So, I know people are going to be making modifications to their machines, and this would be a good place to collect some of those upgrades for people to see in one thread.
First up on my list of upgrades is going to be drilling and tapping the top bar of the material support arms and making UHMW pads to bolt onto them. We used to do the same at work and it makes them less prone to marking parts if you slide or bang them on the support arms. I bought enough 3/8" UHMW to make about 5 extra pairs of pads. I’ll likely put them up for grabs once I’m done if anyone wants to buy a set.
Also on my list of to-do items is putting on better casters if I can find some. The stock 2" leveling casters on the stand are OK if you have smooth floors, but they’re not great over expansion joints or rough patches. Larger diameter wheels would make moving the machine noticeably easier. I’m not having much luck so far finding anything that uses the same bolt pattern. The search continues.
Upgrade #1 for me was remove the green button arms. Personally, they were too large for my space and were ergonimically horrible. They are just in the way, hate them more than anything else on the press design.
As a company we have to worry about liability- if someone hurts themselves because the buttons are close enough together that someone could depress both with a single arm then we could be seen as liable for that.
Well, I stand corrected. Since I’m still waiting on my UHMW, eliminating the safety tentacles was actually the first modification I made. It took exactly 4 tools.
5/64" Allen key
1/8" Allen key
3/8" wrench
Saw
It goes without saying, making this modification will likely kill you, and using the machine afterwards if it doesn’t will DEFINITELY kill you. So, you know, do it at your own risk. No warranties expressed or implied. No purchase necessary.
Start by unplugging the machine and opening the top of the control box, follow the wire for the switch you’re starting with and unplug it from the controller.
You can see I have one of the two switches unplugged from the controller in this picture.
Use the 5/64 Allen key to back out the set screw from the switch housing on the end of the arm and feed the wire into the tube inside the control cabinet as you remove the switch housing from the end of the arm.
Use 1/8" Allen wrench and 3/8" wrench to remove screws and nuts from mounting flange and slide arm out from the control box.
Use a saw and cut the arm down so there’s about 1.5"-1.75" of tube left sticking out beyond the mounting flange. Deburr.
Reinsert T-Rex safety switch arm back into control box and bolt back in place.
If you do it and just get an Orange Pi splash screen when you boot back up, then like me you probably partially ejected the microSD card from the controller and need to push it back in and restart.
I was actually going to do what you did and cut the arms and just reuse them but it pained me too much to cut the OEM parts so i made new ones entirely.
That’s probably a smart move if you have the space to store the OEM tentacles. I’m not overwhelmed with extra space, so out they go. You’re probably gonna be happy you kept them if you ever sell the machine.
Curious if anyone has fabricated a custom base for their Titan? I’m hoping to integrate some larger casters and some tooling drawers into a base that works with my footprint. But would love some inspiration if its out there.
My order number is around 200 away, getting close but have some time to ponder the base/storage ideas. Has anyone drawn up the included base in CAD/Fusion/Solidworks that they would be willing to share? Alternatively, im interested in the dimensions under the base where I could place storage.
