Smallest part to date.

[pdentrem]

This is the smallest part I’ve had to make. A few hundred required. Used spray glue to hold the metal strip, 0.002” thick, and milled the centre holes and two sides first. Second pass, I used tape the hold the parts in place while I cut the two short sides. Soak in a pan to dissolve the glue and inspect.
Pierre

 

[DPittman]

Wow! What's the part for?

 

[pdentrem]

It is a solder pad. The center small pad if for electrical contact. The two bars that hold that pad will break contact on melting due to surface tension. The rectangular solder is the seal, hermetic seal.
Pierre

 

[jorogi]

This is the smallest part I’ve had to make. A few hundred required. Used spray glue to hold the metal strip, 0.002” thick, and milled the centre holes and two sides first. Second pass, I used tape the hold the parts in place while I cut the two short sides. Soak in a pan to dissolve the glue and inspect.
Pierre


View attachment 68211

I know they're obsolete now but isn't making your own pennies still counterfeiting ?

 

[pdentrem]

Nobody cares about pennies, so they don’t care.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Could be a lucrative gig, counterfeit pennies. Small punch press, scrap steel..... Reminds me of a guy that worked in the shop next door to my old work, who got caught feeding slugs from a die they (he) were building into the vending machine lol. Pretty dumb way to lose a job, and blacklist yourself from a small town/industry.

Nice part. I would have had a 50% scrap rate simple because I would lose them.

 

[pdentrem]

The actual gone missing rate is easily 50%. I make 2-3x or more, to be sure to have enough after QC goes through them. The tiny center pad is what mostly causes not a good part.
Pierre

 

[Doggggboy]

Reminds me of a guy that worked in the shop next door to my old work, who got caught feeding slugs from a die they (he) were building into the vending machine lol.

Even smart people lose their damned minds when around vending machines. It's thought of as a victimless crime if you can get the machine to give you free stuff by tricking it using a slug. Or if you if you can jiggle or rock the machine to shake loose a treat. God forbid the machine eats your money and you don't get a treat!
Then the gloves come off and people think it is completely justifiable to trash the machine. Doesn't matter if it is a relatively cheap manual table top machine or a super expensive electric upright. A buddy and I had a vending machine business for a few years. Everything from the small roll Lifesaver dispensers to drink and snack machines in Walmart. They weren't safe anywhere but at least some locations would accept a level of responsibility if things went south on the night shift.
Humpty's in the hood we lost a couple of Lifesaver dispensers. People would take them into the parking lot and beat them to death to get 12 quarters and a handful of candy. We quit that location. Walmart had a staffroom camera so that was always easy to figure out who we owed a bag of chips to and who owed us a buck. Best was a stereo store staffroom with a manual tabletop snack machine. They had a staff party, got high, got the munchies and turned the machine upside down and shook the candy out. Paid in full when we came to service the machine.

 

[pdentrem]

The honor box tends to always be short funds. Usually it is management’s fault as they have the box in their area. We no longer have the box. Management hated paying for their food.
Pierre

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Even smart people lose their damned minds when around vending machines. It's thought of as a victimless crime if you can get the machine to give you free stuff by tricking it using a slug. Or if you if you can jiggle or rock the machine to shake loose a treat. God forbid the machine eats your money and you don't get a treat!
Then the gloves come off and people think it is completely justifiable to trash the machine. Doesn't matter if it is a relatively cheap manual table top machine or a super expensive electric upright. A buddy and I had a vending machine business for a few years. Everything from the small roll Lifesaver dispensers to drink and snack machines in Walmart. They weren't safe anywhere but at least some locations would accept a level of responsibility if things went south on the night shift.
Humpty's in the hood we lost a couple of Lifesaver dispensers. People would take them into the parking lot and beat them to death to get 12 quarters and a handful of candy. We quit that location. Walmart had a staffroom camera so that was always easy to figure out who we owed a bag of chips to and who owed us a buck. Best was a stereo store staffroom with a manual tabletop snack machine. They had a staff party, got high, got the munchies and turned the machine upside down and shook the candy out. Paid in full when we came to service the machine.

Back in high school we were staying late for sports one night, and walked into the cafetieria to see the janitor with the vending machine pulled down to the ground shaking all the chips and chocolate bars out lol. Big strong guy, pulled it down, and lifted it no problem, but damn, Don't think we were supposed to see that.....

I've fashioned wire to reach into vending machines to pull down stuck items before, but that's just creative problem solving . Never to steal items not payed for. I got caught stealing a couple penny candies from the corner store when I was around 6 and still remember that lesson. It scared me straight lol.

 

[Mcgyver]

nice work. What spray glue worked? Click Spring uses CA and I've used shellack (traditional watchmaking thing) .... but a spray glue that works would be more convenient

 

[pdentrem]

We have been using 3M 77. Machined dry no coolant. 0.012” end mill @ 60K rpm 15 ipm.

 

[1018Machine]

Nice job pdentrem!

 

[Janger]

We have been using 3M 77. Machined dry no coolant. 0.012” end mill @ 60K rpm 15 ipm.

Nice job yes cool part. 15 ipm across that tiny thing! and 60K rpm. I need more details, what is your chip thickness per tooth? and width of cut? and step down? what is the cycle time? how many EM's do you go through and how much are those? carbide? coated? what kind of metal stock?
Let's see the machine! pictures! what kind is it? and that EM!

 

[pdentrem]

End mill is 0.012” 2 fluke carbide, not coated. Usually one set up one EM. See photo. We glue down a strip about 17” long. It is about 3” wide and 0.002” thick. Cycle time is pretty quick but since I do an array of 50 X 10 for example and two passes it does take some time to process. I use a FR4 laminate sheet as a backer and sacrificial.
Although we have a couple high speed spindle mills by Haas, the machines used are basically glorified XY plotters. No photos allowed.
Pierre

 

[Sqought]

End mill is 0.012” 2 fluke carbide, not coated. Usually one set up one EM. See photo. We glue down a strip about 17” long. It is about 3” wide and 0.002” thick. Cycle time is pretty quick but since I do an array of 50 X 10 for example and two passes it does take some time to process. I use a FR4 laminate sheet as a backer and sacrificial.
Although we have a couple high speed spindle mills by Haas, the machines used are basically glorified XY plotters. No photos allowed.
Pierre

View attachment 68329

I'm curious what spindles are being used. I'm imagining repurposed dental stuff or maybe an air-turbine spindle?

 

[pdentrem]

Some German made dc motor. The motor cost more than the rest of the machine!