Dennis Schafer
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| 12 Feb 2008 11:13 AM |
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Hey All,
Our company is looking to purchase a digitizing table.
Wondering what brands are out there, recomendations on pros and cons of the different brands, and if possible if we could have a visit to your shop to see the digitizer in action.
We are located on the West Coast and are looking at the outline technologies digitizer in particular |
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| dennis@spectrumsurfaces.com |
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Andy
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| 12 Feb 2008 01:58 PM |
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Hey Dennis,
I have one but the company is no longer in business. You can stop by and see it, but you wouldn't be able to buy it.
I met the guy with Outline Technologies and he seemed real nice and they have been around awhile.
If you have a CAD system, buy a digitizer that just digitizes. The CAD on your computer can do everything the digitizer will be able to do. The reason I mention this is because you will pay more for a system that has all the bells and whistles. You may just need the board and nothing else. |
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FabNet Administrator
andy@thefabricatornetwork.com
Countertop Company - www.OliveMill.com |
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Jon Olson
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| 12 Feb 2008 02:01 PM |
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| Building Bridges.
www.sterlingsurfaces.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sterlingsurfaces/sets/72157600265050765
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Seth Emery
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| 12 Feb 2008 04:39 PM |
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The digitizer my employer has is from Outline Technologies. In the four years that I have been there, we have only had to recalibrate it once. That was after moving it across the shop, and it was easy to do. It is amazing how accurate it stays with all of the dust. It is simple to import the digitized files into AutoCAD. I haven't ever used any other brand of digitizing board, so I can't compare it to others but I can say that I think it would be a good choice.
Have a nice evening,
Seth |
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CAD Drafter/CNC Programmer -- Henry H. Ross & Son, Inc.
My posts are based on my opinion and are not necessarily the beliefs or recommendations of my employer. |
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Eric Patterson
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| 13 Feb 2008 02:19 PM |
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The LT-55 can digitize hard templates in the shop, and gather digital info on the jobsite.....and is in general cheaper than a Digitizing board.
Where are you located? I travel a ton, and would love to give you an in house demo.
Eric Patterson
Laser Products Regional Manager
630-605-0902
ericlp10@gmail.com |
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Kevin Noel
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Andy
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| 14 Feb 2008 02:59 AM |
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Posted By Eric Patterson on 02/13/2008 2:19 PM
The LT-55 can digitize hard templates in the shop, and gather digital info on the jobsite.....and is in general cheaper than a Digitizing board.
Where are you located? I travel a ton, and would love to give you an in house demo.
Eric Patterson
Laser Products Regional Manager
630-605-0902
ericlp10@gmail.com
How do you digitize a template with the LT-55. Do you need anything else along witht he laser?
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FabNet Administrator
andy@thefabricatornetwork.com
Countertop Company - www.OliveMill.com |
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Eric Patterson
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| 14 Feb 2008 08:40 AM |
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Andy,
It is real easy....Just trained a customer on it yesterday.
All you do, is take two sawhorses....and make a table. Than, best way I know....
You get a half inch piece of foam board. Place the foam board on the table.
Place hard template on table, and secure....so it does not move during the process.
Than LPI offers pin targets that poke into the foam board. Place pin targets as needed and shoot away.
Best part is.....once you are comfortable with the laser, you can take it into the field and eliminate this step.
The LT-55 is an amazing tool!
And.....It is made in the USA
Thanks,
Eric Patterson |
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John Cristina
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| 14 Feb 2008 09:22 AM |
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Since we have the laser, we very rarely use our digitizing board. Only when we fab for other companies that still use sticks, cardboard etc. I would not use the laser for digitizing these, we would have to set the template on a table, use targets, then hit it. But that would tie up a section of my shop. If you can get both, now thats the way to go, but the board collects dust most of the time, but it does make a good area to spread out big prints to examine, plus the magnets hold it in place.
John |
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| "If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else" - Berra |
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Travis H
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| 14 Feb 2008 09:50 AM |
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Just get the lt55 then you dont need a dig table. You simply digitize right in the customers home, take back to the shop and import to cad. Bam your ready to go. We also have a cnc and a vinyl cutting machine. ON stone jobs we cut vinyl templates and Solid surface goes directly to cnc.
I can also use my cnc as a digitizing board but have only used that feature a few times. |
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Travis
CounterWise, Inc. |
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Tom M
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| 14 Feb 2008 01:55 PM |
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Andy,
The LT-55 comes with the pins ewric mentioned. But they also have clear acrylic (or plexi?) bases that allows the bottom of the pin to protrude downward. Line up the pins at the high and low points for scribe, and hit those pin targets with the laser. Works pretty well, but we mostly use the digitizing feature of the AXYZ. It lets us offset for different overhangs, etc. |
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| "Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." - Shakespeare |
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Eric Patterson
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| 16 Feb 2008 05:45 PM |
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Offsets can be easily added on the LT also....
as well as radius, chamfered corners and sharp corners!
