[Pure-Powder]

Anyone know how reliable this Height Control is! Signing a cheque today for a New table and it has Hypertherm Height Control, Hypertherm 1000 g3, Water table, Refurbisher Dell, 1 hp Air Makeup, Mach 3, Viacad, Single Sided Gantry...

[Med-Pac]

We've been running the hypertherm 1000 with our torchmate 4x8 for the past 2 1/2- 3 years now. Great system, no probs!

Mike

[xjdubber]

biggest problem right there is that table, gantry is only supported on one side, thats bad design.

[Pure-Powder]

I went to a demo on this system and the gantry is solid as can be! Double liniar bearings on the Gantry.... Very nice design for loading over sized sheets, and you can load from all three sides. These are well built tables 4x4 table with no gantry is 1000 lbs , plasmacam complete table including the crate is only 385 lbs... When my table arrives I will take some photos and post!

[Med-Pac]

I agree with dubber. The farther away you are cutting from the drive side, the more probs you may have

Mike

[xjdubber]

I went to a demo on this system and the gantry is solid as can be! Double liniar bearings on the Gantry.... Very nice design for loading over sized sheets, and you can load from all three sides. These are well built tables 4x4 table with no gantry is 1000 lbs , plasmacam complete table including the crate is only 385 lbs... When my table arrives I will take some photos and post!

The weight is exactly where your problem is, the plasmacam is only 385 lbs because the gantry is supported on both sides and also driven on both (not sure on that one). To make a gantry like that solid you need weight in the base and a strong frame where it attaches. This gives problems first, the more weight you have to move the longer the ramp up to speed and ramp downs are going to be. that will give bad cut qualilty. that 385lbs plasmacam has no problem with that. So usually people will end up compromising between weight and speed and it works good for the first year and then runs into lots of problems.

[Pure-Powder]

You think, Lets see you put a 1" plate on a plasmacam.... You will picking it off the floor.. It will crush that Piece of Crap... The heavier the Table I would think the better off you would be!

[xjdubber]

You think, Lets see you put a 1" plate on a plasmacam.... You will picking it off the floor.. It will crush that Piece of Crap... The heavier the Table I would think the better off you would be!

did they tell you specifically that their machine is designed to cut 1" or something, or does it come with oxy acetylene torch? Cause even a 1650 is not supposed to cut 1" with a machine torch (it can but really is recomended as production type scenario).

I dont think you see what I'm trying to say, and it really does'nt matter whether you do or not. You asked for advice, and I gave. You'll find out what I mean when you see the accuracy in the cut on thin gauge material is not as good as others, and when you start replacing linear bearings because of premature wear.

btw...How much a machine can handle is not a function of weight. its a function of design. Ive seen a full 4x8 sheet of 1" on a practical cnc (aluminum frame machine weighs maybe 200lbs? if that) and not do any damage to the structure at all. I've also seen guys throw 1" 4x8 on a multicam 3000 series designed to handle 4" thick plate and actually bend the frame that the slats sit in.

[Pure-Powder]

Actually I never asked you now it would cut, if you read my origanal post I was wondering if anyone had ever used the hypertherm height control before, but thanks for your advise, what type of cnc table do you own, perhaps you could post a pic of it so I can get a better understanding of what I should spend my money on... Thanks Dennis

[Torchhead]

It's somewhat confusing why the designer of that table would use MACH software for control (one of only two affordable versions of software with embedded THC logic) and then add a $4,500 stand alone THC system. That has to add significantly to the overall cost. So while the argument proceeds about the gantry system the electronics approach gets ignored.

Look at the features of the subject Height controller and plug them into my comparison chart for THC fuctionality. Keep in mind that that combination does not take advantage of MACH's embedded THC features (like anti-dive) or automatic pierce delay.

http://www.CandCNC.com/THCCompareChart.htm

While the transport mechanism and table design is important, over half of the cost and potential areas of problems are glossed over (electronics, software, etc).

Hundreds have discovered that a low cost program like SheetCAM has all of the features for plasma cutting you need: Automatic lead-ins/outs, kerf offset, independent pierce height and initial cut height, multiple parts per sheet (part and toolpath step & repeat), and a wide base of users.

The light industrial market is evolving and much like the computer market was in the 80's shows the typical technology curve where costs are dropping and designs become obsolete faster.

I'm not sure what advantage a cantilever design approach offers since on a drop side table you can just move the gantry out of the way and load from the side or on a conventional gantry table you can end load. We run our production tables with an end feed roller table that allows a single operator to handle larger sheets and just set them on the infeed table and slide a sheet onto the grid. Not having the need or desire to cut thicker material than 3/8" with plasma, everything is setup so the material can come off the truck or storage racks and go onto the table easily. While cutting 1" material with plasma is a possibility you have to invest a lot in a plasma machine big enough to do it so it dosen't resemble something cut with a axe. Plasma cutting works best on thinner sheet materials. At about 3/4" you start to reach a point where Oxy-Fuel cutting is better and cheaper.

