[PRECHTEL]

Fellas

I appreciate all the input you guys do here. It sure makes all the different manufacturers easier to compare. I am too looking to buy a 4 x 8 machine in the next few weeks. I was stuck on dynaCNC, then went to torchmate, now I think DynaTorch is the answer, But it uses their own software. I seem hear very few complaints about this machine. I have talked to Walt over there and he really seems to know whats this is all about. Is Dynatorch the best option? Is smoke a dust/debris an issue? Is the dust collecor table worth the extra $2850? Anyone in the Cleveland area have one of these machines to look at? Keep up the good work guys.

Thanks
Tom

[Dynatorch_Greg]

Hello Tom,
Smoke and dust can be an issue. Without some way to trap it, it will leave a thin black film all over everything in your shop. We do offer one solution, which you have mentioned in your previous post. We fell it is absolutely worth it, but several people have used other alternatives. Im sure that several people on this site could help you with ideas on how to filter the smoke and dust. Our software is among the best thats out there and I would be happy to provide you with a list of customers that would tell you about their own experiences with our product. Some of these folks have used our competitors systems previously. Call me at 1-877-260-2390, or e-mail me [email protected] for the references and to further discuss your needs


Thanks,
Greg

[Torchhead]

Fellas

I appreciate all the input you guys do here. It sure makes all the different manufacturers easier to compare. >

Thanks
Tom

Tom: It's fairly obvious that I don't advocate proprietary drive systems, but if you are determined to head down that road then the DynaTorch is the best in that group.

Plasma cutting is one of the nastiest, dirtyest forms of cutting (other than high speed routing of MDF) you can do. The best solution is a constant level water table that allows the back of the material to actually touch the water. That solves the sparks, smoke and a lot of the warping and discolorization problems (on stainless). Short of that, you really need a water table below the work and a form of smoke removal that sucks the smoke down.

I have come to the conclusion that the cheapest way is to enclose the table in a "room" made of 6mil plastic sheeting and vent that room with airflow (giant vent-a-hood). I still think a water table makes sense even in the enclosed room.

I think you could devise an enclosure with steel tubing (or even 2 X 4's) with a draw curtain to allow loading material.

I am even considering a way to have a couple of video cameras in the room (maybe one on the gantry(?)) so I don't have to be in there at all.

We are working on an Ethernet "remote console" add-in for MACH3 that would let you do all control functions from dozens or even hundreds of feet away. That will only be available for MACH3 driven machines.

Tom Caudle
www.CandCNC.com

[edwardpic]

Hey Tom and Tom,
The water table is a great idea. I actually just helped another business owner here locally make one for his Tracker table. I have a 8ft pressbrake and shear here so was pretty easy to fabricate in 4 hours. We made a simple V frame longer on one end for easy draining, sheethed the inside with 14 gauge galvanized, seam sealed the joints and put it on wheels to move in and out from the table(when drained), then we had the inside sprayed with Rhino lining. All in all cost him $325 and works great NO LEAKS thankfully. I have a 24" axial paint booth fan I use on my table and the sides are enclosed so for now I'm good with mine, it blows out of the wall of my shop. Just thought I'd throw that in the loop.

PS:Tom, got all the issues with Corel and your DXF converter all squared away. Thanks for all the help.

[mog5858]

torchead is right i would say that the extra money spent on the water table is worth all of it i have one. the only thing some time the air when cooling the tip will splash the water on the pice but that can be wiped off. we mostley cut Al and well i would say that it cut the smoke and what every othere hamfull tockens that are created by the cutting by 80 %. one still need a fan to suck out the bad air.

[Torchhead]

I have several customers cutting steel and stainless with the material partially submerged (maybe a light film of water over the top). The normal plasmas we use will not cut under water but they will blow a small amount of water out of the way. According to these shops the cuts are dross free, the material does not tend to warp as much, and the stainless does not discolor from heat. They built a water tank with a float valve and set the water level to touch the back of the material.

Btw mog5858: What is a hamfull tocken ? (Just kidding)

Another secret for cutting and cleaning steel (and never having to grind the dross off) is acid. Ask me how (:-)

Tom Caudle
(aka Torchhead)
www.CandCNC.com

[Weldtutor]

What is a hamfull tocken ? (Just kidding)
Another secret for cutting and cleaning steel Ask me how (:-)

T.C. HOW???

Those 'hamfull tockens' are only in certain areas of the country.

Here we have harmful toxins to be concerned about.

[Torchhead]

I have a vat (300 Gallon Poly tank) of dilute HCL. It's about 10:1 from standard Muratic (pool acid available at all home improvement stores). When a piece comes off the table (I use standand 11 ga steel with the mill scale) it goes in the tank on a hanger (made from old welding rods) and stays overnight. It comes out virtually slag free and smooth etched. A good rinse and IMMEDIATE dry with a towel and into a heated area (in Texas 8 months a year that is just handing in the sun!). It can then go straight to powder coat.

