Started on some of the smaller parts I have already created CAD drawings of. I don't have everything I need gathered up for the build but though I'd try & get a few things out of the way.

Pictured below is a bearing truck I am going to use on the X axis. Have more to go on it but at least it's a start.

The bearings I used for this are high precision double row left over from another job.

Hi:
I will follow your project. I will like to build one. Fisrt I will see how it goes.

ATT
chakill

Hi:
I will follow your project. I will like to build one. Fisrt I will see how it goes.

ATT
chakill

I am making enough CAD drawings to get myself through this build without having to backtrack & do over. At least keep it to a minimum. I am also keeping a list of materials purchased.

It will by no means be a complete set of plans or parts list. But I will of course be most willing to share any plans or ideas I might have.

And as always, I'm open to suggestions.

Not much building going on right now. Mostly gathering up parts, Ebay etc. I have ordered & received a large part of the steel, tubing, etc. for my basic table frame. I'm wanting to hold off on the table itself till I have lots of the smaller components, like the piece pictured above, built. I don't want to commit enough of my floor space for the table to just sit there in my way while I machine & fit all these smaller parts together.

I have my stepper motor sizes calculated & a few other things. Hoping to get started on motor mounts & primary belt reductions soon. I need to get notched belts & pulleys plus some bearings in. & I'll begin construction on those

Why not build the Mechmate? The hard work is already done and there is a support forum.

Looked at the Mechmate, As with most other plans & kits out there there are things I like & things I dislike about them. So I decided to "roll my own".

In my case the table will most likely be used daily & will be used by more than 1 person. If I were the only one using it I could pop rivet tin together & make it last for years. If the hired help uses it It needs to be built & precision parts protected to the point you could park a truck on it & use it for a grease rack....

I understand what you mean. I used to buy the finest tools because I wanted my guys to have the best allowing them to do excellent work but they destroyed everything I ever brought into the shop. Now I buy adequate tools and they still do excellent work but I save a bundle when they tear up the tools.

I am using round rail 1 1/8" 1045 CRR for my "X" axis. Below is a picture of 1/4" strap iron I have drilled plug weld holes & 5-40 tapped holes for set screws to clamp the rail in.

This will allow me to rotate the round rail or replace it if wear develops where the bearings contact it.

Looks good! Keep it going and don't let the weather slow you down!:)

Managed to get one of my beams & rail fabricated up. On to the other side now.

Managed to get one of my beams & rail fabricated up.
Congratulations & thanks for the photos!

It looks as if you are off to a good start!
That beam & rail looks just like your drawing a couple posts back.

The Hobart MG in the last photo, is like one that I have fed miles of wire with.

Congratulations & thanks for the photos!

It looks as if you are off to a good start!
That beam & rail looks just like your drawing a couple posts back.

The Hobart MG in the last photo, is like one that I have fed miles of wire with.

That old rascal has the best arc of anything in my shop. In fact it may be the best MIG welding machine I have ever used. If it just wasn't so noisy LOL. I mainly use it anymore as a back up machine. I ran it for about a week & 1/2 recently. The fan motor went out in my 400A Linde (another piece of history). ESAB didn't have a replacement on the shelf. so I had to improvise. Thank goodness for Ebay.....

Finished the second beam & rail. Shown in the pictures below, first one on the left, I had to mill the edge of my box tubing. It was sunken in the center about .015" I was afraid it would cup the CRS flat bar when I bolted it down. The other 3 are of the finished rail. Whew, Glad that project is over with. There is 29 tapped holes in the beam & of course slightly oversized holes in the rail to allow for some alignment after table is welded up.

I am going to put them back on the rack for now. Lots of other small stuff to fab up.

Haven't posted in a while. I have accumulated most of what I need for my table now. Rack & pinion gearing, notched belts, pulleys & bearings for the reductions. Should have most all the structure steel I need here, other than the burning slats.

I've been sidetracked a couple weeks because of equipment breakdowns, increased work load & my grandaughter cheerleading for her schools basketball team :banana:

Received word form the fine folks at CandCNC that my goodies I have ordered from them will be arriving soon. This prompted me to make a little time to make another part for my table

Decided to mount my linear rail across the gantry. I had everything ready to drill & tap the holes for the precision rail & found the box tubing to be cupped between .005 & .020. More than I really wanted to live with. So I milled the tube from end to end before mounting the rail.

I have included a CAD drawing of the end view of my table & gantry as it stands now. It is a drawing in progress, I wanted something to build from. I will ammend the drawing as I make changes in the actual design.

More later tonight or in the morning.

Yipee!! Have the linear rail mounted now. I had some trouble tapping the 42 metric screw threads to mount the rail. I usually don't have any trouble with small threads like these. I'm going to blame the tap(s). Most of what I do in my machine shop is larger fractional size threading. I don't normally keep small metric taps on hand. So I decided Imports would be ok for this 1 off job. NOT! Be American, Buy American I guess. Or at least high quality European.

The linear rail is in (2) pieces. I was worried about getting the ends to mate good enough that the slide wouldn't "bump" as it went across the joint. I snugged the screws slightly, then bumped the rails side to side using a small piece of nylon & wood mallet. After a bit of trial & error I had the truck gliding across the joint. Then as a final test I laid a 40" precision straight edge beside the rails, across the joint, to be sure I didn't have to much of a "U" across the 2 pieces of linear rail. I couldn't get a .004 feeler gauge to slide in anywhere, so all is good.

Below is a CAD drawing of my Ox/A torch mount. I am going to use a linear actuator & manual jog on the OX/Fuel torch. When I mount the plasma in the near future I will use my THC on it.

Worked on my OX/FUEL torch heigh control today. I scrounged the angle attachment on eBay. It's from a L-Tec cantilever machine torch. Thought it might come in handy sometime down the line.

I Hope to get my linear actuator mounted later this evening.

Then on to the rack & pinion gear & belt reduction for the gantry

Lookin' good, Millman!
Have you thought about making an "A" axis, so you can automate the rotation of the torch in your software, for beveling?
Still impressed with the attention to detail and the excellent workmanship, keep it up!

Lookin' good, Millman!
Have you thought about making an "A" axis, so you can automate the rotation of the torch in your software, for beveling?
Still impressed with the attention to detail and the excellent workmanship, keep it up!

Boy that would be slicker-N- Well I'll save that thought.

I think I'll concentrate on just getting it cutting for right now.

I do cut a part though that it would be very handy for. It's a rectangle of 1" that has to have the short ends beveled back for welding. sure would be nice not to have that 2nd. operation to deal with.

Well, something to chew on for later thought, I suppose.
Either way your machine looks slicker than anything so far!

Finished up fabrication on the THC for the oxy/fuel side of my gantry. Semi-automatic I guess is the best way to describe it. It will be operated by a jog control, saving the automatic THC for a plasma rig to be installed later on the opposite side of the gantry.

I have 6" of travel built into this unit. I sometimes need to cut 4" steel so I needed over 4" It along with the hand wheel on the angle attachment will allow me to retract the Oxy torch above the bottom of the gantry when using plasma.

The first pic shows the Z slide with the linear actuator attached. The second is showing the actuator & slide in full down position. 3rd. is full retracted, & 4th is just some detail on mounting of the actuator.

I am enjoying seeing your progress.

1. I had no idea that linear rail had so many closely spaced bolt holes.
2. Will you use a similar linear actuator for your plasma rig?

I like that the shafting is shielded whereas mine is exposed.

Keep up the good work!

Tom

I am enjoying seeing your progress.

1. I had no idea that linear rail had so many closely spaced bolt holes.
2. Will you use a similar linear actuator for your plasma rig?

I like that the shafting is shielded whereas mine is exposed.

Keep up the good work!

Tom

Thanks for the encouraging comments. The actuator on the ox/fuel torch will not be CNC controlled. it's a simple 12V. actuator I'll operate it from manual jog.

I haven't started any design details on the plasma carrier. I don't know what I might end up with there. I'm trying to keep things as small as possible yet still durable & hopefully as trouble free as possible.

I mounted my 3/8" rack gear to a length of 1/4" strap today. I drilled a series of holes 3" center to allow me to plug weld the rack gear on the back side. I also drilled another row of holes on 6" centers to allow me to bolt the rack gear to the gantry.

This will allow me to move or shim the gear if necessary, to get the smallest amount of lash allowable on the pinion.

From the photo, it looks like the rack welded up nicely to the flat bar.

What pitch rack did you use?

Is this photo for your gantry or your X axis?

Tom

From the photo, it looks like the rack welded up nicely to the flat bar.

What pitch rack did you use?

Is this photo for your gantry or your X axis?

Tom

These pictures are of the gantry rail.

I used 3/8" 20P gear rack

Here are a few snapshots of the pinion gear assembly for the gantry.

The pinion shaft is turned on the end for a .0015 press fit of the pinion to the shaft. Then threaded for a 3/8" X 24 locking nut. It was assembled using Locktite.

I have slotted holes in the pinion carrier to allow adjustment of the pinion lash. Everything works very smooth with next to no backlash at all throughout the entire length of the gantry.

I will trim the ends to proper length once gantry is fitted to the X axis, & exact travel end points are determined.

I couldn't stand the thoughts of that single bearing truck on my torch carrier. It doesn't have any detectable movement in it, it just doesn't look "beefy" enough to suit me.

I had been watching eBay for another short piece of linear rail & bearings for my plasma "Z" axis. Sure enough I was able to get 2 pieces of rail 8" long & (4) bearing trucks that match My gantry linear rail, for the right money.

Hope to make the conversion for that this weekend along with some more progress on the table build.

Dear Millman,

What type / brand of bearing is the one used for your gantry pinion shaft and where do you get it?

Obviously it must have a bearing each side and provide sufficient support for a reasonably arduous application.

I am making a plasma table using timing belts for the X,Y&Z motion rather than rack and pinion. I was going to support the timing belt pinion shaft with a self centring bearings at each end.

This would require two plates separated by spacers. The one bearing idea like yours is a far more elegant solution.

Best wishes,

Richard Honey
Western Australia:wave:

Take a good look at the center picture in post #28 it is actually (2) of these http://cgi.ebay.com/1-2-Two-Bolt-Flange-Bearing_W0QQitemZ7576556713QQcategoryZ1267QQcmdZViewItem With the piece of 5/16 flat steel sandwiched between. I drilled a 5/8" hole in the flat bar to allow the shaft to fit through & then (2) 5/16" holes to allow bolts to fit through the entire assembly. It made a very rigid set up.

