Epoxy Surface Plates

[Jonathan]

I hope to have my table built it a week or so. I need to get frames out the door first. I've chosen to build mine on a 300lb piece of steel plate to give some heft when pulling and tugging if need be on repairs.

[veryredbike]

Abouta half inch thick in two pours and about 400 bucks total for the epoxy, random bits, and the framing.

[DeeDub76]

Abouta half inch thick in two pours and about 400 bucks total for the epoxy, random bits, and the framing

Care to share any pics?

Thanks

[PJN]

Any updates or photos to add to this thread?

I want to build one!

Thanks,
James nelson

[11.4]

I'd missed this thread before. I ran a micro optics company a while back and was trying to get rid of a bunch of Melles Griot optical tables for the longest time. Small ones were like 2x5 feet and big ones were like 5x8 feet, plus one that was 5x14 feet. All were precision drilled with holes for mounting fixtures. They all went for under $100 each. Bolted plywood to the working surfaces and shipped on pallets -- cost about $175 to ship the biggest one from Seattle to St. Louis. These are great and yes, I should have thought about frame builders.

In addition to epoxy levelers, there are all thermally stable ceramics. You can torch on them all day. We were using high temperature lasers so we needed something that wasn't damaged by heat, plus they are extraordinarily stable -- no flex at all. You pour them over extruded aluminum matrix which gives them the stability to begin with, but they are immensely strong and don't need the support that epoxies do. People just aren't as familiar with the benefits of self-curing thermally stable ceramics. You drill them with diamond drills and coring bits and have sleeves (threaded or not) to support any hardware you want to mount.

We did use epoxy tables for some applications but simply poured them onto 1-inch Corten steel plate. It's used in skyscraper construction and you can always get cutoffs from larger scrap steel dealers for about $16 a square foot up to about a 5 foot square. We could support optical testing rigs that weighed up to about 350 lbs with less than micron deflections. Our biggest problem was vibration, which isn't an issue with frame building.

[PJN]

Any use cases from one of these yet? Good or bad?

-James Nelson

[mmc_engineer]

Instagram

Also have thor labs tables

[Mark Kelly]

People just aren't as familiar with the benefits of self-curing thermally stable ceramics.

Lane

Got a link to some suppliers / spec sheets?

[BigPoser]

Bringing back and old thread.

Has anyone finished their epoxy surface plate project? If so, how is it holding up? I spoke with the owner at Precision Epoxy for a while today and it seems like it could be a great option.

Thanks.

[Doug Fattic]

Has anyone finished their epoxy surface plate project? If so, how is it holding up? I spoke with the owner at Precision Epoxy for a while today and it seems like it could be a great option.

Brandon, I wonder if Precision Epoxy could give you some contacts of people that have used their product in other applications similar to ours? From that group you might be able to learn some tricks. For example I learned from one of my students that MDF board is available in different qualities and densities. I've been watching some youtube videos of woodworkers making workbenches and one of the carryovers that might apply to us is that they use big lumber for legs so nothing is likely to move. Of course if you know how to weld you can make your own legs and underneath support with steel square stock. I would also assume that you would attach the alignment post to the substructure and then pour the epoxy around it. You will be everybody's hero on frame building forums if you can show us how to make our own alignment table at a cost most can afford.

[BigPoser]

Haha, thanks Doug. I've been looking at the epoxy route as well as the granite route. I'm still waiting for Mike from Precision Epoxy to get me a quote. Interestingly enough, he suggests that I'd only need either a 1/4" or 1/2" total thickness. He mentioned that it would be plenty strong to perform an cold setting needed. Crazy if you ask me. The cool part is that you can put a threaded rod in place before you pour the epoxy and then basically unscrew it when it's set up. Then you have a threaded hole for whatever you need. And if the surface ever gets beat up you just pour another 1/4" layer on top. Pretty cool. I'd build a steel frame for it for sure though.

[false_aesthetic]

Please share when you have info! I'd be stoked to be able to have a surface plate that's easier to move or get up to a 2nd floor w/out an elevator.

[Mark Kelly]

Just to be clear, when you say "1/4" total thickness" do you mean a 1/4" epoxy plate or a 1/4" epoxy surface laid onto a thick plate of some stronger, stiffer material?

[BigPoser]

Just to be clear, when you say "1/4" total thickness" do you mean a 1/4" epoxy plate or a 1/4" epoxy surface laid onto a thick plate of some stronger, stiffer material?

They told me that the epoxy itself was 1/4" thick for each pour. If I go this route I'd pour it on a bed of steel plate of some kind though. I was told that MDF would work as a base as well.