My Latest Acquisition - $250,000 Worth

[Keith Outten]

Gotcha!

Actually this machine did cost about a quarter of a million dollars when it was new. I recently purchased this Ultrasonic "C" scan machine from a local machine shop to scrap out for the parts. The pictures below show some detail, it has several sets of linear rails and bearings plus the ball drive and several DC servo motors. The main body is all aluminum and will end up in the recycling yard, it should bring a few bucks as heavy as it is. This is just the bridge part of the machine. The whole machine weighs about 3,000 pounds as best we can determine. I brought the Bridge home yesterday on my one ton trailer and it was a load.

What you don't see is the tank which I haven't picked up yet. It is 6 foot wide by 6 foot tall by 12 foot long and has a 12 foot long set of linear rails and Thompson linear bearings. The long rails are the real reason I bought this rig, they will be useful for a new machine down the road or will be sold, I'm not sure yet. I can see a 12 foot long lathe for turning large diameter columns using the long rails for a big router to ride on :)

When i get the tank it will serve as a chip box until I can decide its final fate.

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[frank shic]

keith, what does that beast do? does it work like a CNC router?

[Brian Weick]

Call me Sally but ~ what the heck is that? a better question to ask is- what are your plans with this? stepper motors, rails- is the word "lathe" being used in this idea of yours?
oh- by the way- Merry Christmas to you and your family Keith:)
Brian

[Ken Shoemaker]

I hope it came with a mobil base....;)

[Bill Huber]

That is really cool, with those lead screws and the linear rails and bearings looks like you could really come up with some very neat tools.

I am not sure but it looks like there are some stepper motors and that could really add to some type of machine you could build.

Like use the stepper and lead screw as an auto tool advance and copy type system.. you can just let you mind go nuts with stuff like that.

That is one of the funnest things to do is to take one thing and then turn it into something different with a completely different use.

Keep us posted on what all you comes out of it.

[Steve Leverich]

We use those where I work - it's an ultrasonic tester. There's typically a wide paper recorder (or computer for newer versions) that shows you where the metal parts have internal flaws. We use ours for testing parts made from titanium, zirconium, etc, that will be used in high speed rotating parts, etc -

The system works by pulsing a transducer (piezo-electric) that's submersed in a water tank along with the parts to be tested - the "bridge" is an x-y travel control that allows the transducer to scan transversely, incrementing the longitudinal movement by a small value (typically .040 to .060") so that the entire surface of the tested part is scanned with ultrasonic waves - any voids or foreign materials in the metal are returned as "blank" spots on the scanned display. In some setups, the transmitting device is also the receiving device- in others, there are separate transmitters and receivers.

Should be a few "fun" parts to play with, not to mention the free "swimming pool"... ;) Steve

[Mike Cutler]

I'm Green with envy here Keith.
Those linear bearings and rails are awesome. The possibilities are endless for their use in a woodworking shop.

Give us a shot on the "surplus rails and bearings" if it ever gets to that. Though I doubt it will.
Ya' didn't happen to get a good sized platten with XY rails and bearings with it that you uh,, maybe don't need?:D,;)

Nice Gloat by the way!

[Brian Weick]

ditto~ That is the most gratifying part about being creative~ you could loose your mind becoming obsessed with ideas ~ but what fun it could be! I keep thinking lathe, sorry~ the vortex- once your in it's hard to find a way out. thats what I want to do with my Oliver- CNC the beast- still working on that. i am just curious what Keith is going to do- the anticipation is killing me!!!!!!:eek:
Brian

[Tim Marks]

Looks like you are 60% of the way to a home built shopbot.

[Keith Outten]

Steve is dead on, this machine was used to Ultrasonically inspect parts submerged under water. The machine originally came from NASA Langley, it was in their Nondestructive Testing Materials Engineering Lab.

The small set of linear bearings in the picture above are about 7 feet long. The 12 foot long set that are mounted on the tank carried the entire bridge, they are stainless rods 2" in diameter and you could push the 1,000 pound Bridge with two fingers, it would roll almost effortlessly.