Bolted the ends to the main frame rails today. I made 4 screw jacks to use for leveling & alignment during the build. This will allow me to move the table around the shop & quicklt re level. during the remainder of the build.

On the far left corner of the table sits one bearing truch for the gantry.

Hopefully things will move along a bit quicker now that I have most everything in hand to complete the build.

Great machine you are creating Millman. :)

Nice clear photos showing construction details!
Thanks, WT

Below is pictured my 2nd long axis truck for the gantry. I have spaced the bearings off the mounting plate .200" by drilling & then parting off in the lathe 4 .200 thick spacers.

For the top (load carrying) bearings I drilled & tapped the plate they are mounted to. The lower bearings are mounted in slotted holes to allow them to be adjusted to the bottom side of the rail to keep any chance of the gantry rocking on sudden direction changes.

The bearings asr a part# 1621RS 1/2" ID X 1.375" OD I purchased these specifically for this job as the id fits a 1/2" bolt. This made for easy mounting without having to make special bolts or use metric bolts.

Before installation is complete I'll probably make a shield for the bearings & bolt it over them to help keep any wandering sparks off the seals.

Is the faltbar you are using CRS or did you spring for the fancy ground & polishing stuff?

Torchmate sold this stuff and IMO is way to exact for the precision received in this process.

Your table is looking great by-the-way:)

Both the round & the flat is CRS The flat is 1018 grade & the round bar is 1045 grade. I can rotate or replace the round bar by removing a series of set screws if wear develops. Same thing with the flat bar. The row of bolt holes is on the center of the bar. It can be turned over for a new surface or buy a new piece & drill the holes. Before I went with the CRS I checked to see what other options I could go to if wear is quicker than I think it will be. I can get hardened round & replace that. The flat bar I can go to stainless if necessary.

I am trying to built the table to be easily repairable & even expandable if I end up needing a larger cutting surface.

As for the ground & polished. I can't see paying the price for apx. .002" less runout. If it were a tougher material that would resist wear then ok, but it's not.

With the design I am using as wear develops it still shouldn't do anything but settle vertically. Especially if when burning drops or less than a full sheet you move your "0" position to somewhere besides your normal X & Y zero point. Also that will help in not cratering out a hole in your table slats.

Have made up a good bit of mounting hardware to be able to adjust the gantry to as exact square to the table as possible. Will also be able to make adjustments to get the torch as perpindicular to the cutting surface as possible too.

There is still several braces, gussets to be added for rigidity.

The gantry rolls along the rails with the slightest touch. I am very pleased so far.

I'll be starting the task of mounting my rack gear to both long rails of the "X" axis today.

Made a fixture to hold the 3/8 X 3/8 rack gear straight while drilling. I milled the 3/16" groove in the bottom of the fixture to allow the drill tip to break through the gear & so any burr created by the drill tip would not have to be removed before clamping the rack when moving to index the next holes.

The rack is in 6' sections so there will be a splice mid way. I wanted something to hold the rack straight while drilling & also to serve as support to help keep the gear pitch accurate across the splice. I used a short piece of rack clamped teeth to teeth to get proper spacing across the joint.

Wanted to show my method of keeping rack gear pitch accurate across a joint without purchasing it with matched ends. I realized I hadn't taken a picture of it on my previous post.

This same method has been described many times in other posts. I have never noticed a picture of it posted before.

I managed to get the rack gearing mounted to 1/4" thick strap. I am mounting the gear in this manner so in the event of the gear getting damaged I can simply purchase a new strip of gear, drill it & mount it. I also wanted the rack set out from the table frame to allow the pinion full surface width without fear of any end play causing the end of the pinion to contact the frame rail.

I used hot roll strap for 1 side & cold rolled for the second. I highly recomend the use of cold rolled. It was much easier to get the gear accurately placed, for obvious reasons, the CRS is much more uniform. It wasn't worth the little bit of savings to struggle with the HRS.

What is the size of your main frame pieces? They look like at least 2"x8"x.25

DeviousMW

2" X 6" X 3/16"

Below are some pictures of the rack gear mounted to the "X" rail(s) I have 8" hole spacing on the strap the rack gear is mounted to. I tapped the holes in the main rails on 4" spacing to allow me to move the rack gear in 4"increments for final positioning. The 4th. picture is showing some spots where I have heated the bottom of one of the rails to straighten it. It was necessary because of welding the parts on top to clamp in the replacable round CRS that I am using for one of my linear rails.

Below is a few pictures of some machined parts that will make up The X drive for one side of my table. The opposite side is the same other than the flanged shaft has a different base mounting.

Finally caught a couple hours to mount up my X drive motor, reduction assemblys. I still gave to fab up & install springs to hold the pinion gear in constant mesh to the rack.

I thought about using small nitrogen gas filled shocks, similar to what is on most hood & deck lids these days. I have never seen gas filled shocks used for this & wondered what others may think of using them for this application.

they might work, or how about a small air cylinder? Then you could push/pull.
I don't know how many small gas shocks you will find that will pull in the direction needed, you might have to make a rocker arm to do that.

KISS. :)

Don't complicate a simple task. Spring will work. It's simple, cheap and doesn't care about a gritty environment.

Greg

With paying work & loosing personel getting in the way the last few weeks I haven't been getting much done on my table. Things are settling down a bit again & I am wanting to get back on it today if possible.

managed to get the slat holders burned out from 5/16" material this evening. I will bolt them to the sides of the framework that will make up the material support table. I'll post some pictures later this weekend if all goes well.

Finally got some time to work on my torch a bit. Made a cross member to tie the long X rails together in the center and also double as support for the slat holder rails. Below are some pics of the work.

The slat holders are made from 5/16" HRS burned in 24" sections. They are bolted to the side of 2 X 2 X 1/4 wall box tubing. I designed them to be bolted in short sections. In case of damage small sections can be replaced easily.

The entire slat rail assemblys are then bolted to the main frame ends & center cross member.

The slats are from 1/4" X 4" HRS strap sawn to length then pushed into place.

Made legs fot the outside 4 corners from 2 1/4" Cold rolled steel. Overkill I know but I had them left over from other jobs.

I made bolt blocks to attach to the main frame from 1" X 2" HRS & welded them in place. I used 1" to space the 3 sides down level with the front edge of the table. I dropped the front frame rail 1 " to help protect the precision rail from damage while loading the table with sheet stock

The triangle shaped pieces are from 1/2" HRS with the 2 1/4" legs welded to them. The entire leg assembly bolts to the bottom of the table.

I have made my own design leveling feet for the legs I'll detail them in my next post.

I did the same thing with the slat holders that you did (make them bolt-able). When I finished my table... I thought, 'what have I done? I've wasted to much money on these stupid holders!' But, a few weeks latter I visited a cutting shop which runs non-stop and their table is similar to mine but without the bolt-able slat holders. Basically... their slats are fused to the table and they can't get the slats out... and the dross keeps building up and they are having problems with the fumes now. So... I was pleased with myself knowing I'm not going to have such maintenance problems.

With the legs mounted & the adjusters made & installed, I flipped the table back right-side-up. It was super simple to adjust the table to level & lock the adjustments in place.

I welded 1 of the sockets from the temporary jack stands in the center of the table. Just in case additional support is needed

Nice machine!
Did you purchase the rack from an online source? Looking for a reasonably priced, low hasal source.

Nice machine!
Did you purchase the rack from an online source? Looking for a reasonably priced, low hasal source.

I purchased mine from McMaster Carr It may not have been the least expensive. It was however hastle free. I ordered & had it 2 days later it was packaged great & arrived with no damage. The pinion gears & the notched belt pulleys came from economy belt. I have read in other posts there is a rack & pinion manufacturer somewhere here in the north east US that sells direct. I was tired of searching when I went with McMaster. I have used them for lots of other supplies & their service is second to none.

Been a while since I posted. Not much more real progress on the table. Just kind of burned out on the project for a while. Am hoping to get back with it soon.

Finally, back in the mood to work on my table. I have built brackets & installed them to keep my X axis drive pinions spring loaded into the rack gear.

I purchased some Igus echain from ebay to contain all my hoses & wires. After spending the larger part of a day trying to figure a way to mount the stuff to keep it out of harms way & out of the way of normal operation of the table along the long X axis I have decided to not use it. I have decided to build a couple of arms to attach to each end of the table & extend apx 5' vertically. Stretch cable between them & simply use a festoon system. It might not look as nice as the echain but a festoon is very functional & much easier to add to or remove from than the echain. Pictues to follow.

Here are a couple pics of my spring tensioners one for each side of the table.

I decided to build my own festoon rollers as most of them that can be purchased are above $20.00 each & made from plastic.

I still have to weld the threaded bottom tab to complete the yoke. The bottom tab is threaded so I can attach a swivel on which to mount all hoses & wires.

Millman, two reasons for this reply; one to motivate you some more; great looking table. Have seen many home built tables and some have not been impressed with at all. Two because i have the plasma cnc table fever and would like to build my own table. Temporarily in a bind because my partner going through a divorce. Lost much equipement and our shop but are slowly getting back on our feet. I am searching the internet for a table to build and found this one months ago and have been watching progress; I LIKE!! Have you thought about electronics yet. Servoes or steppers? Who`s drives and how about height control. Keep up the good work! You have motivated me to begin to accumulate material.

Millman, two reasons for this reply; one to motivate you some more; great looking table. Have seen many home built tables and some have not been impressed with at all. Two because i have the plasma cnc table fever and would like to build my own table. Temporarily in a bind because my partner going through a divorce. Lost much equipement and our shop but are slowly getting back on our feet. I am searching the internet for a table to build and found this one months ago and have been watching progress; I LIKE!! Have you thought about electronics yet. Servoes or steppers? Who`s drives and how about height control. Keep up the good work! You have motivated me to begin to accumulate material.

Thanks for your encouraging words. I spent many hours looking at other home builds as well as everything I could find in both kit form & "bolt together & run". From those I took what I thought were sound ideas & added some of my own. Already if I had it to do over there are a few things I'd most likely do different. As far as the design goes It would still be about the same only 6' X 12'. I'd add a couple more inches of clearance underneath the gantry. I purchased steel pulleys (4") for the notched belts, I wish I had gone with alum. because of the weight.

