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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924

    6'X12' DynaTorch build log

    Our Dynatorch gantry showed up today! Here are a few pics. I have not had much time to go over it in depth. It is still in the crate. All arrived safely. I will post some pics of the table build progress tomorrow, They are in raw format and need to be batched to low res jpgs. The gantry is proudly made in U.S.A. It appears very well made. I cannot imagine how they can build an item like this at that price.



    Tommy
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails dt001.jpg   dt002.jpg   dt003.jpg   dt004.jpg  

    dt005.jpg  
    www.metaltechus.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    378
    WSS, Nice pics! They remind me of the day a crate just like that arrived at my place. My first thought was, its here! My 2nd was, and no freight damage! What a relief! I like the made in USA on the box, especially in this day and age.

    I can see from the picture you have the new all steel gantry and y axis carriage with dual linear rails. Its amazing how much Dynatorch has improved their product since I bought mine in 2005. I was told by the Dynatorch crew when ordering my upgrade parts that this is the way they make all their gantrys now. They have not updated their website pics so your gantry picture is the first one I have actually seen. Thanks for posting, keep the pics coming.

    At first when I learned that they had upgraded to all steel gantrys I wondered about the increased weight. Then I remembered these guys

    http://victoryplasma.com/victorycnc/currentimages/

    they use the same Dynatorch hardware / software to run their machine which has a much heavier gantry. I found them while looking for ideas on modifying my gantry. In their pictures you can see the Dynatorch Z lifter station, Dynascribe, laser locator and the Animatics smart motors, but they also added a drill station to the gantry! When I first saw them advertising on Ebay they used Torchmate controls but then switched to Dynatorch?

    Now that your gantry has arrived; Let the fun begin!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    magma-joe,
    Ya, the freight damage is always in the back of your mind. I do have to say it was crated nicely. I did not have time to open it when it was dropped off, but I did not see any fork holes or broken corners.

    If you want to see any specific part of the gantry, let me know and I will take some pics. I had noticed that others were using animatics' smart motor servos, but I really couldn't imagine the "compactness" of those servos! They must pack a punch. The Victory gantry is a monster and those little servos are no bigger than a coffee cup.

    Here are some build pics of the table,I welded in forty 4X4 gussets on the table already! I will try to keep them updated as we go along. I have three more days to work on it. I should get pretty close.

    Cheers!
    Tommy
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails dt202.jpg   dt201.jpg   dt203.jpg   dt204.jpg  

    dt205.jpg   dt206.jpg  

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    378
    WSS, your table looks excellent. Nice work with alot of attention to detail. I like the I beam design, very strong. Those 2" thick sheets should be a breeze. I am curious to see your design for the x axis rails, especially on the slave side which drops below the surface of the slats.

    Do you plan on incorporating a water table or some type of ventilation system? As for the Animatics servo motors size, they do look small however I think the gear boxes are key. They multiply the torque and increase the resolution. Once you get the gantry installed you will see that there is minimal force required to move the gantry.

    I am not sure what Animatics motor and gear box combination came on your new gantry. I do know Dynatorch made some changes from the earlier machines. My servo motors turn at 6000 RPM and use 28 to 1 gear box reduction. I think the newer gantrys like yours use more powerful motors with less gear reduction and helical gear type gear boxes? During my info search I found this company that uses Dynatorch hardware / software but they incorporated some type of belt drive on their system?

    http://www.fastcutcnc.com/

    When you get your gantry out of the crate please take some pics of the whole thing. On the Dynatorch website in their pics it appears they might have upgraded their lifter station to a more compact design. Just curious what comes on the new gantrys now. Also what kind of Miller welder is that in your pics?

    Thanks for posting. I am looking forward to seeing your progress. It helps get the wheels of inovation turning.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    Joe, I will leave room for one or the other. I am thinking I will use a down draft suction set-up, mostly because of the oxy/fuel. Do you think a water table would work with oxy as well? The fastcut machine was a serious consideration for us, They offered us a demo machine that was or did end up at the los angeles westec show. It was just to expensive and light for us. I am not sure if they actually made it to the show.

    The welder is a Dimension 652 w/ a D-74 DX feeder. We have a bunch of the 652's hooked to S-64's & S-74's. We have had good luck with Miller feeders and power sources. This is the only portable welder in our shop, it has NR-211 3/32 innershield on one side and 70S-6 1/16 hardwire on the other (usually, it has .035 now), it is pretty neat as you just pick-up the gun you want and pull the trigger, it switches the process and settings automatically. This is the first time we have run .035 with the dimensions, I was pleased with the results, I had it set at 24.5v and about 180a and it moved along pretty good. I should have changed the liner in the gun to match the wire because it had to much play and the wire would spiral out the tip slightly.

