I have been thinking of building a vacuum table for my small cnc, but after watching this, I think that the pods would be better option. With the pods I can also scale them up or down in size depending on what I am doing. Great video, thank you for the in depth explanation. I also like how you mentioned the aluminium vacuum sag. Great work!
Just the BEST! I'm right in the middle of fabricating a CNC vacuum system. I really appreciate the detail instead of the 10,000 ft view I've been finding elsewhere. I'll be checking in often.
Ive been watching video after video on this subject and came across yours. Thank you for sharing all that information. Excellent video and very helpful. Cheers, Pete
Yes that would be an issue for you if you need a very accurate thickness of the finish part. It won’t make a difference in profiling or making through hole.
really fantastic video. If you want to add a bit of safety factor, add a small air tank (2-3 gallons), between the pump and the pods. it gives a bit of cushion if you lose vacuum for a second. It also lets you "dump" vacuum to pull the piece down.
That is a really excellent idea, I may have to monkey with it, I do do something similar with my vacuum thermoforming. But I think you’re on to something
Thank you so much for the video. Currently setting up my own vacuum system. What would the key points to look for in a vacuum pump to get the absolute highest pull possible ? Thanks in advance for your help.
Sorry for the late reply, but you achieve the highest Pull you need to make sure 1) you have no leaks, even the little ones, and 2) maximize the surface area of the part you were trying to hold down, that will give you the best vacuum.
Good to see ! For the curve you get on the thin aluminum i would suggest you to cut some grooves in your pods and use EPDM Foam Cord , it looks like o-ring material but it is compressible and very sealing . Very used alot into the vacuum table fixtures . It compresses in the groove and seals it good , your material would sit pretty flat .
Yes, thank you, I know about that stuff but was looking for alternatives 😁 But you are 100% correct it will keep the material flat, and in the future I might be making just such a table strictly for when I need to engrave.
@@BuildswithBrian your setup is pretty cool to repeat placements and dont have to worry about making holes and lose the vacuum by sucking only on the corners ! I just finished to mill a round vac plate to hold on 6" aluminum round plates to machine a maker's logo , 50 times ... gonna be fun ! I have a vac pump like you have but ive seen the "vacuum generator" from Pierson (500usd) but they also exist (simpler/cheaper) for 15$ on Aliexpress , i got some on order , pretty curious to see how much it pulls and wont hear a damn pump !
@@people16vt Sounds like we are both creative in out workshops 👍 let me know how the vacuum generator works out please, good luck and thanks for watching
@@BuildswithBrian hello i just managed to make myself an automated vac system with a vac generator , pressure pot , vacuum switch , check valve and a solenoid pneumatic valve. Really does a similar job like the Pierson's SmartVac but not using a built-in mechanical switch. This is awesome , at the moment the switch on the pressure pot feels the vacuum reaching the target it shuts down the air pressure solenoid and shuts the vac generator and shuts his mouth . Takes 10 seconds to reach 28"of mercury . The switch feels when the vac drops and kicks in the solenoid and generator when it needs it then shuts down when the vac is fully back . I wont ever need the noisy and overheating electrical vac pump anymore and the 1gal pressure pot is giving a good vac buffer . Not too long to empty . I am a very bad cameraman but i could share some pictures and a small video if you are interested .
Hi I have a vacuum pump like the one you show and I see the inlet has the hose and gauge but what do you place on the outlet side or do you just leave it open to exhaust the air. Also do you need to have a pressure relief value with this pump and if so does it go on the inlet or outlet side/ If you can help it would be greatly appreciated.
Great video! Do you know if this “TAILONZ PNEUMATIC Male Straight 1/4 Inch Tube OD x 1/4 Inch NPT Thread Push to Connect Fittings PC-1/4-N2” adapter will work on this vacuum pump? Not able to link Amazon, sorry. Best regards
Hard to say, it all depends on the fitting port on your vacuum pump. I used a flare fitting with 1/4” soft copper which usually is easily adapted to most type of pipe threads. A trip to your local hardware store should yield whatever you need
Been thinking about a vacuum hold down system for my 2'x4' cnc. I use mechanical clamps sometimes, but mostly the superglue/blue tape method for when I'm doing through-cutting of small wood pieces. Would a pod system be able to pull vacuum through a piece of light MDF on top of them which would act as a spoil board under the wood parts I'm cutting? Probably would need a more powerful vacuum pump...
nice video brian. do i detect a pittsburgh accent. question have you ever tried the pods with mdf on to to make a much broader vaccum area.....great video.. what nice little jig for those cases...
