[jimcolt]

Here is a picture of the edge of 1/2" steel cut on a PlasmaCam with a Hypertherm Powermax45. All of my cuts have an extremely smooth edge finish....Jim Colt

[slammedxonair]

wow thats smooth. I need to get my Dynatorch tweaked or soemthing to tighten up the motion control. In my pic above you can see some of the roughness on the tab I cut on my machine. All of the major companys that I compete with in my industry use laser for there parts so I need to keep my plasma parts as godd as they can be. I have seen some cnc plasma cuts that are all jagged on the edges.

[WSS]

Here is a piece of 1.5" AR plate cut with a HP1650, I trimmed an inch off of the beveled side which made the actual cut 1.375".

[jimcolt]

A lot of people don't realize the effect that a little roughness or "cogging" has on the RMS finish on the cut edge. Staying on path is one thing....however a well tuned machine needs to stay on path while maintaining speed, and smooth, fluidic motion. I occasionally see edge roughness caused by the z axis (Torch Height Control) control loop being tuned too tight.....meaning a minute but rapid oscillation is present during the cut. This can increase the lines that appear on the cut edge as well.....usually can be fixed by detuning the torch height control so it does not try to react to quickly.

Jim Colt

[slammedxonair]

I need to call up Dynatorch and double check my settings one day with them. Sometimes it crashes into the plate especially if its not 100% flat. I want to have this thing tuned as perfect as I can get it.

[Ted383]

Here is a couple of the first parts of the new machine. The "CNC" sign is 14g HRS. The Celtic knot was cut into a antique saw blade about 31" across.

[tof1]

You should paint the first saw blade white or add a white background so it's easier to see driving by. I really like the second one, nice work!

[Ted383]

My first idea was to put alum sheet behind the lettering. This would be effective in making the lettering stand out, but it would also take the "depth" away, meaning it would not be as obvious that the letters are holes cut in the metal.

So I bought a couple cans of rust-oleum hammered silver an had at it.




.

[Mijapple]

Where did you get your laser that's mounted on your plaz? With the two lines going perpendicular with each other and it being right underneath your cutting tip makes that a very desirable setup. I've been looking around and I can't get get a laser from Koike for under a thousand. Other setups that I've run into also don't allow the laser beam to be directly under the torch tip. Greatly appreciated.

[Dustin407]

MiJapple I know that dynatorch.com carriers the laser locators. They are around $ 150......

[Mijapple]

Thanks Dustin. I suppose I wasn't looking hard enough for a laser locator. I don't know if there is anymore companies that sell these, just so I can shop around and show my boss some variety. I've been trying to get a laser from our normal plasma parts supplier but it's taking them forever and it isn't as nice. We would have to build a mounting bracket right next to the torch and it would still require a manual offset to work properly. I sometimes like to move the parts being cut in the middle of the program, if I've made a mistake on nesting them, and I don't think a laser with a manual offset would help me in those situations. Also my original question was for slammedxonair because I saw his laser locator in the videos he's posted. It looks like he uses a dynatorch setup as well. So very cool. Thanks!

[WSS]

Thanks Dustin. I suppose I wasn't looking hard enough for a laser locator. I don't know if there is anymore companies that sell these, just so I can shop around and show my boss some variety. I've been trying to get a laser from our normal plasma parts supplier but it's taking them forever and it isn't as nice. We would have to build a mounting bracket right next to the torch and it would still require a manual offset to work properly. I sometimes like to move the parts being cut in the middle of the program, if I've made a mistake on nesting them, and I don't think a laser with a manual offset would help me in those situations. Also my original question was for slammedxonair because I saw his laser locator in the videos he's posted. It looks like he uses a dynatorch setup as well. So very cool. Thanks!

