[Dustin407]

Dustin,
Looks as if you are back to having fun again!
A bad ground can bite your b**t :tired: even when everything else is set correctly.
Thanks for the update & enjoy your new Thermal Dynamics 82.
WT

Hey Weldtutor,

It has been awhile, how is everything going for you?? Are you still cutting out artwork?? Yes a bad ground sucks... It is very misleading and will eventually drive you crazy... It took me a few days to figure what was going on but all fixed now. To those of you that are thinking about building your own CNC plasma, run now dont do it...lol jk (nuts)

[Dustin407]

Hello All,

I had a nice job come through for Universal Studios Holloween Horror Nights. It was two large circles that were 15' -11" in diameter when fully assembled together. So it took 8 sheets to make 1 circle. It will be faced with vinyl, and will be a cool looking evil pumpkin. I had to cut 18 sheets total of 3/16" 4x8 6061 alum. The new plasma worked great along with home built cnc and candcnc electronics. I fine tuned everything to 155 IPM 116 VDC and cut height at .21" 60 amp tip. Here is a few pics....

[Weldtutor]

Hey Weldtutor,
It has been awhile, how is everything going for you?? Are you still cutting out artwork??

Hi Dustin,
Yes, my machine is still up & running for artwork etc.
I have had some recent issues which have kept me away from it for a while.

Most of what I do would fit into a much smaller footprint than the 4' X 5' table. Probably I'll sell it & build a smaller unit to conserve my shop space.

My Thermal Dynamics 51 plasma unit has given over 5 years of service with no problems at all!
Your new purchase will likely as well.

The giant pumpkin you recently cut looks like a fun project.
WT

[Sperstad]

Hello Dustin! First, I would say you have made ​​a very nice plasma machine. And since I`m considering building one myself, I have a couple of questions.

First question is about the two y-axis rails. I see from the pictures that they are mounted in the side of each square steel tube. But how do adjust these rails to make them 100% parallel when they are mounted on the side of the square steel tubes?

Second question is about the z-axis. I`m considering using the plasma Z-axis from K2CNC. But I have no experiences with floating heads that have micro switch. Is it hte micro switch we can see on this picture?

http://k2cnc.com/shop/prodimages/200..._Front_500.jpg

The K2CNC website says that I should use Sheetcam and THC for best result. But can I use other software than the Sheetcam? (not that I think the Sheetcam are bad, but it`s good to have the option to choose

[Sperstad]

Sorry, I double posted by mistake. How do I delete this post? Don`t want to mess up the good thread

[johndjmix]

Dustin, my shop is located in NY, but I have a house in Winter Park. Noticed you were from the Orlando area since you were talking about Universal Studios. Send me a PM, id love to come by and take a look at your table. I should be back in Orlando around the 15th of January...

--John

[Dustin407]

I have been troubleshooting a problem that I cant seem to solve for sometime now. I have a problem with my floating torch switch (z-home switch). When I run g-code the z axis goes down to touch the material but stops about 1/2" short of the material then slowly moves up until it hits the top or limits. The green light for the z home is not on in the mach 3 screen which it normally is when running fine. Any advice or help would be appreciated...

[Mongkol]

Dustin,
1) Switch to MDI page on mach3 screen...Try typing G28.1 Z3.00 F1500 on MDI ( For me ,I use metric unit ). ---> Enter
The torch tip should move down to hit the material and then the floating plate will move up and slide up to touch the micro switch. The motor Z should stop immediately. ----> It's right.
2) Press the microswitch ( Check NC and NO) and then have a look on table I/O card. The orange LED on table I/O card should turn on and turn off.
( Normally, you should see the orange LED on table I/O card is light ) ---> It's right
3) Check the wire from micro switch to table I/O card. Lack wire or not.

Expect ---> you connect microswitch to be NC and the port&pin is correct.

Mongkol

[CNCCajun]

Look for mechanical binding in the Z axis . . . .

Dirt, misalignment, etc . . .

Disassemble clean & check all parts in "Z".

Steve

[Dustin407]

Dustin,
1) Switch to MDI page on mach3 screen...Try typing G28.1 Z3.00 F1500 on MDI ( For me ,I use metric unit ). ---> Enter
The torch tip should move down to hit the material and then the floating plate will move up and slide up to touch the micro switch. The motor Z should stop immediately. ----> It's right.
2) Press the microswitch ( Check NC and NO) and then have a look on table I/O card. The orange LED on table I/O card should turn on and turn off.
( Normally, you should see the orange LED on table I/O card is light ) ---> It's right
3) Check the wire from micro switch to table I/O card. Lack wire or not.

Expect ---> you connect microswitch to be NC and the port&pin is correct.

Mongkol

Mongkol,

I typed the g code in on the mdi screen. It raises up three inches then back down three inches. About 1.5" short of ever contacting the z home switch. I replaced the limit switch and checked the table I/O card and the light comes on when the switch is contacted. Thats a good sign but for some reason does not seem to be relaying the info to mach 3 screen. The light next to the z home on the mach 3 screen is red which means it is turned off, it should be green. Checked everything from start to finish. It is a head scratcher.... The mechanical of the z axis is in great shape, checked all that. It has worked for over 3 years now but suddenly one day wants to stop working...

[CNCCajun]

The reason I mentioned mechanical is we have found on packaging equipment that everything was right in the program & the electronics. Then later find a small piece of trash in just the right place . . . lol lol

Steve

[Dustin407]

The reason I mentioned mechanical is we have found on packaging equipment that everything was right in the program & the electronics. Then later find a small piece of trash in just the right place . . . lol lol

Steve

Well im pretty sure its not mechanical because I can move the z - axis down and touch the material manually from the keyboard with no binding issues. Thank you for the input, ill double check everything again..

[NorthridgeFab]

Sorry if this has been asked, I didnt read through all 15 pages. Where did you order your rail from and is hardened or unhardened?