I used to chip and hammer off any slag and grind the edges. If my torch is setup right, slag is minimal so the acid etch takes care of that.

My tank is setup to take several full 3' X 3' pieces or one 4' By 4' at an angle. I bought the tank for 35.00 at a surplus sale.

Caution: Acid is nasty stuff to handle. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection when handling the undiluted stuff. Also be aware that the fumes from the tank will rust just about anything. It will kill your tools and other metal objects if placed inside your shop. A cover for the tank will help but it will still rust steel in about 10 minutes!

[diarmaid]

Also be aware that the fumes from the tank will rust just about anything. It will kill your tools and other metal objects if placed inside your shop. A cover for the tank will help but it will still rust steel in about 10 minutes!

Whats your tank made from?

and

You bought it at a surplus sale, what was its 'intended' purpose? (ie: What type of tank is it?)

'Thanks.' :hehe:

[PlasmaCAM Man]

The Plasma Cam system now comes with a one-year warranty and three years of over the phone tech support. Tech Support Dept is very knowledge able about the system and software and are more than willing to assist you with any problems you may encounter, whether it be software or machine related.
Parts are always in stock and ship next day air to you via ups.
<OOur system comes with THC what Plasma Cam calls Digital Height control. Basically it senses the arch voltage that is being put out by the plasma cutter and maintains a consistent height through out the cutting process.
<OPlasma Cam does not charge a transfer of ownership fee when buying a used machine.
<OPlasma Cam has designed and created a windows based user friendly software for the Plasma Cam system. With this software you can design and create your image form start to cut path and also have options to save and export files as .dxf or even g-code.

<OFor more information call Patrick at PlasmaCam or check out the website www.plasmacam.com

[massajamesb]

[QUOTE=Torchhead;218486]I have a vat (300 Gallon Poly tank) of dilute HCL. It's about 10:1 from standard Muratic (pool acid available at all home improvement stores).


When you say 10:1, are you saying you only use 1 part of muriatic to 9 parts water?
Just curious, because I use 100% muriatic for all my acid dipping. Makes hot roll plate come out smooth as cold roll, with no black coating, or anything. It will rust the heck out of anything around it though. I cap the drum off after depositing or removing parts.
The gentleman who does all my chroming loves my parts, because he hardly has to do any cleanup polishing before going into the vat. When I send him parts to chrome, he generally cuts me about 25-50% off, depending.

[Torchhead]

Yes the 10:1 is from the dilute HCL (muratic). It takes longer but does the same thing and if you spill some on your hand you don't run screaming to the water hose! I have used the straight stuff on small parts I wanted to get done quickly but the fumes are nasty and the ability of the fumes and mist to rust steel is astounding. I just hang my cuts in the vat overnight and usually have little or no clean-up to deal with (and like you say the powder coaters and plating guys can skip the cleaning steps.

[massajamesb]

ok, I see where you are coming from on that one. You are right, that stuff is a bit nasty. I have splashed a bit of it on me over the years, and it takes a second to start burning, but when it does, you will invent a new diety to pray to.

[PlasmaCAM]

1" plate hahahahahaha!. We have a customer that cuts 3/4" on a daily basis. They started out with a HT 1650.....just upgraded to a TD 200A unit. They had too much flare with the 100A unit. I think the catalog people really know how to touch up a photo!

Here is an accual 1" thick piece cut with the PlasmaCAM. It is done with a Powermax 1250 HAND TORCH.

[massajamesb]

I do not doubt the ability of the Plasmacam to move in the present shape. I am quite sure it is fully capable of moving a torch or whatever tool needed in a programmed path adequately and accurately. I just question the picture provided.
just my opinion, of course.

[PlasmaCAM]

Sorry, I was imformed that it was accually cut with a powermax1250.

[Torchhead]

I have seen 2 1/2" steel cut with high definition plasma. It gives straight sides and smooth cuts. It also costs 10 times as much to buy one. I'm not sure what it has to do with the type cutting the average user of PlasmaCAM or any other lower cost table does.

[millman52]

My shop builds new replacement parts for the underground coal mining industry. I currently am spending a small fortune on larger CNC burned parts. & that will continue Mainly because I don't have room to store inventory on the sheet steel. 2 years ago the steel supplier I use spent mega$ on a new table & plasma setup. They tried forever to get it to give good square cuts across the cut edge. My salesman informs me they finally gave up & use it for nothing thicker that 3/8" if bevel on the cut edge is a problem for the part. Word from them is it will cut square but at slower speeds than Ox/acet., especially above 1/2"

[Apples]

yeah plasma has in many cases been very very over rated for some situations.

I mean how much cheaper is an oxy set up?

How many oxy torches can you run on the same gantry, for the same price as a high definiton plasma?

Oxy can cut from 5mm up to 2000mm, yes 2000mm.

So in many ways oxy will have a definant advantage over plasma. It all comes down to the bloke selling you the machine and setup.

Apples
Australia

[PlasmaCAM]

Sorry my bad. The part was cut using a Hypertherm Powermax 1250 Hand Torch.