There are other parts I haven't picked up yet such as a really large rotating table that they submerged in the tank to turn parts for inspection. It has its own drive servo and a hydraulic speed reducer with a belt system that turns the table which looks like a really big lathe face plate.

The large upright posts are a vertical adjustment system that controlled the ultrasonic transducer, they have multiple small servo motors and some fancy doo-dads that I don't quite understand what they were for yet. Some kind of precision adjustment system on the top of each post.

I am almost sure that some of the parts will be used to build a big lathe to turn long/large diameter columns up to 12 foot long and 24" in diameter. The big linear rails will be perfect for a router carriage that will follow a template and cut the profile. The face plate will end up being the drive center.

It will take me a couple more hours of work to complete the dismantling of the machine removing all the good stuff. There will be more parts than I can use so anyone who needs some very high precision rails, servo motors or the ball drive let me know. I should be transporting the tank and other pieces next week.

Here is another picture of the lower portion of the vertical posts and you can see the original configuration of the 7 foot long linear rails. Note the servo motors on the lower left side and the gear drives at the bottom of each post. The vertical posts are actually 3" diameter linear rails, you can see the two large black Thompson Linear bearings that attach the posts to the horizontal rail system. The vertical posts are capable of about 6 foot of travel and have two small servos at the top.

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[Keith Outten]

There are some people who are converting ShopBots to linear rail systems, these parts would be perfect for such a task. I don't plan to convert my ShopBot though, mine is eight feet long and it would be a shame to cut the 12 foot rails. There are two gear racks for the 12 foot linear rails mounted on the sides of the tank. I'm sure I have already salvaged about $300.00 worth of stainless steel fasteners, every nut bolt and screw on the entire machine is stainless and there were a few really nice aluminum knobs.

Anyone who owns a 12 foot ShopBot and is interested in these parts let me know, I would like to see them used where they are best suited.

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[Andy Pedler]

What you don't see is the tank which I haven't picked up yet. It is 6 foot wide by 6 foot tall by 12 foot long

Keith, what kind of wood do you plan to use for the stand for your new aquarium? It's going to take a lot of coral to fill that bugger but Nemo's going to feel right at home. :)

Andy - Newark, CA

[Keith Outten]

Andy,

The tank stand will be made from cinder blocks and as a chip box I won't need to empty it for a long time :)
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[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

My Latest Acquisition - $250,000 Worth

LOL! here I thought it was going to be a picture of the new Festool CMS
:D

Actually, that thing is awesome. I don't know what I'd use it for, where I'd put it, or how I'd get it there - but I want one!

[Brian Weick]

that this was "lathe oriented" - Keith , what will you use for software with this? If you can keep us updated that would be great. I want to do the same to my Oliver 20C. I need 3 stepper motors, a controller, and the software to run it and any info would be appreciated ~ If you plan on selling of some of the servos/controllers let me know! :)
Brian

[Keith Outten]

Brian,

I don't have any concrete plans yet for any of the parts. As soon as i get the remaining pieces transported to my shop I will make a detailed list of what is available for all to consider.

The UT machine was in fact computer controlled and includes the software and manuals with the machine. Once I rob some of the aluminum heat sinks from the computer it will be going to the recycle center, it is so old it is of no value.

I am scheduled to pick up the tank and the 12 foot rails tomorrow morning.

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[rob forham]

Really old computers are loaded with gold, silver, copper, and platinum. The recyclers are going to love you.

[Glenn Clabo]

Keith...We have a nephew who makes an amazing living scraping BIG iron. He started out buying, rebuilding and then reselling them...then the manufacturing companies caught on. They started competing and he walked out of the buisiness...because he found he could scrape the material and make a bigger profit...AND it can be done without as much work. Well...he's 40 without a mortage...golfs all over the world...and works about 2 days a week.

[Keith Outten]

Glenn,

I would have to invest in some larger equipment if I got into scraping machines any bigger than this one.