As for electronics I have purchased a package deal from www.CandCNC.com Including their MP 1000 THC. I am using stepper motors & am setting up my table to run Ox/Fuel as well as Plasma. I really can't pro nor con the electronics package as I haven't actually put it to use. As far as the looks of everything in the package all looks really good & is extremely neat. I have contacted CandCNC's web support page a few times & have receieved timely & satisfactory answers every time.

Software: Most home shop guys seem to be using some of the less expensive CAD programs. Then Sheetcam for G code processing. & of course Mach3. There are other options of course but I'm not the one to guide you here. I already had AutoCAD so I purchased Sheetcam to go with that. Mach3 comes with the package deal of electronics I purchased. I also have Corel Draw. but haven't learned how to use that either. Just not enough hours in a day

I run an industrial shop & need a shape cutting table almost every day. I decided I also wanted a nesting software so I also purchased BobCAD/CAM/With BobNEST. At this point I am very disapointed with that.

You will find you really do not need any cad programs for most shape cutting.I have bobcadv21 and I really do not use it all that much.Coreldraw is much quicker and easier.CandCNC is good stuff and Torchhead(Tom Caudle) is real helpful.

I use corel for cutting in a laser machine and it is very easy to use, do you think it can work ok with mach3, for plasma cutting?

I use corel for cutting in a laser machine and it is very easy to use, do you think it can work ok with mach3, for plasma cutting?

As I stated earlier I haven't used Corel but others tell me it works fine for plasma. I do know that www.CandCNC.com has a dxf tool that is supposed to make using corel draw a breeze to use with Mach.

Again I'm not all that familiar with mach or corel at this point. I'm sure there is a Mach forum somewhere on the Zone. Look for it & post your question there.

Last few days I have been struggling with learning Sheetcam & trying to configure mach to my machine. This is most definitely my weak link to getting this thing to work. As yet I haven't hooked the computer to my table I am just trying to get some simulations to run in mach.

Millman 52,

Look in your Mach folder look in G code folder. There is a file called roadrunner.

I use this for simulation. You can also use a file from sheetcan that you are learning with. My table is not set up yet but I run the simulation on mach to see if my sheetcam files I create will run.

Keep up the good work

GG

It's been a while since I updated with any photos of my progress.

I have managed to make & mount switches for my safety limits.
Made posts, mounted my cable & rollers for the cable/hose festoon.
Made brackets & mounted the PSC-650 quad stepper controller from Cand CNC.
Made & mounted the channel for & the Igus E chain for the Y axis.

About all I have remaining with the physical build is routing hose, wiring & some paint (If I can get motivated for the paint).

Millman, the cable carriers are from IGUS? How much did it cost? This item is very expensive, Im trying to make it termoforming polystirene previously cut with the laser, this is the figure previous to the bend, hope it works ...

Millman, the cable carriers are from IGUS? How much did it cost? This item is very expensive, Im trying to make it termoforming polystirene previously cut with the laser, this is the figure previous to the bend, hope it works ...

I bought mine (new) from Ebay for about 1/2 what it costs from an industrial supplier. If you look closly I installes (2) runs of it on my Y axis. It's smaller E chain. It worked out great though the channel I made for it to run in is the same width ad my gantry rail. As an end result I'll be able to attach my plasma Z axis & torch on the opposite side from my Oxy torch.

I didn't use the Igus chain on my long axis simply because I didn't want it in my way for getting cut parts & scrap off the table. As the pictures show I am hanging all my wires, hoses on an overhead festoon alon the X axis.

How are you planning on pinning your polystirene together in the hinge joints?

I' going to use rivets, and on top ( i've not make the holes) it will have a polyestirene bridge, maybe I finish the samples for tomorrow..
Can you put all the wiring in the same carier with the plasma wire? isolated is needed?

I have seen people rout the plasma torch cable in the carrier with their other wiring. I am not routing mine that way. At this point I am rigging for oxy/fuel. I will install Plasma at a later date. I most likely will route the plasma cable overhead on a boom much like a high pressure car wash hose.

My table finally has life !!! It's still crawling on hands & knees but at least I have movement under keyboard jog commands.

I'll probably try to bring the build log up to date a bit tomorrow.

My table finally has life !!!
Congratulations on bringing your CNC table to life!:cheers:

Those first moves sure are a thrilling experience after a lot of work put into a project.

Your project log updates will be sure to inspire other viewers.

Below are several pictures.
The first 4 (on top row):

(1) The anchor point for all the wires & hoses. The chunk of closed cell foam worked very well to tension the group of wires & hoses th the clamps.

(2) The group of 3 rollers, clamps, swivels that support everything along a piece of 3/16" nylon coated cable. The cable O.D., with coating is 1/4". The roller/swivel assemblys have a ball bearing in the wheels which pretty much makes the friction free. They glide very quiet & hang free.

(3&4) Are of the festoon stretched out with the gantry run down the table apx 2/3 of the table length. Then of it retracted to the gantry home position.


Bottom row:

(1) Solenoid valves mounted to the torch carrier to operate turning on the gases for the preheat. The solenoid on top is to control the pierce oxygen.

(2) PSC 650 Quad Stepper Controller & table I/O card from CandCNC with the covers removed.

(3) Close up of table I/O card.

(4) Torch mounted with hoses attached.

At some point in the near future I am planning to install a plasma torch to the back side of the gantry so the table will be dual use without having to remove & replace torches.

Hi millman, why you have 3 hoses for the torch(2 greens and one red??)
Like your z axis, mine was too complicated. Is it gear rack or screw?
Congrats on your first move!!! Are you going to paint it ? after you start to work that will be hard to do it....
luis

Hi millman, why you have 3 hoses for the torch(2 greens and one red??)

luis

I use 2 regulators at the ox tanks. This allows really great control of your preheat flame when leaving the ox & acet valves open on the torch. Also you can adjust the torch on during a cut cycle. I have found having just the exact right mix on the preheat makes for a much cleaner cut.

I'd love to have paint on it. I hate the idea of having to mask off or even worse removing what I don't want pain on. So I don't really know.

The Z axis for the Ox torch is a linear actuator. Enclosed ball screw. On the down side though it isn't controlled by the computer. As slow as Ox/Fuel is I have made a little hand held control to manually jog the torch up or down. Another reason I built it this way is. I am mounting plasma on the back side of the gantry on the same Y carrier. I'll be using my THC1000 on it. I just didn't want to have to be changing out between the ox & plasma setup. I have to cut steel regularly in thickness from 1/4" to 3"

I have spent most of the day tuning & adjusting.

Also spen a good bit of time reading the Sheetcam manual.

I was able to create 4 files ( 4' X 8' sheets) of real world parts I use on a daily basis. Got Gcode to generate. Transfered that into mach & was able to see the machine actually run the files.:wee:

Now I need to make some sort of a spring loaded pen holder & actually draw the parts on some paper with the machine.......

Figured that would be a good way to tell for sure if I have all my settings correct. Make sure it will cut a circle & not an oval etc.

I managed to get my steppers tuned up today. Not having anything to really go by for starters fot the acceleration & velocity. I took my best guess from what I could make of the Mach 3 & Mp1000 THC manuals.

needless to say I was way off base. I continued to make adjustments, run a test string of G code. Adjust, run, adjust, run, after 4 hours I still didn't feel like I had made any progress.

At that point I was pretty much convinced I had other problems. I gave up for a while & worked on some other things that was needing finished up.

Finally this afternoon I couldn't stand it any longer & I began to adjust again. Finally I could tell I was making improvement.

As it worked out for my machine the ratio between Velocity & Acceleration was about 30:1 Example: if velocity is set at 500, Acceleration is near 16. These numbers are nowhere near my final settings (which are a good bit lower) This is just an example.

I'm sure these #s vary widely based on amount of microstepping, reduction ratios & who knows what else.

I finally got there from some luck & the attitude that this table isn't gonna beat me.

Have run the table with several different 4'X8' sheets of parts nested on them. Haven't actually cut any parts yet. Just running different scenarios of parts in real time cut speeds. Everything seems to be running ok. After running an hour long programs & the torch stops at the end of cut. It returns to "0" Index marks I have placed on the table & gantry itself After every run. This tells me I am not loosing steps & everything is staying the way it should be.

Hey Millman, I have my machine conected now but my motors dont run , make a sound half turn and stall, any idea?
Are`you working with Mach?

Hey Millman, I have my machine conected now but my motors dont run , make a sound half turn and stall, any idea?
Are`you working with Mach?

Yes I am using mach3.

I didn't have time to go back to your build log & see whose motors/drivers you are using. Hobby cnc, Xylotex, etc. I really don't remember how you have them arranged either Is your X axis Master/slave? if it is are they turning the same direction?

I'll be the first to admit I'm not all that up on the electronics end of making this stuff work. I'd be willing to bet however the problem probably isn't with mach. That is if you have your ports & pins set correctly. As far as motor tuning, Have you matched your #'s there?

Hi millman, I found the problem, it was the 5v source, now i 'm running the machine, but when i hit the arrow key to the rigth the gantry moves to that side correctly, but when i hit to left it twist the gantry... do you know what that could be?
Other issue i cant get is about the z axis, i dont know where push to move it.
luis

Hi millman, I found the problem, it was the 5v source, now i 'm running the machine, but when i hit the arrow key to the rigth the gantry moves to that side correctly, but when i hit to left it twist the gantry... do you know what that could be?
Other issue i cant get is about the z axis, i dont know where push to move it.
luis

Both your X & slaved A motors moves the gantry to the right when you push the right arrow key? Then when you push the left arrow key the motors try to run in opposite directions? Or is 1 motor going left & the other not running at all?

First be sure you have them configured correctly. Go: Config/ Slave xais/ Then you should have a dot in the (A) underneath the colum for your X axis. Then your "Y" should be checked None, & your "Z" should be None

Your Y axis should run when you use your Up & down arrows.


Although this wouldn't cause Your X to move evenly in 1 direction but not the other. Have you set up your steps per in motor tuning? There your X & A numbers MUST be exactly the same. & assuming you have the same gearing, reduction, etc on your Y it must be exactly the same as your X & A also.

Thanks, that last is the problem, when i enter in the motor tuning the steps per mm are different then i'll set that.
Also have too slow movement, in the full vel and acc point.
I have to change the z axis gear, the motor cant do it with the weigth, i have it with gear rack, i'll change it for a screw.

