ShopBot Professional "Tune Up"

[MogulTx]

Guys and Gals,

Today I had the pleasure of having ShopBot's Chris Burns come to my shop and "Tune Up" my 5 x 10 Alpha... ShopBot has been offering these tune up trips by region, as they are able to assemble a few like-minded Botters to sign up for a Pro to come in and spend a half day or a whole day working on a machine...

I asked them to come see my machine and let me know what I am doing wrong. Chris was exceptional. I visited with him for a couple hours, and left him with my two "technicians" . Two fine young men that have run the Bot a little bit, and who would benefit from assisting with the tune up and getting greater familiarization. ( I just wish I could have been on hand all day, too!)

I bought my machine used and did not have the benefit of doing the in-Durham familiarization. I learned ( with LOTS of bumps and bruises) mostly by myself, and from the generosity of direction from you folks, here on the forum.

In addition to the installation of new pinion gears, Chris looked at the spindle that came on my machine, and it was definitely out of square with the machine bed. He did some mods to allow it to be adjusted to a much better plumb. He also rerouted some wiring to a better set up. He noted some missing lock washers on my steppers. He made mention of felt wipers that we should put onto the spindle assembly. He went over the machine from end to end... He checked out my speeds and made some recommendations. (Apparently, I have been cutting with my Alpha like a Granny with no guts!) He surfaced the table at about about 6"/sec! WOW! I run at HALF that! (This is going to save me some time!) He showed the guys how to set up files ( I have been doing most all the files- and remember I am SELF TAUGHT. This translates to: I figured out a workable system, but not a great system. SO I learned a lot, as well from his input.)

He went over daily checks, weekly checks, montly checks, semi-annual maintenance, etc. ( And left the data to be sure we had good info on that.) He was a JOY to have come out to help me. His efforts today will allow me to help the two young men who work with me to improve their work (and MINE) and to help build them up into good young business-men. he spent an enormous amount of time being thorough and meticulous in assisting us.

The reason I am writing this is because I can't thank him, and ShopBot enough. I knew I was not "wasting money" when I signed up for the service call- but I want you to know how much better the service call was, than I had imagined. It FAR EXCEEDED my expectations. WAY Over the top. Really.

We ended up having Chris for dinner and chatting about mutual interests into the early evening. We enjoyed and could not have had a more pleasant evening to cap off an exceptional day. As Chris was driving away, my wife commented that Chris is "family"- and we should be sure to put him on the "family list"- of all those folks that we enjoy so much that we could spend an hour or a week with them.

I know this is almost a "commercial" for ShopBot. Yet it comes from the heart and from my experience with the company at every turn. Frank, Gary, Chris.... they have ALL treated me exceptionally well. I know it is just the way they do business, and I like it. Please don't hesitate to get a half day or full day tune up. I was surprised at all the things that Chris showed me about my own machine- and all the corrections that he handled from the previous owner's set up, and all tweaks he made to make sure it was running at top performance. Do it. You will be glad you did.

Monty

[gundog]

Sounds great what did they charge for this service?

[MogulTx]

Eh. About $600, IIRC. I had purchased the four pinions in there and some other stuff, so it was not JUST the service call. But I think that was the approximate charge for the service part of it.

And Chris was fantastic! We hadn't been checking our pinion to rack fit on a routine basis, and had .024 "slop" on one side, and about .011 on the other. Chris noted that we didn't have lock washers on the steppers, so with any hard stops, the machine transfers pressure onto the motors/pinions, driving them down from solid engagement with my rack. Oooops. I went out and bought lock washers and we installed them. He tweaked my spindle carrier to get my spindle MUCH more perpendicular. I think it is out just a small fraction over a long rotation when trammed now. Fantastic, insightful service.