It's important in the manufacturing process to use the right tool for the job.

I don't envy a buyer having to try and navigate the vast number of offerings. Sometimes in frustration buyers focus in on one feature or another (much like selecting a house for the interior paint scheme) for justification.

TOM CAUDLE
www.CandCNC.com

[xjdubber]

Actually I never asked you now it would cut, if you read my origanal post I was wondering if anyone had ever used the hypertherm height control before, but thanks for your advise, what type of cnc table do you own, perhaps you could post a pic of it so I can get a better understanding of what I should spend my money on... Thanks Dennis

I dont have a table...I install them.

[xjdubber]

It's somewhat confusing why the designer of that table would use MACH software for control (one of only two affordable versions of software with embedded THC logic) and then add a $4,500 stand alone THC system. That has to add significantly to the overall cost. So while the argument proceeds about the gantry system the electronics approach gets ignored.

for some reason had not noticed that or thought about it. youre right very strange?

I don't envy a buyer having to try and navigate the vast number of offerings. Sometimes in frustration buyers focus in on one feature or another (much like selecting a house for the interior paint scheme) for justification.

TOM CAUDLE
www.CandCNC.com

that and there is so many choices, some very bad but most people dont really know!

[Pure-Powder]

Cantilever Styleoffers the ability to cut a 5X5 sheet on a 4x4 table.......Get the Idea... If the material is bigger than the table it can hang over to three sides and still be cut! Good idea but thats IMO...

[Pure-Powder]

oh by the way THC is not $4500.. its $2800.

[Pure-Powder]

And the THC is not made in someones basement it is made by a reputable company!

[xjdubber]

Cantilever Styleoffers the ability to cut a 5X5 sheet on a 4x4 table.......Get the Idea... If the material is bigger than the table it can hang over to three sides and still be cut! Good idea but thats IMO...

Why dont you think about that a little harder, before you say that....... your travel on your axis probably wont be able to cut 5x5, and do you really want to cut into the side of your table where there is no slats but frame?

as far as the thc, you might want to educate yourself about all the diffrent aspects of it and what it actually does and why it does it, dont get me wrong your $2800 hypertherm thc controller will most likely work very well, but there is deffinetly some better options out there. Specially when running mach3 software.

[jimcolt]

Hypertherm has been designing and manufacturing arc voltage based plasma height controls since the early 1970's. The sensor PHC is the lowest cost (yes we have height controls that can cost $15,000 for high performance industrial plasma systems!) system...yet it has great features....such as a magnetic torch collision breakaway, ohmic sensing of the plate, 6 inches of z axis travel and built in diagnostic indicators. It has been on the market for about two years...and there are hundreds in use around the world. It is manufactured in Hypertherm Automations facility in NH....where other torch height controls and cnc controls are also designed manufactured and tested.

Here is a link for more info....the unit is available from Hypertherm distributors .....they can be located from the Hypertherm web page under "contact us" Link for PHC Sensor:

http://www.hypertherm.com/languages/...sensor_phc.php

Best regards, Jim Colt

[agelkom]

You can use capacitive height sensor to stop diving the torch head. Agelkom Cap01 is very useful. There is no need to touch cutting material, therefore total cutting time decrease and torch head protected against crash. The cost is less than $300. Visit www.agelkom.com.tr

[jimcolt]

Capacitive height sensing has been available for many years....and while it has been used successfully in many applications with oxy-fuel and waterjet applications...it is usually not accurate enough or robust enough to support plasma cutting applications.

Most plasma cutting applications require a relatively tight tolerance in regards to the torch to work distance that is required for good control of cut quality....if the torch height is specified at .062"...then it should be maintained at plus or minus .005" of this height.

Capacitive height sensors are affected by 1) surface condition (rust, scale, primer, oil, water) of the material being cut. 2.Type of material being cut 3. Spatter buildup on the capacitive sensing foot. 4. Electrical noise from the plasma arc.

Hypertherm also offers a capacitive height sensing system....although it is recommended for use with oxy-fuel cutting applications, not plasma.

Arc Voltage height control systems are the primary means of accurate height control for plasma cutting applications.

Jim

[J D Redneck]

A friend just bought a table from PCS & had nothing but trouble with it.
Seems that they have modified the THC and other circuts as well as the Mach3 software.
When trying to do a cut, the height controller doesn't seem to work properly.
We can't seem to get a good consistant pierce height or a good cut height.
When following the pattern the torch will be anywhere from full height to diving into the material. Sometimes it finds the right height and makes a cut, but not often.
We are slowly getting it to cut something, but trying to get help from these people is hard. Tech assistance is on specific days during specific hours & if you can't schedule it on their time, you are on your own.
If you have any luck with the height contoller, please let me know so I can get this one working properly.

Happy Trails.....