I have problems with the Homing, when i hiot reference all the Z goes to the limit but do not reverse enough to deactivate it, in the diagnostic layer the ligths are off but it left the movement blocked, . i have check and uncheck the low signals, but nothing happen. Does the reverseto zero has any option to change it? Maybe the thread screw is too fine. It is 11mm two threads.
Luis

I have problems with the Homing, when i hiot reference all the Z goes to the limit but do not reverse enough to deactivate it, in the diagnostic layer the ligths are off but it left the movement blocked, . i have check and uncheck the low signals, but nothing happen. Does the reverseto zero has any option to change it? Maybe the thread screw is too fine. It is 11mm two threads.
Luis

Luis, I don't remember what system you have. On mine, CandCNC, The limit & home connections are on a table Imput/Output (I/O) card along with my relays to operate pierce solenoid, etc.. My home switches work off a NO switch & the safety limits are NC. There is a set of terminals for home and another set for safety limits for each of the 4 axis.

I used 1 switch for X home & jumpered to A at the I/O card terminals. another switch for Y. I have yet to install one on Z

When I finish running a string of G code, Hit "Go Home" each axis returns to "0" position on the DROs . Then when I use Ref XY button each axis will move onto its home switch then just far enough off to put out the LED. Mine wil Ref. X & A, then Ref Y.

I can only assume it will work the same for Z.

CandCNC has a seperate manual that came with my THC 1000, Table I/O card, & the PC card that goes with the plasma machine. All the instructions for the limit & home was included there. I did not take the time to cross reference it with the Mach manual.

Is this similar to your setup?

I could only guess that you may have a Home switch wired NC rather than NO. Or possibly a faulty switch. Possibly have the insulation scuffed off one of the wires & the signal going to ground.

Also if you have a safety limit alongside your home switches the safety limit has to be far enough behind the home that you don't have a limit triggered.

By the way. I really like the attention you have paid to the finishing details on your table. Everything has guards, shields, & a nice paint job. If you can get it to perform as good as it looks. You really have a first class job there.

Thanks Millman, i'm going to try that. I'm good at mechanics but dont have the chip for electronics, learning now.
My card is from keling 4030 . Im using the NC limits , let me change it and try.
I've still have the problem of the twisting gantry, it appears after a while working good, I have some ghost there...
Thanks again, How is your machine doing?
Luis

Thanks Millman, i'm going to try that. I'm good at mechanics but dont have the chip for electronics, learning now.
My card is from keling 4030 . Im using the NC limits , let me change it and try.
I've still have the problem of the twisting gantry, it appears after a while working good, I have some ghost there...
Thanks again, How is your machine doing?
Luis

I pulled an all nighter last night building a nice Z axis linear actuater very small. yet has 6" of actual travel.

So your table works Ok for a while!!!

I'll bet if you don't have

(1) Virus program disabled.

(2) Windows automatic updates disabled

(3) Your modem or LAN card disabled

(4) Everything else you can think of turned off or disabled except what you need to run your torch.

(5) Don't have any other windows opened in your taskbar, I will not even leave sheetcam open

If anything in Windows trys to do anything besides run the torch You will have all sorts of wierd stuff go on. I fought similar problems for 3 days. I finally Called Tom at C&CNC AKA (Torchhead) & he got me straightened out.

I'll check that , thanks

I just finished converting a standard 12 V. linear actuator over to stepper motor drive for my Z axis.

My objectives here was to keep it light small & all the contamination I could off the ball screw.

As with lots of things I get myself involved in. I thought this thing over & came up with a plan. I didn't get very far along till I had changed directions.

The original 12 V DC motor was mounted to the side of the gear head with a worm on the motor & a spur on the ball screw. 15:1 reduction My original thought was to make an adapeter plate of some sort & go through the reduction. I didn't take time to calculate what kind of IPM I could achieve but didn't figure It would be fast enough.

Plan B.

I cut the top off the gear housing & set to making it direct drive to the screw.

I'll pretty much let the pictures below describe the remainder of the project.

This really worked out great. It took several hours but much of the time was used trying to think of a better way to mount or attach the items together & maintain good alignment.

This actuator was manufactured by Morton & has a couple really nice features. (1) there is an O-ring seal at the bottom of the outer tube to keep dirt out. (2) They have some sort of built in limiting device that lets the screw freewheel at each end of its travel so there is no way to either stall the motor, or twist the screw in half. Yet there is next to no back lash or free travel.

Ok, Millman, that worked, now I have my table running , But Y axis is running inverted from arrows I changed to negative but still the same.
When you use two motors for the same axis (x and A in this case) you need to fix a home limit for the A axis too? This question because if I jog the gantry to home it is ok, but if I ref all the A axis loose steeps when close to home.
Luis

Ok, Millman, that worked, now I have my table running , But Y axis is running inverted from arrows I changed to negative but still the same.
When you use two motors for the same axis (x and A in this case) you need to fix a home limit for the A axis too? This question because if I jog the gantry to home it is ok, but if I ref all the A axis loose steeps when close to home.
Luis

For your Y axis go to Config/port&pin/motor outputs. For your Y axis you will either have green checks or red X under the 2 headings. direction low active & step low active. If they are both green change them both to red & that should reverse your direction.

I have a home switch only on one side of my table for both X & A I am using a custom plasma screen provided by CandCNC with my kit When I hit ref XY all axis X,A & Y move to the home switch then back off to "0" Both the X & A move together. (I do have a jumper on my table I/O card between the X & A connectors.

You shouldn't be loosing steps if X & A are slaved together proper.

Two points to make here.

1. To reverse an axis the recommended way is to go to Config / Homing-limits and check the "reversed" column. Not in "Ports and Pins"

2. When you have two axis slaved together there is two ways to home.

The first is to have a home switch on each side and Mach will home them separately. This will "Square" the axis each time it is homed.

The second is to have one home switch. Then you must set General Config / "Home Slave with Master Axis"

Greg

Two points to make here.

1. To reverse an axis the recommended way is to go to Config / Homing-limits and check the "reversed" column. Not in "Ports and Pins"

2. When you have two axis slaved together there is two ways to home.

The first is to have a home switch on each side and Mach will home them separately. This will "Square" the axis each time it is homed.

The second is to have one home switch. Then you must set General Config / "Home Slave with Master Axis"

Greg

Greolt,

Thanks loads for pointing that out. I need to reconfigure mine in that way.
Although It is working the way I have it now. That may clear up a small glitch I encounter now & then.

Thanks Greolt and Millman, I think you kick the dog! Tomorrow I will try. That is in gral config .

Do you know where to find a tutorial to work with Mach3, there are some videos, but only for settings, not for working with the files, i'm stuck there.. sheetcam.. nice program, really easy, easy tutorial

Wich version of Mack are you using? Im using Mach3 Release 1.84.002 , I think will download a newer because this version is not accepting the registration code...

Wich version of Mack are you using? Im using Mach3 Release 1.84.002 , I think will download a newer because this version is not accepting the registration code...


I'm using the latest version that's out in lockdown.

As far as your license for mach3 I receieved my license as an attachment to an email. I opened it to my desktop then. I installed mine by going to: my computer/rt. click on C drive/explore. Once the list of all your folders come up simply drag your license from your deshtop & drop in the mach 3 folder.

To check that it is installed: Open mach & click on the help dropdown then click about. In my case it was part of my package from CandCNC so mine shows up as registered to them & the serial #also appears. If you purchased directly from Art, your name may appear there.

Ok, If I install the new version do I have to erase the older one?

You do not have to erase the old one. It's a good idea though to back up your Mach files though before you install the newer version.

Ok, I reinstall the new version Mach2.61, made all the changes at the inputs, and now is working correctly, homing. Now I use a sheetcam demo, use a gcode to try the machine, it only starts and go to some place 50 cmts away and doesnt move more, the motors are energized, can notice that but doesn't move. In the screen the cutting continues to the end, then I use the roadrunner gcode sample thet comes with Mach, it worked the same, any idea?

Ok, I reinstall the new version Mach2.61, made all the changes at the inputs, and now is working correctly, homing. Now I use a sheetcam demo, use a gcode to try the machine, it only starts and go to some place 50 cmts away and doesnt move more, the motors are energized, can notice that but doesn't move. In the screen the cutting continues to the end, then I use the roadrunner gcode sample thet comes with Mach, it worked the same, any idea?

Am I correct your table is Oxy/Fuel?

Do you have a relay imput/output card in your system? If so do you have AC voltage running through any of the relay(s) to power solenoid(s) to turn on/off oxygen for piercing. Or any other AC voltage device?

I had a couple problems with mine kicking off mid cycle when the relay would energise a 110V solenoid. I had a bad wire that just looking at the wire didn't show a problem. It was arcing or creating enough electrical interferance or back feed to shut mine down.

I also know grounding can be an issue. My power supply is housed in a fiberglass box along with my Gecko drivers. The box is electrically isolated from my table. The ground to the electronics is supplied through the 110V AC outlet to the inside of the box.

My table has a seperate safety ground, to prevent electric shock hazard, run back to the ground terminal block in my power center(breaker box).

Then I also have a seperate 7' ground rod drove just outside the building where my torch sits, with a ground wire from the table to the ground rod. Once I have a plasma machine, it will use that same ground rod.

Here is a link to a reply Tom gave me on my problem. I fixed the grounding as recommended by Tom. It was better but still had the problem. As I said earlier I found my problem in a faulty wire.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CandCNCSupport/message/2987

I don't know if any of this will help as we have different hardware packages. but some of it may apply to you.

I have also the electonics box isolated from the machine and grounded as you.
Zoltan(from the forum) tells me that maybe i have to much acceleration and speed at the setings, and yes, I rised it yesterday before start, maybe that be the problem.
My cnc is both plasma and oxyfuel, but i dont have yet the solenoid, I was thinking to use a little stepper to make half turn to trigger the oxygen.
I'm going to use a relay to fire the plasma, it is only signal ( the dealer says), because i have a contactor for this issue but only 5 volts to get it on.
Thanks, going to try and let you know
Luis

I have also the electonics box isolated from the machine and grounded as you.
Zoltan(from the forum) tells me that maybe i have to much acceleration and speed at the setings, and yes, I rised it yesterday before start, maybe that be the problem.
My cnc is both plasma and oxyfuel, but i dont have yet the solenoid, I was thinking to use a little stepper to make half turn to trigger the oxygen.
I'm going to use a relay to fire the plasma, it is only signal ( the dealer says), because i have a contactor for this issue but only 5 volts to get it on.
Thanks, going to try and let you know
Luis

Unless you have a 3 line torch like the one mounted on my machine you'll have to use either a stepper actuator or a solenoid actuator on the pierce lever itself.

