Speed Setting Matching

S

SenojNW

New member
OK - way back I TRIED to get a PC, but being out of the US (Australia) I had to opt for a standard RO sander with velcro pad. I have been using it fine with Sonus pads but always get frustrated reading PC directions that say "set to speed 2" and not knowing what that means for my machine...



I've watched quite a few videos and generally it seems like the PC's "rotate" a lot faster than the machine I am using. My machine is marked as 4000 - 12000 rpm (no load) however in reality any pressure on the pad and it slows right down as the rotation is not driven (same as PC). So on a setting of 2 out of 6 with a polishing pad on, a moderate amount of pressure will stop rotation and it will just oscillate. I ususally work on a setting of just above 3 and it rotates nicely (I think!), then ease the pressure off as the polish breaks up and it will speed up. The throw is about 4mm I think...



So... is there a good way to work out what sort of rotation speed is right?



If any US PC users could post some short vids showing the sort of rotation rate they get with "normal pressure" and different settings that would be really useful. Most of the videos I have found are from too much of a distance and you can't really see the the pad rotation.



Thanks!! :buffing:
 
SenojNW- Actually, it sounds like your machine is *faster* than the PC. The PC acts just like your machine does when pressure is applied, its rotation isn't force-driven either.



It sounds like yours has a generally higher speed range than the PC though. The 1-6 settings on the PC sorta correspond to 1000-6000 OPMs, so use that as your guide. I never used speeds lower than 4K. Generally, I go with 4k for LSPs, 4.5k for cleaner-wax products like AIO, and 5 or 6k for polishing. You could try faster speeds but it might "flash" the polish too fast.



Using a smaller backing plate/pad combo (such as 4") will allow you to apply pressure without the machine merely "jiggling". Note that these things are made to be used as sanders where a) no pressure is applied and b) a sheet of sandpaper weighs a *lot* less than a foam pad saturated with product.
 
Yeah on paper all the RO's are faster than PC, but having watched a few PC videos - mine operating on setting 3 out of 6 (8000 on that scale) is actually slower than a PC (according to my eyes). I dunno - I don't think the rated speeds mean anything when you use the RO's as polishers...



The 1000-6000 OPM on the PC - does that correspond to the driven oscillations/orbits or the rotation of the pad? It must be the oscillations/orbits - it can't be the rotation of the pad as that is pressure dependent. In which case I think on the RO's we are comparing a different measurement - I reckon they measure the RPM not OPM.



Any thoughts?
 
With a DA, true rotations don't count. The jiggling does the work. DAs rotate slowly because then can (speed/pad throw/pressure and even product dependent), not because they must. PM answer here :D...
 
SenojNW said:
The 1000-6000 OPM on the PC - does that correspond to the driven oscillations/orbits or the rotation of the pad? It must be the oscillations/orbits - it can't be the rotation of the pad as that is pressure dependent. In which case I think on the RO's we are comparing a different measurement - I reckon they measure the RPM not OPM.



Any thoughts?
Click to expand...



As you surmised, the rotation is variable, so I'd expect the speed rating to be Orbits PM and to refer to that part of the "dual action" motion.
 
Does the OPM make any difference then? Everyone seems to refer to RPM (as in a rotary) being the main issue...
 
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