The line between hobby class or entry level machines over the past few years has gotton very thin....this is likely due to improvements in technology, as well as the use of PC's as controllers of these machines.
I think a true Industrial class machine is one that can be expected to produce high productivity 7 days a week for multiple shifts...without tinkering or downtime. Industrial machine operators are not expected to have to do more than load plate, align the part program to the plate, push the start button, monitor cut quality and unload the parts from the table, and repeat. Most industrial plasma machine controllers do not offer the ability to draw parts and do a lot of modification of programs at the machine...because this is looked op as non productive time......it is expected that nested programs are sent from the programming office to the machine...often wirelessly...and the operator just ensures that these parts get cut and stacked in a timely manner. On the high end industrial type machines...the PC based control sets everything...as many as 8 different gas settings (high definition plasma gas systems are rather complicated!), arc voltage, corner speed, hole speeds, THC enable disable, automatic lead in, lead outs, arc cut off time(to eliminate hole divots), amperage.....and many other things that normally a sharp operator or programmer would have to set to get the best performance and cut quality.
Hobby class...or probably a better term, entry level machines...typically use more operator interaction. The operator has to set parameters for everything at the machine....and typically has the ability and the need to tweak things on the part program (at the machine) to make the parts come out correctly.
That being said....many of the lower cost entry level machines have become more reliable, have improved in motion control and especially torch height control...and can actually cut a nest of parts with little attention from the operator! I recently drew a nest of relatively simple parts, loaded plate on my PlasmaCam (hobby cass, under $10k) machine with a Hypertherm Powermax45....and walked out of my shop and mowed my lawn. When I came back...the parts were all cut and and the machine was sitting there waiting for more orders. I would not have dreamed of doing this with my previous home shop machines.
So...probably the difference between hobby class machines....at least the ones that are equipped with all of the best, newest technology, and industrial machines is primarily based on the following:
1. Price
2. Size
3. Construction (can you drop a big sheet of 1" plate from 10" and expect the machine to still be the same height?)
4. Ease of operation (Industrial machines with the latest technology can be operated by a 9 year old today)
5. Cost of operation (Industrial machines with high end plasma and multiple torches cut parts at a fraction of the cost of small machines with air plasma)
6. Power requirements (most home shops do not have 3 phase power)
I'm sure there are other things that separate the machines....another would probably be along the lines of reliability and robustness......which can and would be argued by many manufacturers/suppliers.....I know of quite a few 20 year old large industrial machines that have been operating with little maintenance 3 shifts a day for all of those years.
Jim Colt  |