If you use a stepper though you will have to add a 5th axis.

You are rigth about the 5th axis.
Now I have another problem, Iget the machine jogging with the arrow keys in the rigth direction after when <i do ref all theZ and y axis runs to the opposite side, then I got to soft limits and change to negative dir, and it ref all the correct way, but it is running negative in the display, when >I upload the gcode it is placed in the negative outside of the table area, sorry for bothering to much I know you have to work,,,,
Thanks
Luis

You are rigth about the 5th axis.
Now I have another problem, Iget the machine jogging with the arrow keys in the rigth direction after when <i do ref all theZ and y axis runs to the opposite side, then I got to soft limits and change to negative dir, and it ref all the correct way, but it is running negative in the display, when >I upload the gcode it is placed in the negative outside of the table area, sorry for bothering to much I know you have to work,,,,
Thanks
Luis

I'm not sure what you have going on there. My home switches are also my ref switches one and the same. You should not have to change direction pins in mach to referance your table.

My table parks X home to the left when facing the side I load the table from. It also moves left when I hit ref XY the back off the home switch to 0. My Y parks to the side I load from also and also moves on to the home switch then just back off to 0 when the ref xy is hit.

You have to have Sheetcam set up the same way as your table. By the G code wanting to run everything to the negative I'd suspect you just do not have Sheetcam configured correctly.

Please don't worry about asking me questions I have gone through or am going through many of the same issues. I'll get back to you when and as soon as I can. I may not know the answer, but at least I'll try not to pretend I do.

Look where i have the g code neg and outside of the table, also check the coordinate numbers on display that the y negative...

I think I found it, HOT KEYS!!!, they were wrong, the keyboard is a new one, Sh&/t!!!
Ok, now have this one , i´m using mm, the machine is too slooooow. if I enter the G0 x10 y10 z 10, I cant see it moving but is moving!
Then I input g20 x100 y100 z 100 but still no speed.
i reference all in the rigth way, now have to try to upload the gcodes.
What should I check(cases) in gral config? What do you have there?
Luis

Now have the machine moving ok, but i think i have wrong numbers in the motors tuning. Ihave this
spur 20 th , 20 pitch, to the gear rack, and pulleys with a gear ratio of 3:1 One turn of the spur over the gear rack is 75.3mm / divided for the ratio 3 will be 25.1 then i take the 2000 steps divide and have 79.68 that i input in the steps per, is it correct? But the machine moves around 4mm in the roadrunner gcode, then <I input 796.8 and the machine works bigger about 50 cmts. Then >I think Im wrong with my maths........ Emailed kelling to ask how many steps are the drivers for and he replies ..:

Selectable resolutions, 1,1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64
Most of people use 1/8 to run the system

dont understand ,

Lamicron

Microsteps are set on the kelling driver. Probably with dip switches. Check in the docs. Set these to 1/8.

Then do the calculation with 1600 steps per motor rev. Should be about 63.745 steps per mm.

Then set the motor velocity and acceleration. If you have not done this yet just start at about 1000 velocity and 500 acceleration. You can tweak this up after you get going.

Greg

Thanks Greg, in the current wich one will i have to choose? i did not find any info about.
Luis

Thanks Greg, in the current wich one will i have to choose? i did not find any info about.
Luis

Luis, sorry I haven't had a chance today to check posts.. I was literally covered in the shop today.

I don't understand your question in this post, Please re phrase.

Hi Millman, problem resolved, thanks, i've seen your post at mach forum, you're having troubles with the flotating head? Is this any device with a microswitch that you use in the z ?
Other question, when cutting anything , you jog to the position jog down the z and then regnerate the toolpath, after that you press the cycle start button, thats it? Because I choose the z heith to material but it is not enough travel down,
Luis

Hi Millman, problem resolved, thanks, i've seen your post at mach forum, you're having troubles with the flotating head? Is this any device with a microswitch that you use in the z ?
Other question, when cutting anything , you jog to the position jog down the z and then regnerate the toolpath, after that you press the cycle start button, thats it? Because I choose the z heith to material but it is not enough travel down,
Luis


I don't really have the Z axis all figured out yet myself. I Don't have a home switch on the Z. Still thinking on a couple possibilities of mounting it to keep it out of the heat of the Oxy/Fuel torch.

I have several 4' X 8' sheets of parts drawn saved in sheetcam. I placed a pair of index tabs on my table so I can quickly line up a full sheet of metal on the table & the ends/edges are in the same exact location. I know then in sheetcam exactly what the distance from 0,0 that X & Y need to move to be on the edge of the plate.

Hi Millman, Ok, machine working, really smooth, thats very nice, but, .... i still cant get the gcodes from sheetcam, do you have some gcodes to cut? Im using to from mach, roadrunner and crosses, buit need something like chain gears, or any mechanical part.
Here the photos of the cable carrier, we finish the molds,very artisanal , now start to make it , i think i'll get it for the weekend.
Luis

I can't load a file with .tap "G code" to the board here. send me a PM with your email & I'll try tosend you a generated file email.

Hi , have a problem, dont know where to conect the plasma, input or output, and what to check in the settings.
Also have noticed that when the energy is shut down th mach loose all the settings, is there any way to lock the settings?.............Help!
Thanks
Luis

Hi , have a problem, dont know where to conect the plasma, input or output, and what to check in the settings.
Also have noticed that when the energy is shut down th mach loose all the settings, is there any way to lock the settings?.............Help!
Thanks
Luis

I haven't hooked a plasma to my table as yet. If you are asking about the trigger wires to control the pierce-cut . There has to be a relay switch somewhere that hooks to.

In my case with the MP1000 THC there is a small PC board that mounts in or near the plasma machine that controls the cut cycle. There is a DB9 serial cable from the THC box to the PC card.

Are you saying every time you turn your computer off you are loosing your Mach settings? Mine must save automatically. I know that in some of the config settings you must answer "save settings" Then re-start Mach before they become effective.

Sometimes on exiting Mach I get a small pop up that aske if I want to save fixture. I answer yes there.

Ye sI hve saved it but one of the guys trow away the wire and shut down the energy, and then again I had to reset everything.
Ok, you have the thc, but I only have one free output, #1 the other wire will go to the ground pin? And in the setings where do I have to set it, spindle , pwm, ????
I have made a few grawing with the machine, if i im port from corel as plt the parts become bigger, I haven't import from autocad yet.

Luis

I had to reset everything.
And in the setings where do I have to set it, spindle , pwm, ????
I have made a few grawing with the machine, if i im port from corel as plt the parts become bigger, I haven't import from autocad yet.

Luis

Luis, hope I'm not interfering here.
Perhaps your set-up would be better in the discussion area?

-To "save" in Mach, touch the "OK" before leaving a screen that you have made changes on.

-As Millman answered, yes the torch trigger wires need to connect to the relay to "start" the plasma arc.

Settings 1 & 2 below, work for me. :)

-1 Check these: CONFIG, PORTS & PINS, OUTPUT SIGNALS
to be set as: output 1 checked, port 2, pin 14, active low X

-2 Next: CONFIG, PORTS & PINS, SPINDLE SETUP, RELAY CONTROL
to be set as: DISABLE SPINDLE RELAYS [CHECK] in the box before the word disable.

-Since you have Autocad try a simple circle, square, or doughnut DXF to put through Sheetcam to test your machine.
WT

THANKS!!! WT< , You are not interfering, you are saving me!!! Ok, but where will I conect the realay to output pin #1 and ground (the next pin to it?)? I dont have port 2 nor pin 14 ...? I'm using a Keling board....only have pins 1, 17,16,12 anyone will be ??
Luis

Sorry, I'm not familar enough with your specific set-up.

Thanks anyway,
Luis

Luis,

I might be a bit lost here, If you are connecting the control wires for your plasma there isn't a + & a - wire there it's merely a siginal wire, one of the leads will go to the common terminal on your relay board. The other will go on the NO (Normally Open) connection on the relay.

Mine came configured to operate from the spindle

Hope this helps.

Below is a picture of the first full 4' X 8' sheet of 3/8" plate.

It went almost without a hitch. In fact went much better than I had hoped for. I only had to pause the program 1 time & clean the tip. :cheers:

I still have several things I want to do before I call the table done.

I want to add a home switch to my A side drive. This will allow for the table to self correct any miss alignment.

I still have to add a home to my Z oxy

Still have to build a seperate Z for addition of Plasma.

Then there is paint

All the work has paid off!

Have another one on me.:cheers:

Will you be adding a CNC tip cleaner next? :confused:

Hi Millman, Ok, machine working, really smooth, thats very nice, but, .... i still cant get the gcodes from sheetcam, do you have some gcodes to cut? Im using to from mach, roadrunner and crosses, buit need something like chain gears, or any mechanical part.
Here the photos of the cable carrier, we finish the molds,very artisanal , now start to make it , i think i'll get it for the weekend.
Luis


how are u casting these, what material and process for casting ,,,hmm interesting idea

I'm using polystyrene, 3 mm, made a mold in mdf, and then heating it i can thermoform in two steps, the holes are ready to thread itself with the screw directly, the cost ,,, just cents, tomorrow i will post more pics .
Luis

Ok, now have the conection for plasma, tomorrow will try it. But know tryied with autocad and the size was different, made a square of 200 mm and the machine draws one of 315mm, i set the drive pins at 1/16 that gives me 3200 steps.In one turn of the motor the spur moves 25.3mm that gives 3200 / 25.3 =126.48, then i changed the steps per until they fit the 200mm square, that give me 79.5 really far... no other 1/8 or 1/4 or other gives that number, anyway i 'll leave it like that. dont you think so? or am i wrong?
Luis

Ok, now have the conection for plasma, tomorrow will try it. But know tryied with autocad and the size was different, made a square of 200 mm and the machine draws one of 315mm, i set the drive pins at 1/16 that gives me 3200 steps.In one turn of the motor the spur moves 25.3mm that gives 3200 / 25.3 =126.48, then i changed the steps per until they fit the 200mm square, that give me 79.5 really far... no other 1/8 or 1/4 or other gives that number, anyway i 'll leave it like that. dont you think so? or am i wrong?
Luis


I had to juggle my steps per till I got it running the correct size also. My table was also cutting large on the calculated steps per #. I just kept decreasing till it was moving the correct amount.

