Fadal VMC 6030 Renovation

When it comes to making tooling for the EPS foam industry, Commodore excels at creating detailed designs so our customers can make the highest quality products possible. As we complete the engineering phase and begin with manufacturing, accuracy is among the most important factors in regard to creating a productive tooling set.

Keeping our machine tools in good working condition is an ongoing commitment for Commodore Technology. In fact, just last month we spent a considerable amount of time servicing one of our Fadal CNC machines, a VMC6030.

After the 1991 fire that devastated our facility, we recognized that we had a major task ahead of us in rebuilding our foam plant. One of the biggest challenges that we anticipated was replacing all of the foam tray tooling that was lost in the fire. Commodore bought the VMC6030 from Mid-Atlantic CNC and moved it into our newly rebuilt shop. Needless to say, our Fadal performed as expected and was instrumental in our efforts to get back in to the foam business. However, after tens of thousands of machine hours, it was becoming apparent that the machine was no longer running to its original accuracy of +/- 0.0005". Recently we had been reduced to limiting the use of this machine to making parts that do not require a high degree of accuracy. As mold making was no longer possible, the decision to renovate the machine was made.

Over a three week period, our employees and a technician from Machine Tool and Research tore apart, serviced, painted, and rebuilt the Fadal. We replaced bearings, scrapers, installed a new lubrication system, and replaced the bearing surfaces on the table and saddle. We even replaced the polycarbonate windows in the doors. Although it may need an updated machine control in the future, the maintenance extended the life of the machine, and better yet, our old VMC 6030 is now more accurate than when it was new!

Eric Vogel running the newly refurbished VMC6030

Comco SX-28 Thermoformer

Summer has turned to fall, and things have been busy at Commodore. Sorry for the lack of updates, I am guilty of procrastination...until now.

If you have been following my posts, you know about our newest thermoformer, the SX-44. In the last few months we have been working on the design of the next SX generation machine, the SX-28. This former fills out our product line with a machine that offers high production rates at an affordable price.

All of the specifications have been defined, and design work has begun. Here is a preliminary view of the machine from our Unigraphics design software.



This machine promises to be the next step in combining simplicity, reliability and value in a foam thermoformer. Check back soon for more information.

Fritz

It's Been Awhile...

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. After all of the details that were involved in sending out the new SX-44, and then the final prep for NPE 2009, it was an awfully busy time. Once all of that was behind us, a little break was called for.

At any rate, despite the lack of blog posts, things have continued to move along here in Bloomfield. Since my last post, we have shipped out another SX-16 thermoformer, done the lion's share of a rebuilding job on a customer's older Comco 730-28 former, and continued work on some tooling orders.

Thanks to those of you that visited us at NPE in Chicago last month. It was great to see some familiar faces, as well as make some new friends. The booth looked great, and our video of the SX-44 was a hit. I'm not sure what was more impressive, the thermoformer itself, or the overall quality of the video production. Special thanks to Doug at Blackbird Son Production Service for the outstanding job on the video. If you have not had a chance to see it, you can view it below, or take a look here. We had an enjoyable show, and despite the obvious light attendance, we consider it a success.



The most exciting development of the past month is that we will be rounding out the SX line of thermoformers, bringing the much-anticipated SX-28 to fruition. This former will offer high-end perfomance and features at a low-end price. Stay tuned for updates on our progress through the summer and fall.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Fritz

A Job Well Done!

Wow, it's the middle of June already. No blogging lately, it has been a low priority during a busy time.

The news that I want to share with the world is that the SX-44 thermoformer is done and gone. It is always a good day when a large order gets packed up; the sense of accomplishment that we feel as an organization is always evident when we ship. In this case, however, there was more to it than that. The overall feeling of pride in a job well done was apparent throughout the shop yesterday. With the first SX-44, Commodore committed to a huge project, and the overwhelming sentiment is that we designed and built an amazing piece of equipment.

Thanks to all of the men and women of Commodore for coming together - what we accomplished was a real team effort that we should all be proud of. From the machine and tooling designers, to the machine shop guys, from the production planners to the assembly department, everybody came together and did their part. Hats off to each and every one of you!

Check back soon for a preview of the video we are creating to showcase this new thermoformer. It will up before NPE starts in six days!

Fritz

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Up and Running!

The SX-44 is fully programmed and operational. The next steps include some minor debugging and testing of molds. Here's some video of the machine in operation:

From SX-44 Photos

Pictures for the Weekend

Hello everyone! Here are some photos to show a few more details of the new equipment. We have had all of the major systems of the SX-44 running now, so at this point, it's just down to the punch list items.

The chainrail servo motors (The chains really fly!):



Canopies are up on all three trim presses:



Oven detail:

Details, details, details...

Hello there, time for another update. It has been a few weeks since I have posted, but progress on the new thermoformer and trim press continues at an amazing pace. At this point, all of the major components are in place on the machine, most notably the oven and the chainrails. The electricains have been wiring the panels to the machine, tweaking the programs and testing components.

The next couple of weeks will be all about the details. We have to continue to tie in all of the systems, and then it will be on to testing. We look forward to running some foam through the machine so we can get some video footage to show you!

Here's a view of the former from the oven end:

From SX-44 Photos

And one from the side:

From SX-44 Photos

The main electrical panel:

From SX-44 Photos

That's all for now, please check back soon!