[ncrplasma]

First of all, I signed up to get some general advice on the purchase of a new CNC plasma system for the company I work for. I also like to tinker with this type of equipment being a mechanical engineer, and have looked to this site many time before for info while building my own cnc plasma.Without giving away to much info about the company(not hard to figure out), let's just say we are looking for a good machine to cut prototype sheet metal parts out while we go through this stage of development. Our machines are retail self check out machines, which are mostly sheet metal, with a somewhat lesser quantity of molded plastics. Our goal, is to be able to cut these parts out, and bend them on a press brake, saving time and money from the normal 2-3 week lead time on most metal parts. We have had a demo with Torchmate, and everyone came away impressed, including the people who will make the final decision on purchase. Now, most of our metal work is 22ga to 14ga, with some 1/8" and 1/4" thrown in occasionally. It was expressed after the demo, that we might also want to look into a high def machine due to the somewhat inaccurate holes produced in the standard machines. I am thinking for the kind of work we do, in the thinner gauge materials, the HD plasma might be over kill. It is also a little hard to get a good estimate of the cost difference, but so far just the Hypertherm HPR130XD looks to be around $31,000 by itself, not including the CNC, software, THC, and CNC control. I would appreciate any opinions, because I know their are a lot of people on here that have way more knowledge on this other than the research I am doing on it. Can anyone estimate what it would cost to get say a Torchmate 4X4 set up with this True Hole setup from Hypertherm? Maybe this is not even possible on this machine, but since the companies involved are all different, then it makes it even more difficult to get the facts straight. I know I am new to this forum, but any opinions and cost information even approximates would be certainly welcomed.

[DareBee]

I would suggest you find someone local with a Hypertherm Powermax that is Finecut capable.
I am very impressed with the accuracy and detail it provides on thin gauge. It may suit your needs.
Your best machine may well be a punch and fold machine.

[jimcolt]

First of all, the True Hole cutting process (which is a patented Hypertherm process that allows for better hole quality with HPRxd high definition class plasma systems) is not available on Torchmate machines. There are many machine manufacturers that do offer their cnc machines with the True Hole capability....and I'd be happy to steer you in the right direction in regards to that.

There are distinct differences and capabilities between low cost, entry level cnc plasma machines and their big brothers that I would rate as industrial, high definition class cnc machines. The first noticeable difference is the price.....a 5 x 10 precisiion industrial machine equipped with a Hypertherm high definition class plasma will be priced in the $100,000 range, while a 5 x 10 entry level machine equipped with a Powermax85 air plasma can be purchased for less than $20,000. Both will cut the same material thickness range (from thin gauge to about 1") and both will cut nice looking parts.

The industrial machine is of heavier construction, uses high end linear motion bearings, uses high end inertia matches servo drives with acceleration (throughout its cut speed range) in excess of 40 miligees.....and generally will survive in a 3 shift a day industrial environment for 20 years or more. The plasma is designed to operate at 100% duty cycle throughout its thickness range, uses a variety of different plasma gases depending on the material being cut, and provides the lowest cost per foot of cut....based on its exceptionally long consumable life as well as high cutting speeds.

The lower cost entry level machine uses much lighter construction, often uses machined bar stock or v groove cam bearings as its motion ways, generally will use lower cost stepper motor drives and will be equipped with an air cooled air plasma system. The plasma uses air as the plasma gas, has less than 100% duty cycle rating. Consumable parts life can be good (depending on the brand of air plasma). Cut speeds, productivity and cut quality....as well as cost per foot of cut will not be as good as the high end industrial system.

So...to help you decide the best choices for your application....we need to know more about your productivity needs and your accuracy requirements. Further....your budget may alsoi be a restricting factor.

I'd be happy to help steer you in the right direction. Here is a link to an article that was just published this week regarding how to choose a cnc plasma cutting machine: IN THE MARKET FOR A CNC PLASMA CUTTING MACHINE? : Fabricating and Metalworking

Best regards, Jim Colt Hypertherm [email protected]

First of all, I signed up to get some general advice on the purchase of a new CNC plasma system for the company I work for. I also like to tinker with this type of equipment being a mechanical engineer, and have looked to this site many time before for info while building my own cnc plasma.Without giving away to much info about the company(not hard to figure out), let's just say we are looking for a good machine to cut prototype sheet metal parts out while we go through this stage of development. Our machines are retail self check out machines, which are mostly sheet metal, with a somewhat lesser quantity of molded plastics. Our goal, is to be able to cut these parts out, and bend them on a press brake, saving time and money from the normal 2-3 week lead time on most metal parts. We have had a demo with Torchmate, and everyone came away impressed, including the people who will make the final decision on purchase. Now, most of our metal work is 22ga to 14ga, with some 1/8" and 1/4" thrown in occasionally. It was expressed after the demo, that we might also want to look into a high def machine due to the somewhat inaccurate holes produced in the standard machines. I am thinking for the kind of work we do, in the thinner gauge materials, the HD plasma might be over kill. It is also a little hard to get a good estimate of the cost difference, but so far just the Hypertherm HPR130XD looks to be around $31,000 by itself, not including the CNC, software, THC, and CNC control. I would appreciate any opinions, because I know their are a lot of people on here that have way more knowledge on this other than the research I am doing on it. Can anyone estimate what it would cost to get say a Torchmate 4X4 set up with this True Hole setup from Hypertherm? Maybe this is not even possible on this machine, but since the companies involved are all different, then it makes it even more difficult to get the facts straight. I know I am new to this forum, but any opinions and cost information even approximates would be certainly welcomed.

[Ajancnc]

Plasma Cutting Machine is used for cutting various hard materials with accurate edge. When you selecting plasma cutting machine you need to care of some point like Thickness of metal which you choose to cut, Select maximum Cutting Speed , Portability Factor , The CNC software comes with your plasma cutting machine , The efficiency of machine to handle dust and smoke and etc....
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