So last year I finally completed my 52" x 84" CNC plasma cutting table and I'm getting a couple jobs here and there, not many. Before I really start sending samples out to small fab shops I want to try and figure this out. Maybe someone here will know, maybe not.

I'm using SheetCam & Mach3 with a 60amp plasma cutter without an AVHC. What I'm having issues with is the "pause" for the pierce delay. I'm sure we all know that scribing layout marks with the cnc is much faster than laying it out by hand. I do not have a air scribe... YET... maybe I will get one when I get a little more income but for now what I do for the scribing is disconnect the ground clamp, set the pierce & cut height to about 0.35" with 20 amps and 250ipm and "0" pause for the pierce delay. It works semi well except for there is still about a 1/2 second delay after the torch fires and before the machine starts moving so it causes a little dimple at the start of the scribe. No matter what delay I need, I always have to take 1/2 second off because the delay in reading the code in Mach3.

For cutting 1/4", I need a delay of 0.5 second (0.25 for torch to fire, 0.25 to pierce), but when coding it in SheetCam, I need to use 0 for the pierce delay because of that extra 0.5 second that Mach3 takes to move after it fires the torch.

Is this happening to anyone else? Any solutions? Slow computer maybe?

Thanks again for the help!!