Good to know i'm going ok for once.....

This is my first plasma cut,!!! neat cut, no problems, tomorrow will try more.
I only have the sheetcam demo, then cant get any more complicated than this, need som tap files to cut, anyone???
mThanks
Luis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9S98biSeFg

Now I have some questions, if I want to cut thicker material, or cut with oxy flame, how can i locate the drilled holes to do the inside cuts?
Do I have to do the nesting in the cad program? Does sheetcam have nesting?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9S98biSeFg

Now I have some questions, if I want to cut thicker material, or cut with oxy flame, how can i locate the drilled holes to do the inside cuts?
Do I have to do the nesting in the cad program? Does sheetcam have nesting?


Nesting is done in Sheetcam. I design my parts in AutoCAD, save, export in .dxf file. Save again in a Sheetcam file. Open part to whatever size plate you have "material" set up for in Sheetcam. Once there Move first part where you want it on the plate. then click contour on the inside cut first save to whatever you want to call the layer fo me usually In or Inside. then click on "create new plasma cut process" fill in the spaces hit OK with the contour button still clicked use your cursor to select the outside line of your part. Again new layer, save it as what you want usually out or outside. again "create new palsma process" fill in those dialogs. hit OK.

Now click the move part Icon select the part on the sheet you want to array, Rt click select array & fill in that dialog box.

You can also duplicate 1 part from that command also. If you look on the lower right of the screen you will see mirroe check boxes. also there is a degree box there you can enter how many degrees to rotate a part.

Hope this helps.

Ok, that helps , and when you previously make a hole to run the flame thru to do the inside cut, how you get the torch go there?

So what you have is a pre drilled hole in your plate so you son't have to pierce thic metal.


I really don't know if there is a way to just put your piece of pre drilled metal on the table, jog out there & tell it to cut from there.

Be a question to ask on the Sheetcam Yahoo group.

I know How I'd do it to get a part if needed one fast. I'd Create my code in Sheetcam as normal for the part I was going to cut. Just set sheetcam up for the size of the chunk of metal you have. Once that's done & you havr code for it. I'd dry run the machine out to the first pierce point & hit feed hold, mark the table somehow where the torch tip is. Go Home Place my metal out there with the pre drilled hole over my marked position then dry run the program again to see if it hits where you want it.

Sheetcam will only place a start/pierce point at the end of a line segment. AutoCad places 4 segments in a circle 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 o'clock. You can rotate those segments by using the rotate command on the bottom SC task bar.

I know Thick stuff is harder to pierce But I have done it I've just not done it enough to be good at it. I get 4" material cut at my steel supplier all the time. The drops that come from a hole they cut for me are pierced. I'd say the preheat time is in several minutes & it looks like they are using about a 1"-1 1/4" arc lead in. From The looks of the pierce I don't think it's going straight through but is burning through as the torch starts moving in on the lead in. I'll edit with a couple pics in a few min.

I bought close to 200 of these this year. I priced the raw steel & had the quoted to me burned out. It isn't worth it to me to deal with it. Hard to handle, Hard to get apart after burning It's just a real PITA.

I use Oxweld torches in my business However If I am not mistaken they (My metal supplier) are using what's called a High Speed torch tip too. http://products.esabna.com/index.php/EN/home/gas_apparatus_catalog/gas_apparatus_category_page/q/display_id.id4367f4600e6c74.69200138/category_id.1561/path.gas_apparatus_cutting_nozzles_oxweld%C2%AE_1500_series_acetylene_nozzles_1563_series

These tips use a divergent bore (funnel shape) Cut at higher IPM than standard. & use around 90-120# on the pierce/cut. & is a must to have a 3 line torch. Preheat Oxy is in the 20-65# range depending on thickness of metal

I assume Victor , Harris & others have the same sort of tip also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9S98biSeFg


Feel really good to watch those first cuts . Good to see you have it working.

Congratulations:cheers:

Neil

Thanks, hey are you having trouble with the config of THC control? I see some posts in Mach forum, I want toget one and will be fine to have some advice....
Do you know about that punch pointers used to mark centers, that use a spring and you only have to push them and the inside mechanism hits the plate itself..?

Luis

Thanks, hey are you having trouble with the config of THC control? I see some posts in Mach forum, I want toget one and will be fine to have some advice....
Do you know about that punch pointers used to mark centers, that use a spring and you only have to push them and the inside mechanism hits the plate itself..?

Luis

Yes I actually have one of Them. The one I have doesn't leave a very heavy mark but they do work.

I haven't really studied on setting up the THC. I've been dealing with what I though was computer issues. Turns out I have a bad stepper drive.

Ever since I've had my table running I've had trouble with the slaved A. It will work fine for a while then all of a sudden it will go to shuttering & sounding like the motor is gonna blow.

I began having horrible problems yesterday evening. I worked & worked on it. grasping at straws really.


For some unknown reason My Mach became corrupted too. All of a sudden It was just making jibberish out of previously working .tap files. If I tried to Jog on the arrow keys it might go a ways then 1 motor lock & the gantry try to twist sideways. The table would be sitting a rest Then just take off unexpectedly too.

I finally reloaded Mach & had to reconfigure everything. Thank God I remembered most of it.

I didn't know whether I had one of the interface boards bad that hook to the Geckos or just what was going on. I swapped the X & A motor wires out & re set the direction in config. The problem moved to the other side of the table. All the time I was thinking I had something wrong with the way I had the X & A slaved, pins set, Etc.

Finally I took the Gecko drive off the A position & swapped it out with The Y. The problem moved to the Y axis. & the X ran better than it ever has.
Just to be 100% certain it is the Gecko I moved it 1 more time to the Z. Problem moved again.

All along this thing would start acting up. I'd reboot the computer & it would work for a while. It seemed like it was in the computer. It's been a bad Gecko drive all along.


What THC controller are you going to get? Campbell designs, Or CNC's THC 1000/

That problem you had , the way you solved it, if it would happen to me ....
Now you'll have to work again with the steps per numbers....
The THC from campbell I think, have not to much money, but is not the same ? I don't understand how is that the relation between campbell and Tom and the difference of the two systems..
what is that pic about, gecko driver or THC?
Where can I get one of these punch center points?
Luis

Tomorrow i'll try to cut with the plate one water, i have sore throat because of the plasma fumes.
The contact of the arc with the water will not generate any interference ?

http://www.jlindustrial.com/CGI/JISRCH?ns=1&oldNtt=&oldNtk=&oldURLVar=&scrNtt=spring+center+punch&Ntk=Keyword+Search. looks like they have many to choose from. Might also try www.useenco.com or www.mcmastercarr.com www.mscdirect.com www.wttool.com to name a few.

The picture is what the guts of my power supply, geckos, break out board(s) Driver interface cards( so there isn't 50 wires to have to hook to the drivers.)

Not sure but I think Tom & Bob Campbell worked together on developing Bob's THC.. I know that tom is always answering questions for people about the thc300 on the Yahoo C&CNC support group. If not mistaken Tom builds it too. It's supposed to work good. They must have a a good relationship.

Yeah I have things back up & running except for the Z that now has the bad Gecko on it.
I'm going to find out how to back up all the files so if it happens ever again It will not take so long.

Tomorrow i'll try to cut with the plate one water, i have sore throat because of the plasma fumes.
The contact of the arc with the water will not generate any interference ?


Just bring the water to, or even touching the bottom of the metal you are cutting. Just don't get your plasma tip in the water. It can short out the tip.

Be sure you hook your Ground nip from the plasma to the sheet of metal & not to your table.

I wanted to mention if you got to..... START/ALL PROGRAMS/SHEETCAM.... (don't click on sheetcam) look in the drop out menu there is a .pdf sheetcam manual that goes much more in detail about how to use SC. I printed it out & put it in a 3 ring binder. It didn't take long at all then to start unserstanding how SC works. Much better than the tutorials.

Neil.

here is a short clip of my table movin at 400 IPM

http://www.youtube.com/nmillman52

Feliz navidad !! To all of you guys, thanks for help, i have a really nice toy thanks to your help.
Luis

Just wondering if others would be interested in more detailed CAD plans/materials list on my table build.

Just checking for interest. At this point all I have is several individual drawings. If there is enough interest I might consider trying to generate more complete drawings.

I think if you could get enough to be worth your while I would be interested in seeing more on your table. The more info the better.

travis
(burnin' an learnin')

Finally, I got my cable chain done.... Laser cut Polystyrene (2mx1m 3mm plate), thermo formed, and some screws (those should be black.)About $30 us

Finally, I got my cable chain done.... Laser cut Polystyrene (2mx1m 3mm plate), thermo formed, and some screws (those should be black.)About $30 us

Great looking job!!

I have 1 question though.

What is keeping the nuts from backing off of the bolts?

There is no nut there, When i cut with the laser i make the inside holes to be threaded with the screw itself getting there like glued, then the screw acts as a hinge. The only problem I have there is when the gantry comes close to the home the upper section of the chain goes down to the lower section and get stuck. I think of using something to keep it tensioned to the outside, like a spring wire ....

There is no nut there, When i cut with the laser i make the inside holes to be threaded with the screw itself getting there like glued, then the screw acts as a hinge. The only problem I have there is when the gantry comes close to the home the upper section of the chain goes down to the lower section and get stuck. I think of using something to keep it tensioned to the outside, like a spring wire ....

From looking at the picture. It looks to me as if there would be enough room to place a strip of thin metal above the anchor point of your chain towards the home end of your table. That would let the E chain rest above the lower mounting point when the gantry is toward your home end of table.

Will try it, thanks
Luis

I've been buisy for a while now using my table. It works great. Hopefully in the next few days I'll be able to post a few pictures of some cut parts & a video or 2 of it in action. I still have plans of some paint (just can't decide on a color) & other sprucing up of the table so it appears a bit more finished.

Any progress on the drawings? I would be interested in anything you have.
Scott

Hi Scott,

Since the first of the year I have been busier than a 1 arm paper hanger. Things had been a bit slow at the shop. Sinse Jan 1 we have gone from jobs running about 2-3 days of lead time to 3 weeks. So the answer is no. I hadn't had but 1 responce about plans so I just hadn't gave any priority to it. I'll try to begin cleaning up what drawings I have & adding what's not there. They will most likely be a series of drawings rather than it all being on 1 file. What I have already is individual drawings created as I needed that particular part for my machine.

