis supports" that you use to determine the height of the rocker/camber and they are placed at specific locations along the x axis.
very similar to those i have seen on the site here (done with multiple rows of bolts, etc) but burly.

alex
with the 6 "yaxis supports" we can pretty much create any design that can be thought up, camber to rocker, rocker to camber, flat, whatever. in order to do really complex stuff (like we are seeing in burtons endless lineup) i might have to fab up some different supports, but i dont foresee us getting that involved when we have so many other options.
i have yet to determine the smallest and largest radius that we can achieve with this press but so far we have been able to do whatever we can think up
(for now that is 13mm rocker!!)

[BCCB]

So your lower mold is a "mild steel plate"? Looks pretty thick to me would like to see that part in action.

[Alex13]

Could you show a closeup pic or two of how the plate is attached?

Are the "adjusters" just solid steel bars with a threaded hole for the bolts, and do the bolt heads simply rest on the base of the press or are they threaded in?

[strangesnowboarding]

the plate is welded to a steel tube that is then bolted to the press frame (with long slots to allow for movement) i will get some more pics up, i also will post a video of the press bending the plate.

the bolts are only threaded into the yaxis braces, everything can move around under the plate. we actually experienced it move while applying pressure, so we use super glue to hold the bolt heads down (temporarily).

[strangesnowboarding]

heres a short crappy vid of the press in action.
to answer this question now: yes the top of the press does move. there is a 1.4cm gap between the pin and the sheath (holding the clamshell closed on the left side) there is no way around this so we take that into account when making molds/placing molds.
there is a lot going on, i need to get a proper camera and slow motion in here to really show the extent of the flex.

hope this helps!


tom

[yack]

Hi Strangesnowboarding,

Your press is amazing! I don't really understand how the adjustable camber works... Do you have to adjust manually?

Did you draw a plan (perhaps a 3D plan) of this press? If you did, I would be very interest to see the plan.

best regards from switzerland

Yack