I went to the DT website to look at the LL and noticed something. The LL shown is not there new version. They still offer that one (I believe), but the new one is controlled by the DT software. I have both versions. One has a switch and the other plugs into the new wiring harness. So......If you order one from DT make sure you specify that you need one with a toggle switch (unless you have a DT w/new harness). The LL's are 1.375" bore, so will fit most torches, but beware they are a plastic composite of some sort. For stuff under .25" it is OK to run with a hi duty cycle, but a oxy torch with long pre-heats or a big plaz unit cutting/piercing big plate it may not work so well.

The toggle switch version comes with a power supply and an extension that should fit a 5X10 with no problem. It is easy to extend the leads however if needed. I had to add about 8' to ours to fit a 6X10 table, I also put a switch on our command center to control without reaching for the torch.

Cheers!

[Mijapple]

but beware they are a plastic composite of some sort. For stuff under .25" it is OK to run with a hi duty cycle, but a oxy torch with long pre-heats or a big plaz unit cutting/piercing big plate it may not work so well.

I cut 24ga up to 2" steel on this plasma. I also have used the oxy torch to cut up to 3" plate so every once in a while I'll do some thick plate. I just want to know if anybody has had a problem with the Dynatorch Laser Locator due to sparks or heat from cuts. I just might have to fit it with metal flashing or something to protect it. If anybody has ideas it would be greatly appreciated. In fact my boss just ordered the LL with the switch so if it fails soon because of sparks and heat then that wouldn't be a good thing. This is an amazing forum, and thanks for all the input.

Just a side note: Dynatorch offers bores from 1.375" to 1.75" to 2". My torch is a 2" so they have them to order.

[slammedxonair]

Yea I bought the Dynatoch laser locator when I bought my cnc from them. It works great and its the model that has a 110 plug in and the toggle on and off switch.

[Mijapple]

What thickness of plate do you cut? Have you melted or damaged it in any way doing thick plate?

[WSS]

I cut 24ga up to 2" steel on this plasma. I also have used the oxy torch to cut up to 3" plate so every once in a while I'll do some thick plate. I just want to know if anybody has had a problem with the Dynatorch Laser Locator due to sparks or heat from cuts. I just might have to fit it with metal flashing or something to protect it. If anybody has ideas it would be greatly appreciated. In fact my boss just ordered the LL with the switch so if it fails soon because of sparks and heat then that wouldn't be a good thing. This is an amazing forum, and thanks for all the input.

Just a side note: Dynatorch offers bores from 1.375" to 1.75" to 2". My torch is a 2" so they have them to order.

OK, so your torch is water cooled? That would solve any heat issue. The metal flashing idea would make it last even longer. Our oxy torch gets really hot when it is doing 1"+ plate, I have often wondered if I could build a small heat exchanger for it and run it through a tweco TC-900 cooler (we use those all over the shop for our weld heads and have rebuilt spares on hand).

The LL install quickly by hand so you could use it as needed I would imagine. If you felt it might overheat on a job, you could remove it in about 10 seconds, even line up and remove would not be out of the question.

It will become a close friend.

WSS

[Mijapple]

OK, so your torch is water cooled?

The Torch itself has coolent running through it but when I mention a water table it means that instead of a downdraft table to keep the smoke down we capture it by water in the table itself. This is so we could drain the table at will and cut with oxy/fuel.

[slammedxonair]

I've never had any issues with it. It mounts probably 1/4 of the way up the torch on my machine. It just slides on and tightens down with a set screw knob.

[microdot]

MiJapple I know that dynatorch.com carriers the laser locators. They are around $ 150......

FWIW I'm working on a laser locator type of doohickey for an entirely different industry and just want to let you know that the parts to make something like this cross hair sight would cost you under $15. That includes 2 5v or 3v lasers with Fresnel lenses and battery holder for 2 AA batteries with switch.

[tof1]

FWIW I'm working on a laser locator type of doohickey for an entirely different industry and just want to let you know that the parts to make something like this cross hair sight would cost you under $15. That includes 2 5v or 3v lasers with Fresnel lenses and battery holder for 2 AA batteries with switch.

Do you have links to the parts needed?