    The build is moving along OK. I finished the slat rails today. They warped over 5"! I figured 2" and some press time, so 5" was not to far out there. It took about 1.5hrs on the press to get them back were they belonged. The last pic shows the 2"sq tube that I will use for the slave side rails. Basically I will mount the rails according to DTs drawings, using there 2" tube idea. It fits perfect as the slat rails are 3" and the I-beam is 5". I will try to get it all together by wed. and maybe paint next weekend.

    Tommy
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails dt301.jpg   dt302.jpg   dt303.jpg   dt304.jpg  

    dt305.jpg   dt306.jpg  
    www.metaltechus.com

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    378
    WSS, looks like you have some nice equipment to work with. I heard that the Miller Dimention welders are excellent. I have a Miller Mig and Tig machine that I really enjoy using.

    As for the water table with oxy. I have no personal experience with oxy and a water table, how ever I have seen many pictures of tables with them. I do like my water table using plasma. It works excellent and keeps down the majority of smoke and dust. A properly equiped air system works very well also however it can get expensive with the fan motor, electrical wiring, duct work and filtering system if you use one. Space is also a concern.

    One thing I have found very handy is the expanded metal screen I placed just under the surface of the water. It catches all the small parts and makes them easy to retreive when the fall. Something to think about if you use an air ventilation system.

    I attached a pic of the 6 x 20 table with a air ventilation system on it.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DT Table 1.jpg  

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    I am leaning toward the air system. It would fit better in our situation. Unless....The benefit from the water causing less distortion would outweigh the air system. When we cut with oxy we have to layout the cut to work with the inevitable warping. The thicker the material, the less shifting. I noticed on a job we did last week with the HP-1650 that distortion was maybe half of what oxy does! Very pleased. Plus no pre-heat and about 5 ipm faster than oxy on 3/4". I will utilize the plasma as much as we can but after 3/4" we have to use oxy. Some parts we will cut will literally fill the table and come off pretty much the same dimension minus a bunch of rectangular slots. Those pieces move! We may have to clamp them, which is why I was concerned about the flimsy slats. So, if water can slow the warping, I may work that way.

    Today went well. I am ready to slip the gantry onto the rails. I want to fit check it before I paint. Murphy's law! The 12ga skins that cover the I-beam are at the powdercoater and should be ready friday. The rail set-up was different than I expected. Most of it was ready to fit-up, but the lengths were different. Not a problem since I measured before hand. Both were longer than needed fortunately.

    Everyone have a great week!
    Tommy
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails dt402.jpg   dt403.jpg   dt401.jpg   dt405.jpg  

    dt404.jpg   dt406.jpg  

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    378
    WSS, looking good. You are moving along pretty fast. Makes me anxious to get back on the retro. Maybe one more day on my modification job and back to the Dynatorch gantry.

    I was using the We-cim software today for some aluminum cutting. It sure makes it fast and easy. At the time I bought the We-cim I also purchased the Arbor Image software. It is very handy. I had to make a custom rear brake caliper bracket yesterday. I took the old bracket, traced it on a piece of paper, changed the mounting hole locations and ran it thru my desktop scanner and and then thru the Arbor Image software and instant DXF file!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924

    Gantry Fitting

    Managed to get a few hours today fitting the gantry to the table. I made the few adjustments recommended by Greg and it works great. The gantry is smoother than I expected. Very low COF. I hope to paint it after Church on Sunday. I will let it dry for at least a week. This will give me time to build the dual torch holder and fit the interface console to the command center. So far so good, I have managed to stick with the plan! Here are some pics of the progress.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DSCN1059.jpg   DSCN1052.jpg   DSCN1051.jpg   DSCN1063.jpg  

    DSCN1060.jpg   DSCN1054.jpg  
    www.metaltechus.com

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    378
    WSS, looks like you are almost there. I am curious to see the dual torch holder. The thought of oxy cutting has crossed my mind. I will be looking to learn from you. Thanks for posting the pics. I was curious if Dynatorch had made any changes in the attaching hardware (motor mts, guides, etc) when they upgraded to the all steel gantry. One thing I can see is that the motor mounting system is much more rigid on the steel Y axis carriage than the aluminum one I have.

    Hardware wise it appears everything else is the same as the extruded aluminum gantry I currently have. In my upgrade I will have to fab some new motor mts to make the dual drop design work. Thanks for posting , keep the pics coming!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    268
    Looking good, lots of changes compared to mine, the red peice on the inside of the aluminum, is that a guard or brace? also i would have to say from looking at this photo the air piston and servo motor is now mounted on the opposite side of the cut out compared to mine... will have a look next week when i get home...