They were going to send Gary for the service, but he had so many bookings in our area, he could not fit mine in on the last trip and Chris was down for some other projects, so they had him come by and do this PM for/with us. You can't really go wrong with these guys. Chris looked over our electrical hook ups, static handling (and made a couple tweaks there) and dust collection. Software, Post processor we are (were ) using- and recommended a different way to process those files with multiple bits... Everything.

Send Gary or Chris a note. They can tell you what their plans are for your area. You may ( or may not) need to do some coordinating to get into the schedule. I understand there are a number of ShopBots up by you, as well.

MGM

[dlcw]

Michael,

I'm over near Spokane, WA. There are other Shopbotters in this area as well. I've been considering a "tune-up" but simply not had the available cash to make it happen. If my current venture takes off, as I hope, I will not only need a good tune-up but could possibly need a new ATC machine or a second machine to help with production. That could help justify budgeting a yearly visit from Shopbot to tune-up my machines.

I'm not sure what pricing would be if several Shopbotters in the northwest could schedule visits and spread the cost around a little bit. Might be something to check in to.

[ron_moorehead]

Hi Michael, Don,

I have been looking at this myself and would be interested, maybe we could get a group rate, I am in Olympia, WA.

[gundog]

Sounds good to me.

I have been considering trading in the ShopBot for a larger machine with tool changer and 15HP spindle something rigid enough to cut aluminum very quickly but I am not ready just yet, getting the SB running better would be nice.

Mike

[garyc]

Don, Ron, Mike, or others interested...
There can be an advantage to having a number of shops in an area "grouping up" for lower service or training costs. We have done this a number of times in the past. Each of these multi stop trips are costed on a case by case basis. A number of stops that are within a couple hours of a major airport usually results in favorable pricing for each. Stops that are 3-4 hundred miles apart and take the better part of a days drive between them must be priced accordingly.

Groups work much better for training than for actual maintenance. There is no substitute for having a factory tech show you the hows and explain the whys on your machine, in your shop. Most operators are amazed at how much better their machines operate with new pinions and all adjustments at factory specs. Having the machine tuned for the type(s) of cutting that you actually do versus the OEM settings can greatly improve both cut quality and speed.

The ShopBot machines and the operating software are constantly changing. Our service techs bring the knowledge of which version(s) of each are best for your cutting needs. Here is a link to a testamonial by David Buchsbaum, one of my early years mentors: http://www.shopbotblog.com/index.php/2012/07/shopbot-production-support/

[dlcw]

Thanks Gary.

I've got to get some money budgeted for a visit. Once I do, I can post here to the northwest ShopBot owners and maybe we can get a little discount through volume. We could keep Gary in the great northwest for a few days. :)

[MogulTx]

I can't tell you how much the tune up has helped my machine! I LOVE it. I got great service and learned a lot of things! These guys ROCK!

[Brady Watson]

There is no substitute for having a factory tech show you the hows and explain the whys on your machine, in your shop. Most operators are amazed at how much better their machines operate with new pinions and all adjustments at factory specs. Having the machine tuned for the type(s) of cutting that you actually do versus the OEM settings can greatly improve both cut quality and speed.

Absolutely 100%. There is nothing like getting personal service on YOUR machine, in YOUR shop & talking about the things that YOU do with the machine specifically. For many shops, this is another tool in the line-up, and not every employee is a CNC expert. As a result, things get neglected or were never set up properly from day 1, causing problems they thought were 'normal'. Having a tech on site to go over your tool and make suggestions, is worth way more than the consulting fee. I've found most shops just need a little 'push' in one direction or another to really get the most out of their tools, and in most cases, they make more money as a result.

-B

[bleeth]

For those who haven't noticed on the Camp thread, Gary is going to be at my shop in Ft. Lauderdale and is doing a tune-up/maintainence show and tell on Saturday. This is March 9. Of course all botter, non-botters, and prospective botters welcome as always.