I was able to pick up the 12 foot rails this morning and a bunch of other parts and manuals. I think we threw 4 large boxes of manuals and cables in the dumpster but I walked away with many more real nice parts. I'll get some more pictures late this afternoon or tomorrow morning. I rescheduled the tank delivery for Wednesday morning.

.

[Matt Meiser]

So Kieth, can I ask what $250K worth of Nasa's junk goes for?

[Keith Outten]

So Kieth, can I ask what $250K worth of Nasa's junk goes for?

Matt,

The scrap price was $200.00 and it cost me a hundred bucks to hire a roll back wrecker to haul the tank from the machine shop that I purchased the machine from to my house.

Here is a picture of the newly arrived 360 cubic foot tank. The interior is painted with epoxy paint, the rack you see on top is the support for the Bridge system and has the gear rack attached that drives the Bridge. I guess I will be cutting the big rack up and salvaging it for the material. It is so heavy I'm not sure how I will remove it at this point. Possibly a couple of long boards would allow me to slide the rack down to the ground gently...after I remove the gear rails.

The tank is starting to look like an industrial sized hot tub to me :)
I can see a welded platform around the top edge and the entire tank covered in cedar planks :)

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[Glenn Clabo]

I think we threw 4 large boxes of manuals and cables in the dumpster.

Hope none of cables were copper. :eek: I do believe the price of copper is beginning to challenge gold.

[Keith Outten]

It's been almost a year but I finally started the conversion of the big tank to a chip box for my shop. Last weekend a friend of mine and I moved the tank into position (30 foot sideways move) at the end of my shop and removed all the plumbing, valves and heater elements. He has been working on the tank this week and has installed OSB sheet over the exterior surface and should be starting to install white vinyl siding today.

Next week we will start fabricating a steel framed arched roof covered with plastic sheet that I will be able to remove with my tractor when it is time to dump chips. Pictures are forthcoming :)

The plan is to build a steel box onto the end of the tank and move my Dust Colletor from inside the shop to the end of the tank. The idea is to eliminate the noise of the DC fan.

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[Keith Outten]

The new skin on the tank is almost complete, it should take another week or two before we have the roof fabricated and the DC fan moved into its new home. The tank is 10 feet long and 7 feet wide by about 5 feet deep.
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[Matt Meiser]

Keith, how are you going to dump it?

[Keith Outten]

Matt,

I plan to use 30 gallon trash cans to empty the tank when the time comes. They will be lifted out of the tank when full with my tractor boom. The good news is that it will be a very long time before the tank needs to be emptied :)
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[Matt Meiser]

Thinking out loud--you don't have one of those tow-around yard vacs, do you? Something like that would make quick work of vacuuming it out and taking it to dump in the woods.

Let us know how this works. I've thought about doing something similar in the past, though on a smaller scale. My thought has always been to make it so I could open the side and scoop out a load with the loader on the tractor. I'd love to get back the corner of my shop where the cyclone is installed.

[Keith Outten]

Matt,

Interesting thought about using a yard vacuum to blow the waste into a truck to empty the chip box.

I thought about cutting the end off on the steel box and fabricating two swinging doors so i could get inside with my little Kubota front end loader. I decided not to because if I decided to turn the tank into a hot tub in the future it would be expensive to reconstruct a solid wall again. If I only have to dump the box once every five years I figure that it won't be that big of a deal, I may be able to find a local company that could vacuum it for me and hauil off the waste. I use a lot of Corian in my shop so the waste can't be burned or dumped in my woods.

I hope to be fabricating the new arched roof early next week and the weather proof box that will be attached to the end of the tank for my dust collector on Monday morning. I plan to build the DC box larger than my current dust collector as it is over 16 years old and the next one will undoubtedly be a larger model.

We wil be using several of the automatic vane style discharge vents on the end opposite the DC fan with pantyhose for the filters. What I have found out is that the larger the box is the less you have to be concerned with the effluent reaching the discharge filters, it has more time to settle to the bottom of the box.

I'll take plenty of pictures this week as the job progresses.
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[Chip Lindley]

All that Thomson stuff will make one heck of a X Y Z SHAPER!.....forget itty bitty routers! HoHoHo!!!