Remove the flare fitting and replace it with a push type fitting or whatever connector type you want to use. Thread sealant is important on vacuum systems but DO NOT use excessive sealant as any that gets inside the tubing will eventually be sucked into your vacuum pump and ruin it. I've seen many Gast pumps that have succumbed to Teflon tape and pipe dope.
Good video, thanks for information. A question I have is where did you get the thick (looks like maybe 2") PVC looked online at Lowe's and Amazon but found 1" unless you glued it together for the thickness?
I bought the PVC from McMaster Carr, And it was 1 1/2” thick. Which actually came in thicker than that, Then I surfaced it on the CNC machine So it was a consistent thickness.
To mitigate the deflection in thin materials why not add a couple pieces of gasket material inside the border so you don't have the wide span across the pod. they should not contact the border, just a couple short pieces to add support in the middle. This will reduce clamping force by whatever the area of these strips add up to so need to keep that in mind. But they don't have to be large in area, maybe 1/4" wide and an inch long, so a loss of .25 sq. inches for each strip
![Universal Vacuum PAD [with .stl & Fusion 360 files]](/img/1.gif)
Great video Brian! I really appreciate the detail and the way you present it. Keep up the excellent work!
Thank you, I appreciate the kind comment
What an absolutely FANTASTIC walk through. Thanks. Very helpful to my journey.
Very glad to share what I’ve learned
Thanks for watching
I have been thinking of building a vacuum table for my small cnc, but after watching this, I think that the pods would be better option. With the pods I can also scale them up or down in size depending on what I am doing. Great video, thank you for the in depth explanation. I also like how you mentioned the aluminium vacuum sag. Great work!
My pleasure, glad the info helped you !
I've watched this 2 or 3 times now. Makes more sense, now that ive been thinking of buying a pump. And it helps that you have the same CNC as me.
yes the pods are actually pretty simple when you get right down to it. And should work with basically any type of cnc machine. Good luck
Just the BEST! I'm right in the middle of fabricating a CNC vacuum system. I really appreciate the detail instead of the 10,000 ft view I've been finding elsewhere. I'll be checking in often.
Very glad it helped you, thanks for watching
Ive been watching video after video on this subject and came across yours. Thank you for sharing all that information. Excellent video and very helpful. Cheers, Pete
I'm a Z-off-the-bed kinda guy so my big concern is how much the gasket types will compress
Yes that would be an issue for you if you need a very accurate thickness of the finish part.
It won’t make a difference in profiling or making through hole.
Super helpful overview! Exactly what I was looking for. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, I plan too 😁
really fantastic video. If you want to add a bit of safety factor, add a small air tank (2-3 gallons), between the pump and the pods. it gives a bit of cushion if you lose vacuum for a second. It also lets you "dump" vacuum to pull the piece down.
That is a really excellent idea, I may have to monkey with it, I do do something similar with my vacuum thermoforming. But I think you’re on to something
thanks! this is a great video... learned a ton.
Nice. I'll definitely jump on your idea to work more efficiently
Happy cnc-ing 😁
Excellent information, thanks.
brilliant idea, thanks for sharing
Great video Brian. I could use some of those pods.
Dave, I’m shocked you haven’t already built yourself some 😁
And how is the recovery going, we have been praying for you here
@@BuildswithBrian Thanks for the prayers. I sure needed them. It's been two months today since my bypass surgery and I'm feeling stronger everyday.
@@DaveGatton Well I really didn’t expect anything to hold you down for long 👍
Best wishes to you !
Loved your video very informative!! Thank you.
I am glad it helped you
Thanks for watching
Thank you so much for the video. Currently setting up my own vacuum system. What would the key points to look for in a vacuum pump to get the absolute highest pull possible ? Thanks in advance for your help.
Sorry for the late reply, but you achieve the highest Pull you need to make sure 1) you have no leaks, even the little ones, and 2) maximize the surface area of the part you were trying to hold down, that will give you the best vacuum.
Good to see ! For the curve you get on the thin aluminum i would suggest you to cut some grooves in your pods and use EPDM Foam Cord , it looks like o-ring material but it is compressible and very sealing . Very used alot into the vacuum table fixtures . It compresses in the groove and seals it good , your material would sit pretty flat .
The EPDM cord here explained , i ordered some on McMastercarr , alot cheaper than on Pierson's website ruclips.net/video/tHSnB5Z_MQc/видео.html
Yes, thank you, I know about that stuff but was looking for alternatives 😁
But you are 100% correct it will keep the material flat, and in the future I might be making just such a table strictly for when I need to engrave.