Thanks for the interest NEIL

Thank you for the effort. Please keep me advised.

Scott

here are 3 short video clips of my table cutting parts from 1/2" A-36 sheet metal.

It is cutting @ 21 IPM

YouTube - CNC O/A Cutting 1/2&quot; Sheet

YouTube - CNC O/A Cutting 1/2&quot; Sheet #2

YouTube - CNC O/A Cutting 1/2&quot; Sheet #3

I would be interested in more detailed plans as well whenever you have the time. Either posted here as an attachment or email. Thanks

Millman, I just went through your build log the other day & saw your videos, nice work man! I have the same issue with paint, I don't want to paint it now because of the tape-off issue or take apart issue, forget it, I was thinking of just using some tung oil on some of the parts I am a little concerned about.

Does the pipe bearing side of your machine lag behind the drive side at all due to deflection of the gantry arm? It seems that on hard acceleration it would twist your uprights a little & the pipe side would lag behind. . . . ?

I'm jealous of the speeds you can get!

Nice work!

Millman,

Does the pipe bearing side of your machine lag behind the drive side at all due to deflection of the gantry arm? It seems that on hard acceleration it would twist your uprights a little & the pipe side would lag behind. . . . ?

I'm jealous of the speeds you can get!

Nice work!

There isn't any pipe. There is a solid cold rolled round bar along 1 side of the X axis. Both sides of the X axis have drive motors & rack & pinion ( X motor with A slaved to the same axis) There is no lag.

Without having the dual drive on the X. My gantry would tweak wildly

Well, I thought it ought to be slaved, but did not see anything about it, so wondered maybe you'd done some kind of awesome engineering to get it to do that . . .

My bad on mistaking the cold rolled solid for pipe . . . & the other issue too.

Very nice work Millman!

I couldn't be more pleased with the cut edge my machine leaves on cut parts. With 300 or so operating hours on it now there is at this point no wear developing even though the round rail is 1045 mild steel bar. I just can't see the point in spending the money for precision linear rail.

If I were going to build another I'd use the same design again. There are a few things I'd do different in the mounting but the design seems to be sound & will last a very long time. On top of that it will not cost much at all to replace when necessary.

I'm glad I built my table to be expandable. I am alredy needing to burn 12' material. I just took an order requiring 14 sheets of 1" X 4' X 12' mild steel. For now I'll be able to cut the first 65" of the sheet then move the remainder of the sheet to get through the job.

I'll begin ordering items I need for the expansion soon & start making components up. Hopefully I can get far enough ahead to pull off the expansion over a long weekend sometime in the near future.

Nice Millman! One should always think of how it can be changed & improved . . . kinetic design rather than static.

I've got a job coming in that will justify and cover the cost of THC & larger motors on my X/A, & Y axes, so I'm working on upgrading that for my machine. I also have drawings in the works to lighten up the gantry & the Z axis for the machine. A new Plasma machine so I can get my brother's Miller unit back to him, then go to rack & spur gear drive on the X/A . . . I think eventually, I'll have replaced the entire table, but one piece at a time as I do projects that justify & cover the time & expense of it.

Are you using the MP1000-THC from CandCNC? I figure that's what I'll use, but was trying to figure out if I'd be able to have the X/A,Y, Z, AND add a rotary(5th) axis with a chuck to rotate stock about the X axis. After reading the MP1000 manual, it would seem that it only supports 4 axes step & dir. to the power supply/motor drives . . . you know anything about that?

--Mike

Mike,

I am using the MP1000 but not to any of it's potential. I am doing mostly stuff that requires Ox/Fuel so at this point I haven't installed a plasma cutter. About the only feature of it that I am using through the MP1000 is the hand pendant control.

I suggest you call Tom at www.CandCNC.com & ask your questions to him directly. I have spoke with him over the phone several times. Once the both of you are on the same page as to what you want from your system He will tell you whether it will work or not.

Happy cutting Neil.

The MP1000C series we currently ship supports 5 axis or 5.5 axis (6 motors, one hardware slaved) operation. We are currently building a "4" axis table with 5 motors. It has a separate outboard rotary table for cutting pipe or indexing for square tube. While we don't foresee a true 5 axis toolpath need, (articulated Z functions) we can use the rotary table without plugging and unplugging motors/drives and cables.

We also have customers that need added Z axis functions like a scriber or center punch without having to stop the machine and make physical mods.

More info at http://www.CandCNC.com/MP1000C.htm and on the PlazPak products page.



We are the only vendor that has a controller that supports 5 axis of drives and motors. The new ESP series controller and the 4, 5 and 5.5 axis units are on the Package Deals/PlasmaPaks page.

TOM CAUDLE
www.CandCNC.com

EMC2 supports 9 axis and is free...

John

EMC is a software controller. So is MACH (which supports 6 axis). The interface hardware and power controller/drives need to be able to support the number of axis you need as well.

MACH is not free, but if an extra 160.00 bucks in a 5 axis project is going to cause a budget problem, I would advise against doing something that complex with so many unknowns and being that critical on cost.

As a hobby, a lot of builders consider their time to be of no value. If you are trying to build something that needs to work in a time frame or is for profit, then paying yourself low or no wages starts to become an issue.

I have no problems with those persons that want to do a true DIY project (build their own motor drives, handwire their own controller, design/build their own power supply, build their own BOB and even their own THC, BUT they need to be aware it's like building your own car from parts you make or find. It will take you hundreds of hours of your "free" time to do and you will spend an almost equal amount of time working out the bugs and fixing the mistakes. The real value is the sense of accomplishment but that's hard to use to buy food!

Sometimes Free is just a perception. (:-)

TOM CAUDLE
www.CandCNC.com

The $160 wasn't even a consideration when building my cnc plasma cutter. Not using windows was. So for free I can not use windows and have 9 axis and for $160 I have windows and 6 axis. For me number one was the choice. Your time building the machine makes no difference if you use mach or EMC. EMC runs big iron like mazaks and other large as well as small equipment and robots if your trying very hard to say that EMC is for toys and Mach is not your way off.

I did build the machine but used off the shelf electronics to power my machine. If I wanted to DIY I at least could go as deep as I wanted with EMC or just use proven hardware... It was my choice.

And your right you have to have enough hardware to run 9 axis (or 6 for mach) if you need/want that many. At least I have the option to have 9.

As for the EMC team they are the most helpful folks around and do it for FREE! As for setting up a standard stepper machine it can be done in about the time it takes you to gather up the information about your hardware....

John

I went with Mach, Sheetcam, & alredy had AutoCAD. I wanted the "Lets get it running" phase of my table build to be as easy as possible. There was & is plenty of help & information "FREE" on them. The price for Mach, When alredy spending the money to build a nice burning table was non issue.

Hi Millman, I have some problems with the HF. I´ve already use the debounce that works well in one of the machines , but for the first machine, the plasma resets the PC, crash it!!ª!
Is there any accesory to avoid it? Some one tell me about that noise suprressors used in the old cars to avoid the noise from the sparks in the radio. Anything to work with?
Thanks
Luis

I went with Mach, Sheetcam, & alredy had AutoCAD. I wanted the "Lets get it running" phase of my table build to be as easy as possible. There was & is plenty of help & information "FREE" on them. The price for Mach, When alredy spending the money to build a nice burning table was non issue.


Have you done any cutting of thin material that has lots of short lines and arcs mixed together like letters or artsy stuff? I'm wondering what kind of speed you can get and how smooth the movement is...

Thanks
John

Have you done any cutting of thin material that has lots of short lines and arcs mixed together like letters or artsy stuff? I'm wondering what kind of speed you can get and how smooth the movement is...

Thanks
John

John,

Thus far I have used only Ox/Fuel & 1/4" is the thinest material I have cut & the speed was 27 IPM. The 1/4 I cut was rectangles. I drew them in AutoCad with square corners (no radius what so ever). It worked perfectly at that speed & gave the square corners with no wiggle or shake evident in the kerf lines.

I have dry run the machine with fairly intricate "test" drawings using radical direction changes at 150 IPM without losing steps, & it will go faster I just haven't pushed it to find the outer limit. I'm sure there would be some kerf wiggle at that speed, as I am using a single 15 MM linear rail for my torch carrier on the gantry. Under rapid direction changes I can visibly detect a slight wiggle in the torch body. A second linear rail would eliminate all wiggle.

I'm quite sure the machine electronics, motors drive assemblys, etc. are capable of doing what you are asking. As I stated the torch carrier might need a second linear rail to be rock solid.

The Only time I have lost any steps was an accidental "E Stop" While the machine was under rapid move at over 200 IPM. I reset the e stop & came home then referenced the X & Y & was only off a few thousandths.

Hope this helps.

Neil

Hi Millman, I have some problems with the HF. I´ve already use the debounce that works well in one of the machines , but for the first machine, the plasma resets the PC, crash it!!ª!
Is there any accesory to avoid it? Some one tell me about that noise suprressors used in the old cars to avoid the noise from the sparks in the radio. Anything to work with?
Thanks
Luis

Luis,

I don't have any Idea how to help you with this problem.

Just to chime in about the 6 axis software out there, Who has the programs to be able to do the G code for 6 axis. I certainly don't. MasterCam is way out of my ball park as is EdgeCam etc and who needs 6 axis cutting at home?
I still don't have a need for anything but 4 axis and I have only just started using that on my laser engraver.
I suppose it's like buying a Ferrari and driving it around at the speed limit. It can go from 0 to 100 in a few seconds but what's the point when you can get there just a little bit slower in a family sedan. Owning a Ferrari just gives you bragging rights just like having MasterCam at home. Who will use the extra power?
Rich.

The most common use for five or six axis of drives and motors is not to run a true 5 or six axis machine. Some machines are setup with multiple Z heads. While it's easy to switch an axis over in software, you have to be able to get the signals to the motor switched. That would require a hardware switch, or a physical switch of several cables (or even the change out the Z drive). In the end you are still using 2 D cut files and only running 3 axis but you have duplicate axis control. One customer has built a rotating head for Z (like a merry-go-round) that mounts a plasma, oxy/fuel and center punch. The fifth axis is used to index the head. On another table they added a horz rotary axis (like a lathe) to cut pipe (plasma). They do not use 4 axis (3D) software for the rotary cutting. They simply make the rotary axis "X" in the software (remaps the Setp & Dir for X to that axis) and draw and cut using conventional 2D software. You can do everything I described with simple CAD and SheetCAM.

