Hello Andrew, you are so right! Making large diameter (300 mm) grinding tools of large radius of curvature (e.g. 6000 mm) was my reason to join this mailing list. In fact, I turned some on my lathe almost 20 years ago with steppers replacing the hand wheels and all driven by home made BASIC programs. The grove net was then cut by hand with an angle grinder.
But: turning the tools out of slabs of cast iron makes more sense than trying to cut or grind the glass directly by means of numeric control. You must have metallic grinding tools anyway if you are to make more than one mirror (or lens). Furthermore, there is no means other than fine grinding to achieve smooth surfaces like the ones needed in optics. Without fine grinding, you can't make a surface true to 1/10 of a light wave, not even with EMC2. But you (almost) can't make a spheric tool without something like EMC2, either! Some time, I will finish this job - the telescope is still waiting for its lens and mirrors.... Speaker To-Dirt schrieb: > Hey Kirk: > > I used to work at a large optical lab. I'm not sure it's as off topic as > you might think. There are papers out there describing how to control glass > removal by nature of the stroke and grit. This requires a multi-axis machine. > A rotary table, and variable radius of curvature 'tile tool' affixed to an X > Y stage. A system perfect for EMC-2. And ... one of these lifetimes, I have > every intention of making one given how many hours I spent on the prototype, > I know JUST how to do it better this time. And yes, EMC2 has done such a > great job on my Bridgeport, I'm sold on it for all my tool automation needs. > > Andrew > > > >> Message: 5 >> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:22:12 -0700 >> From: Kirk Wallace <[email protected]> >> Subject: [Emc-users] [OT:] Mirror Grinder >> To: "Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)" >> <[email protected]> >> Message-ID: <1282836132.6608.11.ca...@kw-ws> >> Content-Type: text/plain >> >> This looks like something EMC2 could be used on: >> http://www.mirror-o-matic.com/machines.html >> >> , maybe to simplify the mechanism or allow for more >> sophisticated or >> randomized sweep patterns, automate grit and fluid. I have >> a 6" mirror >> from a 1970's project I'd like to finish. A vacuum chamber >> for >> aluminizing the mirror would be fun to make too, but adding >> projects to >> try to finish projects is not a good sign. >> -- >> Kirk Wallace >> http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/ >> http://www.wallacecompany.com/E45/index.html >> California, USA >> > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Sell apps to millions through the Intel(R) Atom(Tm) Developer Program > Be part of this innovative community and reach millions of netbook users > worldwide. Take advantage of special opportunities to increase revenue and > speed time-to-market. Join now, and jumpstart your future. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-atom-d2d > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sell apps to millions through the Intel(R) Atom(Tm) Developer Program Be part of this innovative community and reach millions of netbook users worldwide. Take advantage of special opportunities to increase revenue and speed time-to-market. Join now, and jumpstart your future. http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-atom-d2d _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