@@BuildswithBrian your setup is pretty cool to repeat placements and dont have to worry about making holes and lose the vacuum by sucking only on the corners ! I just finished to mill a round vac plate to hold on 6" aluminum round plates to machine a maker's logo , 50 times ... gonna be fun ! I have a vac pump like you have but ive seen the "vacuum generator" from Pierson (500usd) but they also exist (simpler/cheaper) for 15$ on Aliexpress , i got some on order , pretty curious to see how much it pulls and wont hear a damn pump !
@@people16vt
Sounds like we are both creative in out workshops 👍 let me know how the vacuum generator works out please, good luck and thanks for watching
@@BuildswithBrian hello i just managed to make myself an automated vac system with a vac generator , pressure pot , vacuum switch , check valve and a solenoid pneumatic valve. Really does a similar job like the Pierson's SmartVac but not using a built-in mechanical switch. This is awesome , at the moment the switch on the pressure pot feels the vacuum reaching the target it shuts down the air pressure solenoid and shuts the vac generator and shuts his mouth . Takes 10 seconds to reach 28"of mercury . The switch feels when the vac drops and kicks in the solenoid and generator when it needs it then shuts down when the vac is fully back . I wont ever need the noisy and overheating electrical vac pump anymore and the 1gal pressure pot is giving a good vac buffer . Not too long to empty . I am a very bad cameraman but i could share some pictures and a small video if you are interested .
Hi I have a vacuum pump like the one you show and I see the inlet has the hose and gauge but what do you place on the outlet side or do you just leave it open to exhaust the air. Also do you need to have a pressure relief value with this pump and if so does it go on the inlet or outlet side/ If you can help it would be greatly appreciated.
Yes the outlet so to speak goes to open air. That is what allows the vacuum to release.
No pressure relief is needed
good info, thanks
Hope it was helpful
Hi what size is that copper pipe fitting on your vacuum pump
Sorry can’t remember exactly but I think it is quarter inch flare fitting
Thx Brian👍🏽👍🏽
You’re welcome
I'd like to see how you built it.
Great video! Do you know if this “TAILONZ PNEUMATIC Male Straight 1/4 Inch Tube OD x 1/4 Inch NPT Thread Push to Connect Fittings PC-1/4-N2” adapter will work on this vacuum pump? Not able to link Amazon, sorry.
Best regards
Hard to say, it all depends on the fitting port on your vacuum pump.
I used a flare fitting with 1/4” soft copper which usually is easily adapted to most type of pipe threads.
A trip to your local hardware store should yield whatever you need
Been thinking about a vacuum hold down system for my 2'x4' cnc. I use mechanical clamps sometimes, but mostly the superglue/blue tape method for when I'm doing through-cutting of small wood pieces. Would a pod system be able to pull vacuum through a piece of light MDF on top of them which would act as a spoil board under the wood parts I'm cutting? Probably would need a more powerful vacuum pump...
I have no experience using that light MDF, sorry I can’t help you with that, my method uses the shop vac and holes in the table.
nice video brian. do i detect a pittsburgh accent. question have you ever tried the pods with mdf on to to make a much broader vaccum area.....great video.. what nice little jig for those cases...
Thanks, and yes born and raised in Pittsburgh.
No haven’t tried using mdf in that manner.
I purchased the vacuum pump with a 1/4 inch flare on top, but haven't been able to figure out how to connect it to air hoses.
Take a picture of your fitting and take that to Home Depot or Lowe’s and ask the plumbing department guy
Remove the flare fitting and replace it with a push type fitting or whatever connector type you want to use. Thread sealant is important on vacuum systems but DO NOT use excessive sealant as any that gets inside the tubing will eventually be sucked into your vacuum pump and ruin it. I've seen many Gast pumps that have succumbed to Teflon tape and pipe dope.
Good video, thanks for information. A question I have is where did you get the thick (looks like maybe 2") PVC looked online at Lowe's and Amazon but found 1" unless you glued it together for the thickness?
I bought the PVC from McMaster Carr,
And it was 1 1/2” thick.
Which actually came in thicker than that, Then I surfaced it on the CNC machine So it was a consistent thickness.
🙏
To mitigate the deflection in thin materials why not add a couple pieces of gasket material inside the border so you don't have the wide span across the pod. they should not contact the border, just a couple short pieces to add support in the middle. This will reduce clamping force by whatever the area of these strips add up to so need to keep that in mind. But they don't have to be large in area, maybe 1/4" wide and an inch long, so a loss of .25 sq. inches for each strip
Yes I have done that also, with fair success,
Thank you