[Marankie]

Hey All,

I'm building a new CNC table and also upgrading my plasma cutter to a Miller 875. It's sole purpose will be table cutting so I'm not worried about having the hand held option, I'm hesitant because it's about $800 more for the machine torch option.

So my question is, does the machine torch produce a better cut?

Also, I'm trying to find a quality "floating head" for the new build, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Greg

[tommylight]

I can tell you from my experience: a 40 Amp handheld and an 120 Amp vertical machine torch is like a PINTO and a AUDI S8, exept for actual cost of cutting On quality consumables the big one can go on and on and............ with a bitt of care it can cut a mile on 3mm mild steel plate. Also the quality of cut is more consistent.
As for floating head, have a look at LinuxCNC Support Forum :: Topic: THC config that works. (3/3)
on one of the videos you have a floating head made out of drawer slides taken from an old photocopy machine ( with ball bearings and always in pair of 2 slides in one assembly). Am using 3 of them on production machines so i can wouch they can take a lot of beating ( read:slaming the torch on parts ) without breaking or falling apart, so added the magnetic holder to spare the torch ( in one of those crashes the torch did not fair well, it cracked).
Regards,
Tom

[xjdubber]

when comparing something, you need too compare similar items, a 40A hand torch and a 120 machine torch, is not the same thing. If you are talking about a hypertherm powermax machine, the handheld and machine torch consumables are the same... thus cut quality should not suffer. However a machine torch is a much better option for cnc operation for cable running and squaring and such....

[Marankie]

Thanks again for the input Tom. I will probably go with the 60A machine torch and the Miller 875, for what my budget is at the moment. Should be huge improvement over my current Miller 375 (27A) and hand torch.

I can see the benefit of the breakaway torch holder considering the cost of the torches. What are using for your magnetic holder?

...Thanks xj, yes, that was my initial question, Miller 875 with 40A hand torch VS Miller 875 with 40A machine torch.

[Torchhead]

So my question is, does the machine torch produce a better cut?

In short : no. If you compare a 60A hand torch with the 60 amp machine torch the cut quality with be virtually the same.

Here are the main considerations for a machine torch
They are setup for production cutting where there are lots of continuous cuts or lots of thicker plate cutting. Its more about heat than anything. The machine torch is mostly metal and is rugged and takes high heat well
It is easier to mount and get square .

The hand torch has a lot more plastic stuff The ring holder is more critical to not get arc across. It is not made for continuous cutting on lots of thicker material. You do have the advantage of popping out the hand torch and going manual really easy.

Most CNC tables being used to make money (meaning they are used fairly often and maybe for long periods) have a machine torch.

Getting good cuts is more about controlling the parameters (correct height, feedrate, clean air, etc) than having a machine torch. I will say that some manufacturers have better overall torch technology and Miller tends to buy external technology in plasma so their hand torch supplier MAY not be the same as their machine torch supplier so then its not apples to apples.

TOMcaudle
www.CandCNC.com
Home of the new PIPE WIZARD Rotary pipe design and cut plugin for SheetCAM