FLAT TABLE TOOL SOFTWARE

If you have a horizontal boring machine, your operator can run a flat table machine and then run the horizontal borer while the CNC is running. The type of machine also depends on the type of equipment you have available and the speed at which you want to produce parts. Thing worked for another company that had a pod and rail and they used it for the machining of parts. I also used it for nested based machining. I used to run flat table parts for making thermofoil and veneer raised panel parts. When you start to get into other areas, the type of machine becomes gray. But if all you are doing is machining on the top of the part and cutting the part out of a sheet, then a flat table is all you need. A flat table can't perform those functions as easy. But if you are machining custom parts made out of solid wood, that requires machining on the side and bottom of the part. I have never used a sliding table saw, but a standard cabinet saw new is about $2700.Ĭontributor R, what you said is true. You will not need your line boring machine. Those parts would be cut in stacks on a beam saw and then machined on the PTP. I see a pod and rail or point to point for high volume production shop.

FLAT TABLE TOOL SOFTWARE

Without a doubt a flat bed router and good software for nested based cutting is the best way for a small shop to go. This retrofit can also be removed in a few minutes to allow production of pod and rail parts. This does not hurt the machine and only requires a few minutes to convert. It is also possible, though, to get a pod and rail machine and purchase an aftermarket retrofit kit to allow it to produce flat table parts. This would take longer on a pod and rail machine. The parts also require more space to separate them to make room for the tooling to access the side of the part.Ĭabinet bases/frames can quickly be produced on a flat table with all the construction boring completed in a matter of 5-10 minutes per sheet on a newer machine. A flat table can also perform some of these tasks, but then the parts can't be nested and require to be raised. A pod and rail machine has an advantage over a flat table in that it can process the side of the part with horizontal boring, machining, cutting, etc. It of course varies based on your product. I am a used equipment dealer very familiar with this question.

The next consideration is how we make the best use of our current machinery - a sliding table saw, edgebander, wide belt sander, line borers, hinge insertion machines, and all the other things one would expect in a non-CNC shop. We go from high end built-ins, libraries, home theaters, even recording studios, to medical cabinets and casework for commercial and military installations. What is the most versatile - pod and rail or flat table? Certainly the product we produce is one of the major determining factors, but in the current economy, we play in many fields.

We are a small company looking to buy our first CNC router.

Flat table tool