CNC Plasma Cutter in the works (Planning Stage)

:)Well I had posted a thread about making a CNC plasma cutter before the forum went cablooie so I thought I would re-start a dedicated thread for Plasma CNC.
So I have a metal table CNC router that I built a few years back and has a cutting dimension of approx 25" x 49" tops and that is pushing the limit switches doing that big of a cut, And I use 3 pieces of .750 MDF for a spoilboard that is just laying in the framework so I am going to be getting a plasma cutter when the next shipment comes in and going with the Power Plasma 50 because it does not have the HF start so I can hopefully eliminate any type of HF interference with my servo controllers.
Has anyone else experimented with building a CNC plasma?
I am concidering building a dedicated Plasma so I dont have to re-set the machines from metal to wood between processes.
SO I am open to any and all info that is out there if people are working with them.
So far My set-up is 3 gecko 320 servo controllers and a 72 volt DC non regulated power supply,, and I am running it with a smoothstepper USB control .
Software is BobCad with Mach3 control software.
I think I have pictures of the frame when I built it somewhere and it was back when I was using a Hobart Handler , now have the 250EX. That is another reason to re-build a frame as well.. Get to TIG the new one..Attachment 750

Aso I did not find a good picture of the router so All I could find was a picture that I sent in for a garage re-do contest they had at a garage cabinet place(didnt win) and a picture from our camera at the hunting area of a pig I need to kill

You should check with the U.S Office before deciding on the PP50.
I am not sure what they are doing at this time but i can tell you i have some Dedicated PowerPlasma 60 units for CNC application being made in the next couple of weeks.
The 60 amp would be a better choice .
cheers

I have not heard anything about a 60 amp non Hi-Freq machine coming this way.. What changes have been made to make it better for CNC ? Does it have a pecil torch and non Hi freq Start with Pilot Arc?
I am waiting for a shipment to come in with the 50Power Plasma on it , So any info before the shipment due in a few weeks will be welcomed..
THanks I will try to get information about it.. If you have anything (info) Pm or post if you can ..
Thanks
Gary

About a year ago I finished my CNC plasma table with the Everlast PP50 non high-freq and it runs like a charm… normally. Every once in a blue moon after the cut, the post flow will fail to shut off and therefore it will not strike an arc on the next cut. I'll flip the post flow switch a couple times and it will shut off and I will have to back the machine up a couple steps. I typically run at 65psi with a desiccant air dryer. I can only run it off a 30amp breaker, so I can only get about 40amps out of the machine. I usually don't cut anything over 1/4", but have cut 3/8" from time to time and haven’t had much of a problem with bevel or piercing.

The largest issue that I have is with mounting the torch. There's really no straight section on the S45 torch, so getting is perpendicular to the plate is an issue. If the torch isn’t perpendictular to the plate, you will be able to tell from the bevel it creates. I'm debating on buying an additional torch, ripping out the insides and making a machine type torch that I could easily mount perpendicular.

The duty cycle of the machine seams good. I had a nest of parts on a 4'x4' sheet of 14 Ga. that ran about 35 minutes and didn’t have any problem with overheating. After each cut, I use about 1 second of post flow on plate less then 1/8”, and 4 seconds on plate up to ¼”. It keeps the torch rather cool. I haven’t yet had a large nest of 1/4" thick parts. I'm eager to see how she will run then.

In the year so far that I've been using it, it hasn’t locked up my PC yet. I'm pretty well grounded though. Each axis has it's own grounding wire and each wire to my motors & limit switches are shielded, and the shielded braid of the wire is directly to the grounding rod about 10' away.

Interface into the CNC was simple. Just unscrew the torch trigger wires from the front panel, and attach the ones from your on/off relay from your CNC control board.

If I need to make scribe marks on what I'm cutting for assembly marks, I disconnect the ground clamp, turn the machine down to 20 amps, pierce & cut height at .35 and run it at 250ipm. It makes a slight dimple when the plasma first fires, but after that it leaves a nice line of heat to assemble by. It only makes a dimple because even though I have my pierce delay set to "0", the machine still delays a bit so it makes that little dimple.

My machine is a home designed with 52"x84" cutting area.

Any questions, feel free free to ask. I’ll try to get a couple pictures up in a couple days.

Thanks For the info pierce,
Also are you using a THC or just setting your code to run at the .35 , the .35 seems a little high to me but I have not set up for automation yet either.
I would love to check out the pics of your machine . I am going to start drawing up a torch holder to cut out of some .750 starboard I have laying around and hope to be able to get the torch straight but can always shim if need be..
Also I am running a smoothstepper and I am going to get a smoothstepper breakout board with relays from CNC4PC , he happens to be local to me and I still have never met the guy but he has the board I want to get so I can connect all relays and set timing circuits uo as well..
THanks
Gary

Here are a few renderings and a thing or 2 that I have cut out. I'll upload some of photos of my machine in the next day or 2.


