Best I could find in $5 $10K range is HP Designjets
But Spec is and I quote from their data sheet:
accuracy of +/-0.2%
and 0.2% of (100ftx12) = 1,200" x .002 = 2.4"
All that being said, I have the same problem as you but our Boeing parts
tend to be in the 10 to 60 foot long range.
I think Gerber still makes flatbed plotters that have the accuracy but not
the length and they are very $$$$.
We ended up buying an HP Designjet 500 and tested it's accuracy up to 10
feet only. When plotting on stress relieved 4 mil Mylar we got way better
results than the spec quoted (I can't remember the number but our QA dept
was happy when they measured it on our CMM).
Old tractor fed pen plotters could be programmed with scale factors to get
very good results but they don't seem to make these anymore (inkjet
technology has taken over) if there is a manufacturer still out there I
would guess that it would again be a pricey solution.
Also the inkjet's are all pinch roll fed, so that is also a good source of
error on long plots.
What our QA guys do is calibrate the longer plots to a standard and then use
the correction factor when using the plot as a template. Also the medium
used to plot on is very critical, paper and velum are useless, even if the
plotter did draw a perfect 100ft long line, as soon as the temperature and
or humidity changed or the plot got rolled up too tight it could change by
0.250" from the media shrink or stretching. Even 4 mil Mylar will move!!
Boeing had us machining 64 foot wing skins that have an extra 0.250" on one
end just to compensate for all these movements and tolerance stack errors
that occur.
Good luck, and let me know if you find one that satisfies your 0.02"
requirement.
Regards,
Jerry Solobay
It/IS Manager
Ebco Aerospace
-----Original Message-----
From: Leonard, Jeremy [mailto:jleonard@...]
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 1:01 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Help... Plotter for engineering
Well, to be honest, I was sure so I went back to the Catia Engineer and he
said we needed to be accurate to within .02 inches per 100ft. He said we
needed at least a 36" plotter. From what I understand, this is a Boeing
requirement to be able to use Mylars as tools.
Thanks for your help.
Jeremy
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
But Spec is and I quote from their data sheet:
accuracy of +/-0.2%
and 0.2% of (100ftx12) = 1,200" x .002 = 2.4"
All that being said, I have the same problem as you but our Boeing parts
tend to be in the 10 to 60 foot long range.
I think Gerber still makes flatbed plotters that have the accuracy but not
the length and they are very $$$$.
We ended up buying an HP Designjet 500 and tested it's accuracy up to 10
feet only. When plotting on stress relieved 4 mil Mylar we got way better
results than the spec quoted (I can't remember the number but our QA dept
was happy when they measured it on our CMM).
Old tractor fed pen plotters could be programmed with scale factors to get
very good results but they don't seem to make these anymore (inkjet
technology has taken over) if there is a manufacturer still out there I
would guess that it would again be a pricey solution.
Also the inkjet's are all pinch roll fed, so that is also a good source of
error on long plots.
What our QA guys do is calibrate the longer plots to a standard and then use
the correction factor when using the plot as a template. Also the medium
used to plot on is very critical, paper and velum are useless, even if the
plotter did draw a perfect 100ft long line, as soon as the temperature and
or humidity changed or the plot got rolled up too tight it could change by
0.250" from the media shrink or stretching. Even 4 mil Mylar will move!!
Boeing had us machining 64 foot wing skins that have an extra 0.250" on one
end just to compensate for all these movements and tolerance stack errors
that occur.
Good luck, and let me know if you find one that satisfies your 0.02"
requirement.
Regards,
Jerry Solobay
It/IS Manager
Ebco Aerospace
-----Original Message-----
From: Leonard, Jeremy [mailto:jleonard@...]
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 1:01 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Help... Plotter for engineering
Well, to be honest, I was sure so I went back to the Catia Engineer and he
said we needed to be accurate to within .02 inches per 100ft. He said we
needed at least a 36" plotter. From what I understand, this is a Boeing
requirement to be able to use Mylars as tools.
Thanks for your help.
Jeremy
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/