Universal Rotary fixture.....

[Ken Smith]

Any Universal Laser users out there with a Rotary Fixture? If so, do you use it much? I'm looking to buy one soon, please PM me if you want to part with yours.

Thanks,
Ken
Universal V460-50watt

[Scott Shepherd]

We have one and I think it's been used about 5 times in 2 years and 5 of those 5 times were to play with it. I don't think we've ever had a paying job for it. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have bought it.

Not looking to sell it, but it's certainly something we rarely use, and even more rarely make money with.

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

I use mine enough that I am glad I got it, just yesterday I had an order for 10 shot glasses, all different. Once you have the pattern set, moving forward is easy. I also do a lot of wine glass sets, and flutes. I get the them from dollar stores and wall mart and run specials on them all the time. It really is quite easy to put the unit in the laser, run a few, and take the fixture back out.
The only thing I do not like is the software always re-centers the image in the rotary axis, but I figured out ways to get around that. I also have added a chuck to mine, so it is much easier to do some items, like bottles.

[Todd Suire]

Paul,

How do you do shot glasses on your rotary? They seem too small to fit in the setup I have. I bought a dozen glasses hoping to decorate them, but I'm not sure it will work.

I just bought my machine this year and really like it. I've done wine, tea, and other drinking glasses that have turned out real nice. It's easy to just pop in and be ready to go in no time at all.

The only problem I have with it is with heavy glass mugs. The movable end of the rotary (left end) doesn't want to stay in place and won't put enough pressure on the mugs to keep them from slipping.

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

The shot glasses I use are 3 oz. they fit OK with the opening on the RH side. I then put a 2.5 inch block under the feet of the rotary on the LH side so it is level with the bed. Anything that is too small to fit on the cone fits in the chuck I mentioned. Before I made the chuck, if you go to local hardware store and get a cork stopper to fit the end of the ULS cone on the RH side, it is very easy to make a smaller cone from this.

I have run into the other problem, where the clamping end would not hold something because it would move. All I do there is cut a strip of plastic, rowmark in my case, to the lenth I need to wedge it in place and then cut.

I have also caught it just plain letting a part slip on the cones once because it was too slippery, I keep some rubber shelf liner from my tool box around that I can cut and put between the rotary and the part. I also use this rubber mat to hold parts that like to "walk" while I am working on them. If photo's are needed, let me know and I can do that on Sat.

[Todd Suire]

The rubber shelf mat idea sounds good; I'll try that out this weekend. I have a box of heavy mugs just waiting to be engraved.

I'm not sure about the cork stopper design. Pics of that would be great!

I appreciate the help.

[rodger d cooley]

Only been at it a couple months but doing a lot of glass ware. Easy & profitable.

[Dee Gallo]

I have also caught it just plain letting a part slip on the cones once because it was too slippery, I keep some rubber shelf liner from my tool box around that I can cut and put between the rotary and the part. I also use this rubber mat to hold parts that like to "walk" while I am working on them.

How do you use that shelf liner? Do you make a long sheet that unwinds as the glass turns or do you attach it to the glass somewhere?

thanks, dee

[Vic Harris]

here is a little job we had for a few years we used our rotary for

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

The mat pictured is just a mat from a shelf of my toolbox. It is used to keep tools from sliding around. I also use it when something slides on my table, like mirrors. It also works OK with odd shaped objects. I will lay the mat over the top of a coffee mug and place the object on top of the mat. I can then put the odd shaped thing in many postions and it will stay. An example of this is cystal paper weights that people want engraved on different sides.

The stop shows a length of badge material cut to keep the rear slid on the ULS fixture from moving. The clamps keep the material in place and prevent the material from bowing. I do need this with heavy objects and works good.

The mug did not really need the mat, I just wanted to show how I do use it if somthing is very slippery and wants to move on the fixture. This is very rare.

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

The chuck shows how I do full wraps on pens. and golf tees.

The cork is how I started to do full wraps on pens. I found that cork was easy to cut out, and it would work with a lot of items too small for the standard fixture.

The shot glass shows how the rear of the fixture is braced up so tapered items can be engraved.

It should be noted that for anything much smaller than the shot glass, you will need the 4" lens so the machine does not hit the ULS rotary fixture.

[Todd Suire]

Paul,

The shelf matt is what I expected; great idea! The pics are awesome too. They really show what you're talking about.

For the chuck and the cork setup, where did you get the chuck, and does the chuck slide into the hole in the cork? What's the easist way to make that hole in the cork?

The pen looks GREAT. However, I remember reading somewhere that the minimum diameter for the rotary attachment is 1 inch. Is that the case, or do you have some kind of workaround?

Sorry I'm full of questions, but you've gone and solved a problem that's had me stumped and the ideas are flowin'.

Thanks again for your help.

[Dee Gallo]

Thanks for the great pictures, Paul!

- this will come in handy, dee

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

Paul,

For the chuck and the cork setup, where did you get the chuck, and does the chuck slide into the hole in the cork? What's the easist way to make that hole in the cork?

The pen looks GREAT. However, I remember reading somewhere that the minimum diameter for the rotary attachment is 1 inch. Is that the case, or do you have some kind of workaround?


I just got the 2" 3 jaw chuck from Penn State Industries, LCM18X. Looks like it is a good chuck, no tools are needed to clamp things, and it weighs in at 16 oz, so it should take the high RPM's of the rotary. I had to have a machinist open the hole in the ULS cone just a little, then I drilled and tapped a cross hole in the cone. In the picture with the pen the screw is sticking straight up. Just a nylon screw. You can not laser under 1" with the standard lens, and the interferance gets worse as you work with tapers and have to lift the LH side of the fixture to compensate for the taper, (the more you adjust for taper, the more likly you are to hit the fixture) that is why the 4" lens. I really do not use the 4" lens much, but I have impressed a few people with the full wrap.

The cork is just cut out with a utility knife.

[Todd Suire]

Paul,

Once again, thanks for the information. I can't wait to try it all....

Todd

[George Brown]

It should be noted that for anything much smaller than the shot glass, you will need the 4" lens so the machine does not hit the ULS rotary fixture.

Does that mean to do the pen you used a 4" lens? Did you use the air assist nose cone also, or does that get in the way even more?

[Scott Shepherd]

Even more.