Laguna Tools Smartshop II, Manual

Page: 21 / 51

21
Working With Vacuum Tables and Spoil Boards
The more effective the vacuum table setup, the more secure the parts will be
held in place. Follow the instructions below to obtain optimum results.
The vacuum table has six (6) zones that can be used to configure the vacuum
supply depending on the type of application.
The table has vacuum ports for each zone that extract the air and generate
the vacuum. The table also has grooves to ensure that the air is extracted
evenly across the zones. Each zone is controlled by a valve located at the
front of the machine.
Spoil Board Material and Precautions
For machining parts from panel materials (cabinets, fixtures, casegoods, etc.)
a technology referred to as “Flow-Through” fixturing is employed. A sheet of
porous material (usually MDF [medium-density fiberboard]) is placed on top of
the vacuum table. The panel material that is to be machined is actually placed
on top of the MDF, and the vacuum passes through the MDF and holds the
panel material down as it is machined. Great care should be taken when
machining parts free to limit the extension of the tool into the spoil board
materials. The purpose is to limit vacuum infiltration through grooves in the
spoil board. This also allows the processing of various nests without any
setup time on the machine. This technology is the basis for nested-based
manufacturing (NBM).