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Tech index -> Custom Work -> Shocker SFT eye milling

Beam-break eyes are the quintessential performance upgrade for Shockers, but there are several ways to finalize the retrofit procedure. Milling the body for a new eye cover is the ideal method but can be somewhat time-consuming and expensive (unless you have the correct equipment), however extensive milling isn't always required. Over the years I've gone through several methods, described on this page.

Basic Drilling:
Originally when I performed this modification, I didn't mill the body at all, but rather drilled it for the new eye hole and for the wire canal only. This is the barebones method for a beam-break eye conversion, and some care was needed to adequately protect the eye. Ambient light can enter and fool the sensor, and the area can be gummed up if hit by an errant paintball shot. Below are some examples of bodies drilled using this method or something similar:

I had also taken kindly to repairing botched milling jobs done by other shops at the time (2003-2005). My original paintball business was built around these types of electronics modifications, so I did them quite often. Below is an example of my best looking modification: I drilled the body so that the wires would be internal, only routed through two separate holes on the outside of the body. This was a tricky soldering job and the exposed eye had to be covered with an opaque epoxy to prevent light pollution.

Left side eye cover:
Sometime after I perfected the above installation method, other install shops were offering a milling retrofit on their Shocker bodies that would mirror the stock eye cover and allow a more clean installation overall. By this time I had begun working in the CNC machining industry so I naturally followed suit and begun milling bodies in much the same way.

This goes along with my custom beam-break eye covers which have their own separate page here.

Below are a pair of videos I made to quickly demonstrate the milling process:

Machining Program:
If you have access to similar equipment and wish to mill your own body, you can find my machining program here. Instructions for machine setup are below...
- The mill needs to be equipped with the following features: multi-quadrant circular interp; cutter diameter compensation (G40/G41/G42); and G84 rigid tapping. This program was written for a Fanuc control.
- The Shocker body's left side faces the spindle. The bottom of the Shocker body faces the -Y direction (towards you in a VMC, downward in an HMC)
- The top edge of a base model Shocker SFT body is NOT parallel with the bottom edge. DO NOT CLAMP THE BODY IN A VICE without making special preparations to ensure parallel surfaces are actually clamped. This can include using an insert in the feedneck, or creating a separate milling fixture to hold the body above the vice top.
- Use work offset G56.
- XY-zero is located at the center of the ball detent hole to allow compatibility with any Shocker milling style with little to no modification of the program. Use a dial-indicator to locate and verify this location.
- The included chamfer operation is designed only for the base model Shocker body. If you're not milling a base Shocker, do not run the chamfer operation.

Tool offset:	Tool setup:	CDC:
T1	Dial-indicator
T2	Endmill 1/4"dia, HSS 2-flute	-
T3	Endmill 19/64"dia (0.265625), HSS 4-flute	0.2563
T4	Spotdrill 90şincl (chamfer operation)	0.05 (suggested)
T5	Centerdrill #2 HSS
T6	Drill size 48 (0.074") HSS
T7	Drill 1/8"dia (0.125") HSS
T8	3-48 spiral point 2-flute plug tap

Note: The tools using CDC can be substituted for other sizes if you wish. Be sure to adjust the spindle speed and tool feedrates.
Note: If you rearrange the tool numbers, be sure to update the CDC callouts in the program (D value) so they will match the new T tool numbers. If you fail to do this MASSIVE DAMAGE WILL RESULT TO THE BODY.

Program progression:
1. Pocket rough cycles
2. Pocket finish - CDC active
3. Pocket chamfer - CDC active
4. Centerdrill holes (G81)
5. Drill eye screw hole (G83)
6. Rigid-tap eye screw hole (G84) optional
7. Drill eye hole (G83)

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Tech index -> Custom Work -> Shocker SFT eye milling