CNC plasma DIY HELP

Hi All!

Currently new to the forum and Id like some help (if possible) in building a CNC table.

Im trying to design a 4x4 CNC plasma table with a water bed. Was wondering if anyone had plans, designs, ideas, CAD drawings to give me inspiration perhaps? I have inherited some NEMA 34's 8.5Nm (dual shaft) motors which i plan on using... mainly because they were free. I really like the JD2 plasma table (USA) design with the linear "roller" setup on the y axis so id like to use that design with the spur gear as well. I was planning on using a v/u groove roller set up on the x axis however their hard to find in Aus and the ones i have found are crazy expensive. So I'm leaning towards dual linear rail's (15mm) for the x axis now, not concerned about them getting plasma muck on them as i don't mind wiping and cleaning them. Id also like advice on motion controllers and THC controllers which is best to buy/has best support and is preferably located in Aus. Only one i have seen seems to be Masso?

Anyways look forward to some info if anyone has any and exploring the forum!

cheers

Toby

I'm in Brisbane. Send me a PM. I might be able to help or if you are nearby , you can come and check out mine. Don't ask me how long it took to design. I was like you once.
The best solution (and the cheapest) today is without doubt the Linuxcnc Plasmac configuration.
I do have some Mesa cards here I could be convinced to part with. They with Linuxcnc will beat any THC hands down.
I have dual linear rails across the gantry (X)
and single 25mm rails on each side of the table

I actually looked at the gantry weight the other day. The second 15mm rail is hard to beat weight wise but next time round i might be convinced to run a combined gear rack with the V rail built in from TEA transmissions but I have not priced it.

If you have some data sheets and torque curves, I might be able to let you know if those motors will work OK.

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sorry link PlasmaC User Guide

Hi , I know this is an old post , but im interested in very hobby Plamsa set up. I have small MPCNC that I would like to try a plasma cutter on. My current issue is what Plasma cutter to use, I can see that there are a few hobby machine from reputable brands for approx $600 that may be low frequency start e.g. Unimig Viper 30 - my issue with this machine is that the leads are fixed to the machine and also integrated switch in torch so hacking required for CNC conversion. There may be other hobby ones in this price range but hard to tell if they are low frequency start (so to not damage electronics of CNC) another option is to buy generic chinese one from ebay. If anyone has successfully used sub $1000 plasma on CNC id be interested to know. I have found good information from US website https://www.drdflo.com/pages/Guides/...s-For-CNC.html with list of machines but all brands that are not available in AU cheers Ben