DXF files can be completely modified in the field with no cad experience....
Thanks,
Eric Patterson
630-605-0902 |
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Tom M
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| 16 Feb 2008 10:28 PM |
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Eric,
Don't get me wrong, I love the LT-55. I wish my hard and shiny guys would learn how to frickin import and transfer the files.
That having been said, the [edit] LT CAD software that I have absolutely sucks
I say that out of love, but still...
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| "Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." - Shakespeare |
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Dennis Schafer
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| 18 Feb 2008 07:09 PM |
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You know, we used a LT55 for about 3 months, and I hated the thing. There were too many jobs where it wasn't practical, or it took longer than making a stick template. There are several other large shops around us that also have used it and dislike it.
We do a lot of remodels and custom work, and you can't do fine details with a laser. A lot of customers like to visualize how there top is going to look (i.e. overhangs, raised bars, etc.) The laser or phototop do not allow this. Plus if you are taking to the customer and being thorough, you are going to be there for a while anyways.
And I would never let someone modify a DXF that has no CAD experience, because I prefer to make sure that my drawing is an accurate one.
We outsource our Granite fabrication to a manual shop and they require physical templates, so there is no point at this time to go all digital.
Right now I am either drawing the tops in AutoCAD, or digitizing them on the AXYZ, but that is to slow of a process, and not accurate enough. Using the Laser in shop, is not an option either, because that would take up too much space. |
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| dennis@spectrumsurfaces.com |
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Dennis Schafer
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| 18 Feb 2008 07:10 PM |
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Seth,
Does your company use the IntelliCAD software with the board, or do can you just import right from the board into AutoCAD? |
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| dennis@spectrumsurfaces.com |
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Eric Patterson
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| 18 Feb 2008 08:13 PM |
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Dennis,
We will be doing a templating seminar in April....
April 22nd actually, in Seattle. THe laser has come a long way, and we will have our latest edition available to be "test Driven." The laser is made for custom situations....
That is the only reason you would need a laser.....
Please contact me if you are interested in learning more.
Thank you,
Eric Patterson
630-605-0902 |
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Seth Emery
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| 18 Feb 2008 08:28 PM |
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Dennis,
Occasionally the person digitizing the templates will use IntelliCAD to check that they digitized the tops correctly. Once you get a set digitizing practice down though, there is really no need. I have no idea what the cost difference is between getting the digitizer with IntelliCAD or getting it without IntelliCAD, but I most likely wouldn't get IntelliCAD if you are just going to be using it for digitizing purposes.
Have a good evening,
Seth |
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CAD Drafter/CNC Programmer -- Henry H. Ross & Son, Inc.
My posts are based on my opinion and are not necessarily the beliefs or recommendations of my employer. |
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Travis H
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| 19 Feb 2008 10:50 AM |
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Dennis, I am sorry but if you used the lt55 and went back to stick... well you must have just been doing somthing wrong. I sticked forever and hey if you have no cnc maybe that is still ok but come on. The lt is so much more accurate. Every top I do fits just perfect. My installers would quit me if I got rid of my lt55. I do mostly remodels.
So tell me this, How are you sticking templates over existing lam tops with backsplash? I used to tear out, template, build and a week or so later show back up with a top.
Now it is simply show up tear out and install new. NO down time for customer. |
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Travis
CounterWise, Inc. |
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John Cristina
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| 19 Feb 2008 01:12 PM |
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I was in the same boat as Dennis. However, it was due to lack of proper training. I called up the company and had them walk me thru it one more time. Now I can't imagine using another method. It saves a tremendous amount of time over the sticks. Both making the template and getting it into the CNC. Hours of time saved. But there are times we use the digi board for customers that want us to fab for them and they install. That is something I would not do with the laser. The digi board is an expensive item to just use every once in while
John |
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| "If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else" - Berra |
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Dennis Schafer
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| 19 Feb 2008 03:40 PM |
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Travis, We used the LT55 for 3 months, on every job and it never was as accurate as our stick templates. We had problems with placing the laser so it could shoot the entire kitchen at once, and if you have to move it and make sure it is level again, it is just too much of a pain. Our shop is close to two other shops that use have the LT55. A granite shop that uses 2 Park Stone CNC's has it and there countertops are not accurate at all. And by there own admission the LT has limitations. We also have our Silestone fabbed at another shop that has 3 CNC's and a waterjet, and they are the ones we borrowed the LT from. They do not use it. They have never been able to get it to template accurately. Plus, by other users on this forums own admission, the PDA has serious battery and freezing issues. Would suck to drive 80 miles, and have the battery be dead, and no other way to template.
We use a CNC for our solid surface production, but our Granite fabricators, are all manual, so they require a template and do a far better job than any granite shop with a CNC. Our Silestone fabricator hates the laser and they require plastic templates. Plus, like John said, sometimes customers bring in templates, so a digi board is the way to go for us, because we still would need to be making physical templates for at least a third of our jobs. |
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| dennis@spectrumsurfaces.com |
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