Is the 'Pro' expandable to a working height of 36" and 48" width?
If so what would cost be?
Thanks
Jeff
Shark Pro Plus Size
Moderators: al wolford, sbk, Bob, Kayvon
Re: Shark Pro Plus Size
Let me first qualify my response as I do not own a Shark Pro Plus... yet, however a simple review of the mechanicals should be enough to convince you this system would not be able to handle that kind of capacity. So let’s break it down.
1. The basic structure would not be able to support the span or the height you are asking for and still maintain any tolerances given the current design.
2. The stepper motors would be at or beyond their design limit just attempting to move along the X and Y axis due to the extra weight.
3. Even if this were possible, the system would be far too slow for that size of material just trying to navigate the table. You would become very frustrated with how long things take.
4. If you are planning on doing 3D work with material that size, the router head will most likely get in the way at some point thus ruining the piece or prevent it from being completed. Keep in mind the Z- axis would also have to travel over 36” to meet the requirements. The system alone would require well over 6 feet of vertical clearance before you set it on a table. Assuming it’s a standard height, you would need over 9 foot clearance in the shop.
5. Generally, when you move up to that size, the router needs to be up to the task as well. It was already noted in another thread that a 1 ¼ hp router was as large as you could go and the next step up in CNC machines use 3 ¼ routers.
If you are truly doing work on this scale, a larger system would be a much better choice and you will be far happier with the results. Also, unless you are building your own CNC machine, just the cost alone to do all the modifications would be more than enough to pay for a properly sized machine.
So with all that said, unless we have a better idea of exactly what you intend to use this size machine for, it’s impossible to suggest an alternative which will fit you needs but it’s clear the Shark series is not capable of handling material of that size.
Hope that helps.
1. The basic structure would not be able to support the span or the height you are asking for and still maintain any tolerances given the current design.
2. The stepper motors would be at or beyond their design limit just attempting to move along the X and Y axis due to the extra weight.
3. Even if this were possible, the system would be far too slow for that size of material just trying to navigate the table. You would become very frustrated with how long things take.
4. If you are planning on doing 3D work with material that size, the router head will most likely get in the way at some point thus ruining the piece or prevent it from being completed. Keep in mind the Z- axis would also have to travel over 36” to meet the requirements. The system alone would require well over 6 feet of vertical clearance before you set it on a table. Assuming it’s a standard height, you would need over 9 foot clearance in the shop.
5. Generally, when you move up to that size, the router needs to be up to the task as well. It was already noted in another thread that a 1 ¼ hp router was as large as you could go and the next step up in CNC machines use 3 ¼ routers.
If you are truly doing work on this scale, a larger system would be a much better choice and you will be far happier with the results. Also, unless you are building your own CNC machine, just the cost alone to do all the modifications would be more than enough to pay for a properly sized machine.
So with all that said, unless we have a better idea of exactly what you intend to use this size machine for, it’s impossible to suggest an alternative which will fit you needs but it’s clear the Shark series is not capable of handling material of that size.
Hope that helps.