Which vac is right for my application?

[smirak]

I recently purchased 2 - 1400 routers.  They are being used in my shop to trim carbon fiber composite materials with an aluminum honeycomb core sandwiched between the carbon fiber layups.  I need 1 or 2 vacs to connect to the 1400s for chip extraction.

Thoughts?

 

[Michael Kellough]

Any good vac will work.

What you need to develop is the means to gather chips at the source. You material is denser than wood and will be more difficult to capture because of it’s inertia. You might need to put a Y at the end of the vac hose and then add two short hoses to both above and below the router base into possibly custom made chip deflector/catchers.

If the material thickness is suitable a top down bottom up shear compression bit might simplify chip collection and leave a better edge.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Like Micheal said, any vac will work, but since you're shop based you want a nicely sized bin like the CT26 or CT36.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Thinking about your application a bit, if this is a long term project and it’s really just edge trimming I’d use fixed base routers and modify the bases for better chip management for that specific task.

Most routers pass the motor cooling air out the bottom so a good chip collection enclosure at the base could channel chips out the bottom and a hose could deliver them to a bucket. Almost wouldn’t need a vac.

 

[deepcreek]

Isn't there a fire/explosion risk from collecting aluminum particles in a vacuum cleaner?

The percentage of aluminum to fiber carbon might not be enough to matter but the OP should look into it and make an informed decision.

Unless I'm misinformed (which is entirely possible), in which case never mind and carry on as you were.