Router design ensures proper handling of popular fencing material

By Lisa Arrigo, Editor in Chief

Vinyl fencing is becoming a popular alternative for consumers who do not want to spend the time and money required to maintain wooden fences. This trend is being fed by new technologies that are speeding production and yielding more attractive vinyl designs.
Since conventional saws and routers are engineered for wood, manufacturers are developing specialized machines that can deal with the material characteristics of vinyl. For example, Custom Machine Manufacturer LLC, a division of JIT Distributing and a leader in the vinyl fencing, railing, and decking industries located in South Bend, IN, has developed CNC routing equipment, automated notching equipment, and CNC cut-off saws specifically designed for vinyl fencing.

A DMC-2123 two-axis controller integrated with an AMP-20520 brushless amplifier enables the CMM-1050 router to accurately cut vinyl-extruded products.

It's good business sense because, according to the company, vinyl fencing is growing at a rate of 32 percent per year. This can be traced to consumer acceptance of vinyl as a tough material that does not require painting. "Most commercial-grade vinyl today includes UV inhibitors and impact modifiers that make it incredibly durable and weather-resistant," says President Stephen Johnson. In fact, "it can have more tensile strength and flexibility than wood." In addition, it does not peel or corrode and usually carries a lifetime warranty.

Custom Machine Manufacturer has incorporated a DMC-2123 two-axis controller integrated with an AMP-20520 brushless amplifier into its routers, including the CMM-1050 router, to ensure accurate cutting of vinyl-extruded products. Both these devices are made by Galil Motion Control Inc., a company headquartered in Rocklin, CA, that specializes in microprocessor-based motion controllers engineered to control motors with utmost precision. (See the adjacent articles for additional information on the DMC-21x3 Series of controllers.)

The CMM-1055 router has two material bays along with a fast-activating, zero-load-time, electronic self-centering clamping fixture that holds the material, determines the width of the part, and sends that data to the auxiliary encoder of the Galil controller. As a result, operators can feed various sizes of material into the router and let the controller adjust it automatically. The controller provides precise X-Y coordinated motion while the router head runs at speeds of up to 50-plus inches per second, which translates to 125 three-rail line posts per hour.

The CMM-1050 also features a graphical user interface that runs on proprietary MotionCAD software. With about 45 minutes of training, operators are able to input arc patterns, fence lengths, and the number of pickets through the interface. The Galil controller then receives the data and ensures cutting is done with precision and repeatability.

Before adopting the DMC-2123 two-axis controller and AMP-20520 brushless amplifier, Custom Machine Manufacturer used Galil's DMC-1822 PCI controller with separate drives. Johnson explains why the company made the switch: "Not only did the newer standalone solution eliminate the wiring between the controller and drives, it provided enough I/O and built-in performance so that we no longer needed an outside PC and all its requisite programming to handle the complex motion coordination tasks."

The chief software engineer at Custom Machine Manufacturer, John Luckett says the "Teach Mode" function in the DMC-2123 controller makes the equipment easy to use. "Essentially, in this mode, the probe of the CMM-1050 takes in the parameters of the vinyl part, and the Galil controller memorizes the coordinates for subsequent routing, whether that is now or later."

There are designers who have found this process so simple that they just cut the desired shape or prototype by hand and let the controller remember and store the shape for future reference and use. Luckett says "that means they can go back whenever they want to produce an exact duplicate."
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More information on Galil Motion Control products is available at www.galilmc.com or by calling 800-377-6329.

More information on Custom Machine Manufacturer is available at www.cmmbuilt.com or by calling 877-266-2845.