[nat_wheatley]

Don, Ron, Mike, or others interested...
There is no substitute for having a factory tech show you the hows and explain the whys on your machine, in your shop. Most operators are amazed at how much better their machines operate with new pinions and all adjustments at factory specs. Having the machine tuned for the type(s) of cutting that you actually do versus the OEM settings can greatly improve both cut quality and speed.

Having used this service, I couldn't agree more.

Our machine sees fairly heavy use cutting closet parts. We've sent hundreds, at this point, probably a few thousand sheets through it. Over time, expectedly, we were starting to see a little 'slop' in a few of the cutting areas. It had on my 'to do' list for a long time to go over the machine and give it tune up the best I could, but it wasn't getting done. Last August, Gary contacted me to let me know he'd be in the area, and we arranged for him to come by the shop. It turned out to be money very well spent.

Gary spend a solid half day working on the machine and the software. He replaced the pinions, cleaned the rails, greased the tracks, tightened things that needed to be tightened, checked for any excess play in the motors, replaced several smaller things, etc. He gave the machine a very through 'going over'.

I cut my parts using primarily the SB Link. He went through my settings on both the Link, and the control software, dialed things in. He updated both of the software, and made backups of the settings, and install files. He checked communication speeds and made a number of suggestions for improving my system overall.

I can say that 4 years into owning my machine it had never cut better. I'm sure some of these things I could done on my own, but the fact is that they weren't getting done. I'm a firm believer in letting people do what they do, and I learned to stick to what I do. A visit from SB my machine was was taken care I was able to keep doing what I do.

Again, I'm sure this sounds like a commmercial for Shopbot. I have no affiliation, I felt compelled to post, as I was very impressed and satisfied with this service. It's a great idea.

[cedars]

Exactly one year ago I upgraded my old PRT 4x8 to a brand new PRS Alpha 5x8. I received my machine fully assembled. This was only the second one Shopbot ever sent out assembled. With some guidance from Gary Campbell, unloading and fork lifting the Shopbot off the truck and into place was a brease.

We had scheduled Gary for a tune up of the machine and to get us up and running with the Ecabinets link. We employed his expertise for two days. At first my thoughts about the money we had to spend for that help seamed a bit overwhelming. In the end, the time it saved me and my employees probably amounted to at least two weeks worth of searching in the dark thus it was much cheaper for us to hire the expert to guide us. There really is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to issues or education about your shopbot.

The entire Shopbot support team is second to none! Even after Gary left us, and I will say our heads were spining for four days afterwards, every single call into the support team was handled with the utmost patience and professionalism. They methodically helped us through the process of elimination to ultimately reach the cause of our problem or issue. So often our problems are our own human errors but occasionally there is the mechanical issue dumped in there also. When both are present it becomes increasingly more difficult to narrow in on each issue. This is where the Support team excells in patience and expertise. We Shopbot owners are a rather independant group and typically only reach out for help when we have exhausted our all we know to do. So our calls are at a point of desperation. To have the calm knowledgable voice of experience on the other end is comforting, calming and empowering.

It is soon time for me to consider buying the yearly maintenance program for my new machine. The money will be worth it with out a doubt.

Thanks Shopbot!

Steve Schmucker

[Jimmy Walker]

How would I find out if there is going to be a "Tune-up" going on in my area? I would love to sit in on one.

I am a Very novice, part timer, in the Jackson MS area.

Thanks.

Jimmy Walker.

[MogulTx]

Jimmy-

Send Gary or Chris an email. Ask them if it is possible.

[myxpykalix]

Does this "Tune up" include spark plugs and an oil change?:D

Do they do these by region or just by appointment? It might be good to make reservations if say 1 or 2 or 3 might be in the same general area....

[Brady Watson]

Do they do these by region or just by appointment? It might be good to make reservations if say 1 or 2 or 3 might be in the same general area....

You have to contact SB directly (Gary Campbell) for pricing on multiple shops.

This is NOT a ShopBot Camp - meaning that it isn't something conducive to 'sitting in on'.

-B