CNC glass scoring from Thomas Carr

[seachange]

Hi,

Would love to know if anyone has seen one of these machines in real life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLhvdrWu ... playnext=1, and your thoughts.

Have never seen a comment here on the board. The video is from 2010. I remember many years ago there were some posts commenting that it was difficult to get delivery times from the manufacturer.

Emailed him once, again several years ago, about a manual strip cutter he had, and got no response.

Some of his other videos in youtube show the removal of copper from a circuit board - of interest to us, apart from the glass scoring, but I don't know if it is an attachment for the same CNC machine, or a totally different machine. Other videos show work on wood. There are several machines that can do the circuit board part (all very expensive), though none has any indication that they can also do other things.

Have no idea of price for the Carr CNC, probably astronomical, but one can always dream...just wondering if they are really in production and if it is something worthwhile dreaming about .

Many thanks and all best wishes, seachange

[peter cummings]

Hi , and I hope all is going well for you.
I met Brad at his workshop a few months ago. He was talking about getting parts and plans to build his own CNC machinery. He was confident it would work well, said plans and the parts system was pretty well organised now.
Hope he saees your post, or if not try a PM.
Peter.

[Kopperwood]

Anybody who wants to come to Asheville and see how I converted a CNC to not only be a wood router but is also a glass scorer, is welcome to come on up!

(I think I have a post about this somewhere here.)

Perry

[Morganica]

So on kind of a sideways note, heard a friend at work talking about a guy who cut granite with a plasma cutter and was trying to figure out how to build a cnc system out of that. Wonder if you could use that kind of rig to cut or shape glass...?

[Brad Walker]

So on kind of a sideways note, heard a friend at work talking about a guy who cut granite with a plasma cutter and was trying to figure out how to build a cnc system out of that. Wonder if you could use that kind of rig to cut or shape glass...?

A plasma cutter uses a torch, so wouldn't work for glass.

[Morganica]

So on kind of a sideways note, heard a friend at work talking about a guy who cut granite with a plasma cutter and was trying to figure out how to build a cnc system out of that. Wonder if you could use that kind of rig to cut or shape glass...?

A plasma cutter uses a torch, so wouldn't work for glass.

Why not, if it works for granite?

[Bert Weiss]

So on kind of a sideways note, heard a friend at work talking about a guy who cut granite with a plasma cutter and was trying to figure out how to build a cnc system out of that. Wonder if you could use that kind of rig to cut or shape glass...?

I know of 2 CNC systems that can cut glass by grinding it away, one uses a diamond router the other a waterjet. The router is not the most efficient system, but it is the simplest. One company I use has a really neat router. The machine can go and get a bit, load it on, and go to work, in any programmed succession. So, it can rough grind, fine grind, and polish by itself. It can cut a slot out of the middle of a sheet, or grind a V groove anywhere in the sheet, and polish it out.

Then there are CNC machines that score glass. I was in a shop with a big CNC glass scoring machine. They used it for glass up to 12mm. For the 19mm they scored by hand as the machine wasn't set well for this task. (actually they ordered this glass out) The machine is capable of complex cut patterns, with right angles, so you have to break out in the right order.

[Brad Walker]

So on kind of a sideways note, heard a friend at work talking about a guy who cut granite with a cutter and was trying to figure out how to build a cnc system out of that. Wonder if you could use that kind of rig to cut or shape glass...?

A plasma cutter uses a torch, so wouldn't work for glass.

Why not, if it works for granite?

Thermal shock, most likely. It's interesting that you heard about someone cutting granite with a plasma cutter; that's not a typical use, plasma cutters are most often used to cut metal. Granite can withstand more thermal shock than glass, but a waterjet cutter still ought to be better than a plasma cutter for cutting granite.

On a side note, the brand of plasma cutter I saw in use was Granite State -- but it was strictly used to cut metal, not granite.

[seachange]

Hi , and I hope all is going well for you.
I met Brad at his workshop a few months ago. He was talking about getting parts and plans to build his own CNC machinery. He was confident it would work well, said plans and the parts system was pretty well organised now.
Hope he saees your post, or if not try a PM.
Peter.

Hi Peter, thanks for the reply. Everything is going well, enjoying the quieter winter months.

Kept thinking about this after I posted, from - a very dim - memory, I think the Carr machine was around 3 to 4000 dollars. This is several years ago. Can't remember how I got this information. We have seen some small cnc just for circuit boards (with small cutting area) at $15000. It is all a lot of money.

Apart of the price, in those days I had the impression that the main issue was uncertainty in the reply and the delivery. The replies in this thread talk about other CNC possibilities, but none has as yet mentioned actually seeing the Carr machine in action, or buying one, or even being in contact with the man.

It is all a bit of a mystery. I can't afford it at present, but it has always been stored in a corner of my mind as a possibility for one day. Just keep wondering, if no one on this board has ever seeing it or used it, if it has never been demonstrated at those large glass shows in the US, may be it does not exist at all?

Best regards, seachange

[Kopperwood]

Well I actually ordered it. Twice. Never received it. Went to see one in New Orleans. It didn't. meet by needs. That one was returned.

I don't know if he is still in business. Like I said, I bought a wood cutting CNC and built a glass scoring head attachment for it. Works very well. A little pricey tho.

Perry

[peter cummings]

A quick note.
These folk have a terrific reputation. Aussie.
http://rolanddg.com.au/index
Peter.

[Kevin Midgley]

So how much glass can a good cutter cut if a good cutter can cut glass?
Before you go spending money on a fancy cutter, think of all the glass you are going to have to handle just to pay for it and then sell to currently non existent customers.

[seachange]

Well I actually ordered it. Twice. Never received it. Went to see one in New Orleans. It didn't. meet by needs. That one was returned.

I don't know if he is still in business. Like I said, I bought a wood cutting CNC and built a glass scoring head attachment for it. Works very well. A little pricey tho.

Perry

Thanks Perry, your experience matches what I remembered, communication problems and lack of delivery.

The old posts cannot be accessed on the board as yet, I'll do a search about your converted CNC machine when Brad has fixed the problems.

Best regards, seachange

[seachange]

A quick note.
These folk have a terrific reputation. Aussie.
http://rolanddg.com.au/index
Peter.

Hi Peter, thanks for the link. I used to know Roland for their plotters, was interesting to see that they have now moved into other equipment as well. Their price range, starting at 30000 + is totally out of any thoughts on our side.

That was the interesting part re the Carr CNC, at around $3000 plus it seemed within the possible if there was a real need for it.

Oh well

Take care, seachange

[seachange]

So how much glass can a good cutter cut if a good cutter can cut glass?
Before you go spending money on a fancy cutter, think of all the glass you are going to have to handle just to pay for it and then sell to currently non existent customers.

I know, I know. We just like machines, and if it could score glass plus circuit boards, we could, one day, invent enough good reasons to get one

Cheers, seachange

[bob proulx]

Just a thought, I have two cricut cutters, if you could find a diamond tip drag bit to fit the cricut blade cartridge this could work at an inexpensive price. You would need a tray or carrier outside the machine to support the overhanging. As I said just a thought.
Bob

[Kopperwood]

So how much glass can a good cutter cut if a good cutter can cut glass?
Before you go spending money on a fancy cutter, think of all the glass you are going to have to handle just to pay for it and then sell to currently non existent customers.

Well in my case I have the need. Rather than 30 - 40 hrs, it's 10 - 12. Pretty easy to justify

Perry