Originally Posted by Metal-Mass  Maybe I Have heard wrong about plasmacam, do they still use software that only they use? My beef with that is I want the kids to learn Industry standards. If plasmacam programming isn't used industry wide, they don't need to learn it in my shop. THC is a must I know, its worth the extra money. I think it would be great to build my own vs. buying. I see the benefits of knowing that machine inside and out and I like that, but being a first year teacher at a school that will open for the first time in the fall, I have a bit on my plate already. So which table would allow me to work on the table if it breaks to fix it with parts from the market? |
PlasmaCAM uses their own CAD/CAM and controller software. The PlasmaRoute you got a quote on uses MACH3, which is a very widely used controller in the hobby world and they're about to release an "industrial" version sometime soon.
If you're preparing the students to become professional CNC operators, I don't think either controllers I mentioned are a good choice since neither are widely used in "the industry."
You can almost use me as an example on which controller software to pick. I went to a school that had an OMAX Waterjet that I was trained on and learned the program inside and out. Now, I've chosen a career (not CNC-related), but I'm starting my own shop as a hobby (but also thinking about the potential for a side business). Unfortunately, an OMAX waterjet will run me more money than I make in a year, so that's out of the question - and there goes a lot of that training. Instead, I'm looking at getting a plasma table, mill, and lathe and using MACH3 to run all three of them. Had I learned MACH3 in school, I would be a step ahead of the game! For people like me, MACH3 is the obvious choice for machine controllers because of its incredibly low cost ($175 or around there).
Just some food for thought.