    EDD
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DSCN1052[1].jpg  

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    Edwardo,
    The day after we purchased the DT someone called me and asked which side I wanted the machine to home to (I think it was Russell). We figured I needed a "left home" configuration. I noticed that the machine morvaman was working with is a "right home" set-up. I think that is the difference (?). The red sheet metal is a guard, it is slotted up on top for at least an inch adjustment. This section is were I have spent the most time with aligning. I ended up removing the fender washers and replacing them with a 5/8" shaft collar. The hole in the aluminum support is right on tolerance, so I thought the shaft collar would fit better and straighter. Free hand it moves like butter. I have not tried them with power yet! I am afraid to jump steps because I may never get back to the stuff I missed.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    378
    WSS, on your oxy setup, will you use a lifter station or a torch holder that you manually raise and lower when needed? Is the plate you are cutting for earth moving equipment?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    268
    I had a look at Morvamans table and it is the same configuration as mine, im not sure if they had asked me when i bought mine, if they did then i forget or didnt know what they meant at the time, but it is they way i need it to be.. regardless they are a great team with a superior product and service... i didnt have a clue about cnc except what i had read prior to purchasing, i could only afford to buy one once and i put all my faith in them and they havent let me down... i know i made the right choice and if in the future i ever get to the point of needing another larger table, i wouldnt even consider buying anything but a DT ... i enjoy following all you guys on your builds.

    EDD

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    Joe,
    I will post some pics of the torch holder next week. I will be using two 35mm magswitches. They have a shear rating of 150lbs and a pair of mounting holes (metric). The switch or lever activates the magnet, so repositioning will be easy. I was not going to call it a "break-away" but it will do that and I also noticed a plug at the end of the DT carriage that Greg said was for the new style collision detector and is simply a NO contact. It should be easy to fit up a micro switch or some contact to shut everything down "in-case of an accident". I have been using magswitches for about a year now for grounds on our tables. They work flawlessly, you can heat them way past their rating and they never lose hold (even at 600amps). When you turn the lever the magnetic dust drops off leaving no residual to get in the way of the next ground.

    Most of the stuff we work with is for earthmovers. We do some stuff for rockcrushers and drilling machines. Some new applications are these horizontal boring machines and pipe jackers. It seems to be picking up pretty steady again!

    Edwardo, I am at the same point you were at when you bought your DT. It's a good thing the guys at DT know what kind of questions to ask. I had a moment when it showed up where I was sure it was backward. When I described to them what I needed it went something like this: OK, If I am standing at the short side staring at the tall side, then I want the machine to go to my right. When I opened the packing slip, it said "Left home", I was doing short laps in my mind trying to work it out, is the torch in the way, does it go off the table? On and on. Then morvaman posted the machine he was working on. Pictures are worth a thousand words. It all made sense.

    I did manage to paint the table today and the powdercoated parts are ready. I will reassemble the machine next weekend. I will try to get the gas console mounted and the torch mount done before that. Then to hook up all the tubes and wires!

    And.........call Leon

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    41
    Tommy,your table looks great,good job. i would like to see the parts you cut on your table. oh before i forget you see that piece of metal bolted to the dropside (third pic in your last pic thread). it's dangerous i got cut twice from it. i don't see the purpose of it so i took it off. heads up.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    Quote Originally Posted by morvaman View Post
    Tommy,your table looks great,good job. i would like to see the parts you cut on your table. oh before i forget you see that piece of metal bolted to the dropside (third pic in your last pic thread). it's dangerous i got cut twice from it. i don't see the purpose of it so i took it off. heads up.
    morvaman,
    I asked about those, I thought they were a ground for the gantry to rail connection. They are rail scrapers, used to clear debri. However DT says most guys don't use them, and you can't home the machine on one side if you use them. Thanks for the heads up! I will take them both off before I install the gantry again.

    WSS

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    The project is moving slowly at the moment. A few things have been done. Paint was the big thing. The outer skins came back from the powdercoater and look real good. They have a little less orange than the gantry but you can't see it unless they are right next to each other. Also got the basic mounting of the gas console done. Hopefully this weekend will be free to get it all back together.

    WSS
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails dt601.jpg   dt602.jpg  
    www.metaltechus.com

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    378
    WSS, I like the new gas console. It looks well built. Thats the first picture of one I have seen. You posted 2 pics of what you referred to as the outer skins that you had powdercoated. Is that a Dynatorch decal on one? If so I want one! I think it would look good on my Gantry.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    924
    Quote Originally Posted by magma-joe View Post
    WSS, I like the new gas console. It looks well built. Thats the first picture of one I have seen. You posted 2 pics of what you referred to as the outer skins that you had powdercoated. Is that a Dynatorch decal on one? If so I want one! I think it would look good on my Gantry.
    magma-joe, The console was built from surplus parts from ebay, except the two oxygen ASCO valves. The box was luck that it matched the gantry. Most of the Hoffman enclosures are gray. The sticker is from DT, I asked for it before the gantry shipped. I think their logo looks hi-tech and current. I was going to do the theme a 1960's machine green/teal, but the DT color scheme was catchy. You'll have to harass Greg, he'll kick with one. (Sorry Greg:stickpoke).

    WSS
    www.metaltechus.com

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