I'm not using a THC, although I would love to buy one. I usually pierce at 0.15" and cut at 0.08". I get some slag on the underside of the cut and im still trying to hone in the ipm/amps for different thicknesses. I use the 0.35" cut and pierce height only when I'm trying to make heat marks to aid in assembly.

I purchased a few breakout boards from CNC4PC also. I fried 3 or 4 in the first couple month. For some reason I have to turn my electronics on in a certain order.
1. Start up PC and Mach3.
2. Plug in breakout board power.
3. Turn on toggle switch for breakout board.
4. Turn on toggle switch for Relay.
5. Plug in Stepper motor/drivers power.

I've been doing it that way for months without any causalities.

I didn't have any high tech tools to build this table, so it my be lacking in some places just so i could get it finished. Now that I can cut out precision parts, I plan on some redesigning to make it preform better.


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Sorry it has taken so long to reply. I had some kind of stomach super bug that had my laid up for a couple days. Here are some pics. It's still a work in progress, but it runs. I know I know... It needs cleaned up a little. I just want to hibernate with this cold weather. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll write more tomorrow.

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Here's another one. Now I just had to have a picture of the cutter. What would a CNC plasma cutting table be without the plasma cutter!
Here she is, the Non-HF Power Plasma 50

Attachment 947

That is awesome.. I would love to build one but need to do some research I guess before I can do so. If you don't mind answering a couple questions, is there any way to do it with a unit such as the PowerPro256? Also how do you set the it to determine where the metal is to cut? Do you set it at the corner and tell the computer this is location 0 0 or something? I have never used a CNC setup but would love to have one so hand cutting/fab could be cut down and made simpler. Probably has less waste to.

The 60 amp CNC Plasma cutters that the US will be receiving shortly are a Pilot Arc start with HV . The Canadian units are Continous Pilot Arc . There will be a plug in adapter with each unit so as to eiminate any problems with finding the correct pinout plug .

That's awesome man! What would it cost to cut another one of those AF ones... if your interested that is

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Originally Posted by Jason

That is awesome.. I would love to build one but need to do some research I guess before I can do so. If you don't mind answering a couple questions, is there any way to do it with a unit such as the PowerPro256? Also how do you set the it to determine where the metal is to cut? Do you set it at the corner and tell the computer this is location 0 0 or something? I have never used a CNC setup but would love to have one so hand cutting/fab could be cut down and made simpler. Probably has less waste to.

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I'm sure you could also make a CNC with the PowerPro256. You would just have to take extra steps to shield your PC, all wiring and circuit boards from the high frequency it produces when cutting. The reason I chose the PP50 was because it is non-high frequency start. I haven't had any problems with mine as of yet.

The process of cutting with a CNC is this. First you have to make the drawing of what you want cut. I use AutoCAD, but there other programs out there. Step 2 is bringing that drawing into CAM software where you import your part, set the material you are cutting, material size, where the part is nested in relation to the material, create the cut paths, feed rates, pierce height and cut height. I use SheetCam for this. SheetCam then creates the code that tells the CNC what to do.

I use Mach3 to run my CNC table. The first thing I do is zero my table. Mach3 has a button for this. The table will automatically move the table until it hits the installed home switches and stop. This is your table zero. Now that your table knows where it is at, it will not move out of predefined limit setting you set in Mach3 called soft limits. BUT if something still does go wrong, I still have limit switches at the corners. Now that your table knows where it's at and the gantry is squared up, you load the code into Mach3, tell it where the edge of the plate is and the top surface of the plate is (material 0,0,0), hit "run" and tadaa, the cutting begins.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Krookz

That's awesome man! What would it cost to cut another one of those AF ones... if your interested that is

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The one pictures is around 6"x6" or so. Just a polished piece of 18Ga carbon steel with varnish on top. PM me with the size you would like, and I'll be glad to give you a price.

I also have been thinking about converting my CNC Router system I built into a CNC Plasma table.
I was even thinking about a Dual function table.

Here is a picture of my CNC Router in the final stages of build a few years ago.
It is a folding table system to save room in my shop.

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That setup is genius! I wish I would have seen that setup, I would have copied that fo-sho! How is the wood floor mounted to your table? I would think all you need to do is add some type of metal slats, a torch mount, and you would be ready to go.