I agree that using more than 3 axis of actual cutting motion with a 2D process like plasma is not a good use of resources. The software to handle the multi-Z head or rotary is still just 3 axis of actual cutting motion.

So it's not really a Ferrari but a Ford F150 with 4 wheel drive and a front bumper winch system!:p

I re read my post just after sending it and realized that there is more to multi axis machines than just extra motion axis on milling machines. What about spring making machines? have you seen them? They have multiple motion for all the different gadgets to process a spring and are just wonderful to watch in action (dare I say one of my favorites)!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4rf5y_spring-cnc_auto
Here is a link to one. These things are pretty impressive running at full speed.

Then there is the guy who set up a metal spinning lathe that uses 6 axis of motion with Mach3.
And the list goes on.
(can I say I was tired and it was way past my bed time and I wasn't thinking clearly)
:-)
Keep up the good work
Rich.

Hi Millman, I´m looking for the solenoid valves to use with the oxygen, I noticed you use for the 3 hoses. I found these at ebay ,can you help me to choose the one? Thanks
Luis
http://business.shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_npmv=3&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=solenoid&_sacat=12576

Hi Millman, I´m looking for the solenoid valves to use with the oxygen, I noticed you use for the 3 hoses. I found these at ebay ,can you help me to choose the one? Thanks
Luis
http://business.shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_npmv=3&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=solenoid&_sacat=12576

First a note of caution. There are solenoid valves specifically for use in Ox lines. What is special about them is they are cleaned of any oil form the manufacturing process. Then assembled without oil. As you probably know oil in a Ox line can create an explosion hazard.

I used 110V. coil valves with 1/8" & 1/4" NPT ports. I dismanteled them & cleaned them with denatured alcohol then re assembled them.

It would be hard for me to pick valves for you. I like them that can be mounted some way other than by the pipe fittings themselves.

These have 24 V coils. but are a similar type of valve.
http://cgi.ebay.com/LOT-25-NEW-SKINNER-SOLENOID-VALVE-71215SN2KN00N0L111C2_W0QQitemZ120310409307QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120310409307&_trkparms=72%3A1210%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Thanks for the warning, ( didin´t know it) I think don´t have 24 volts in the amchine to conect it!!
Luis

Thanks for the warning, ( didin´t know it) I think don´t have 24 volts in the amchine to conect it!!
Luis

Just posted those for an example. If you search ebay you can probably find something similar with 110V coils. For the price of those however I'd have to concider a 24V power source to operate . I'd think 3-5A would be plenty

Millman hi there what corel draw are you using also would you be able to give me a link to it
Thanks grant

Millman hi there what corel draw are you using also would you be able to give me a link to it
Thanks grant

I have Corel 12 but don't really use it. I don't do art. All my cutting is of mechanical drawings generated in AutoCAD.

I purchased my copy from an ad on ebay.

Hi Millman , need your help, I built a cnc table to use with oxyfuel, and have a few problems notsolved.
1- Using sheetcam, the preheat time is not working, I change the numbers but nothing happen.
2- If I set the torch to zero(Z) when the torch goes to the start point the flame shuts off , because is too low. how can I change the parameters so the torch goes at the piercing heigth and then start to lower.?
3- Can you give me some parameters , like for 6mm mild steel, I mean speed, torch heigth, ets.
4-also need the torch after finishes the cut to return to 0 automatically
Thanks
Luis

Hi Millman , need your help, I built a cnc table to use with oxyfuel, and have a few problems notsolved.
1- Using sheetcam, the preheat time is not working, I change the numbers but nothing happen.
2- If I set the torch to zero(Z) when the torch goes to the start point the flame shuts off , because is too low. how can I change the parameters so the torch goes at the piercing heigth and then start to lower.?
3- Can you give me some parameters , like for 6mm mild steel, I mean speed, torch heigth, ets.
4-also need the torch after finishes the cut to return to 0 automatically
Thanks
Luis

(1) PREHEAT TIME: I honestly don't know what to tell you might be wrong there.

(2) Sounds like you need a "0" home switch on your Z axis. Then in Sheetcam you set your sheet thickness & cut height under the "OPTIONS, MATERIAL" Tab

(3) PRAMETERS: 6mm is a bit less thick than 1/4". On 1/4" I preheat 15 sec., pierce height .750", Torch cut height .375", plunge lead in rate 35 IPM. Cut speed 28 IPM. All these #'s are based on an Oxweld torch & a 1502 series #3 tip. They will vary depending on your torch & your regulator settings.

(4) My torch raises to the rapid clearance setting at the end of a program & shuts off the flame. I have to hit "GO HOME" tab on the Mach screen for the gantry to return to 0.00 X 0.00 home position.

Hope this helps.
Neil

I also have to hit gotoz to return.
In the preheat time I put 20 sec , but it doesn´t stop the 20 secs, this parameter handles this delay time? or is the piercing delay ?
Is the rapid clearance at options/ material the parameter you use to rise the torch at the end?
Thanks
Luis

I also have to hit gotoz to return.
In the preheat time I put 20 sec , but it doesn´t stop the 20 secs, this parameter handles this delay time? or is the piercing delay ?
Is the rapid clearance at options/ material the parameter you use to rise the torch at the end?
Thanks
Luis

Preheat time should be the amount of time the torch loweres to cut height & pauses to preheat the metal before pierce. The pierce delay is the amount of time the torch stands still after pierce before the cut begins. I normally use .1 sec. Yes that is 1/10 of sec. Pause at end of cut is the length of time you want to leave your pierce oxygen on after torch has finished cut. On thicker materials you need a slight delay for the cut to finish at the lower side of the cut. Still not long though .1 -.3 sec there


Yes, rapid clearance is set at options/materials. In most cases I use 1.5" If your Z axis is fast I'd use a bit more clearance. Mine is slow as the motor is direct drive on a 18 TPI lead screw. Most of the parts I cut are large enough I don't have problems with cut parts falling part way through the grid & hanging. I really don't need a bunch of rapid clearance.

looking at your videos , after you finish the cut the torch rises , do you do it manual or is the program?
What postprocessor are you using?

looking at your videos , after you finish the cut the torch rises , do you do it manual or is the program?
What postprocessor are you using?

The program raises the torch to rapid move height then closes the gas solenoids. Then I click the "Go Home" tab on mach screen.

I am using mach2 plasma post.

I changed a parameter in general config (mach) and now it works correctly, also I changed some Gcodes.
Now I want to put all the drivers at the backside of the gantry (in a new machine)what do you think about it? vibration will be a problem?
Thanks

Well time for an update.

As detailed earlier in this build log, I used only 2 precision linear rail in my build. That was on the gantry or "Y" & a short piece on the "Z" axis.

Since put in operation sometime early January 2008. The table has probably averaged 30 hrs. per week of operation. In an industrial environment.

Over the past couple months I have been noticing a bit of wiggle at the torch tip & found the "Y" linear rail or the bearing carriers or most likely both have developed wear. The Y rail is of the standard recirculating ball type. the carriers were purchased with seals installed but no way have they been keeping grit out. There is no way they really can as they pass over the recesses for the rail mounting screws. Not only that but the thin film of grease the bearings trail out along the rail is a grit magnet.

The short piece of Z rail is of alum. construction with (4) hardened runners & the carrier for it has sealed roller bearings. The Z axis shows no detectable wear at all. If I'm not mistaken it's designed very much like what Torchmate uses on their gantry.

I have done a web search for linear rails & bearings but can't find anything similar to the short piece on my Y axis.

Does anyone know who the manufacturer might be?

In searching the web I also found this: http://www.pacific-bearing.com/Integrated.aspx I don't have any pricing but I think it looks very promicing & may work much better in the harsh environment of these cutting tables.

I value everyone elses opinion!! Please add your 2 cents on the subject.

Hi Mill bloke
Are these what you are after.

http://www.tea.net.au/welcome.aspx?page=43

the Bishop-Wisecarver V guides are really good in dirty environments.

They come in a lot of different sizes and types and would be my choice as they are self cleaning.
sdp-si.com also have guides. look under Miscellaneous/Guide Wheels and track

VXB.com also have duel V guide bearings and are cheap. Sealed or shielded.
http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/V-Groove-Bearings/Kit8353

IMService also have the wheels and track and you can get them to cut what length of track you want and are cheap. I have bought from them for my Laser and the service was great.
http://www.cadcamcadcam.com/cncmachinecomponents.aspx

I hope these are what you are after.
I used the V guide wheels for my plasma cutter and ran them on upside down angle iron welded to the frame. Easy and cheap and self cleaning.
Rich.

Hi Mill bloke
Are these what you are after.

http://www.tea.net.au/welcome.aspx?page=43

the Bishop-Wisecarver V guides are really good in dirty environments.

They come in a lot of different sizes and types and would be my choice as they are self cleaning.
sdp-si.com also have guides. look under Miscellaneous/Guide Wheels and track

VXB.com also have duel V guide bearings and are cheap. Sealed or shielded.
http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/V-Groove-Bearings/Kit8353

IMService also have the wheels and track and you can get them to cut what length of track you want and are cheap. I have bought from them for my Laser and the service was great.
http://www.cadcamcadcam.com/cncmachinecomponents.aspx

I hope these are what you are after.
I used the V guide wheels for my plasma cutter and ran them on upside down angle iron welded to the frame. Easy and cheap and self cleaning.
Rich.

Yes I have looked at the V rails before. Until the last couple weeks I hadn't seen dual V track. The 1 component I did not want to do the machining to achieve the parallism I want. Also the 1 other item that concerns me a bit with the dual V carriers is having cams to adjust to maintain preload. OK if they will stay adjusted but still a concern.

I figured when I was building the table my home made long "X" rails would be a problem "Weak Link" if you will. But I don't know that I could have done better with anything commercially availible. The only wear they show is black lines where the double row bearings come in contact with the 1045 CRR & flat bar. I dust them off with a bench brush & every couple months hit them lightly with fine emory cloth to remove a bit of embedded grit.

I'm just a simple West Virginia Hillbilly but I always wondered how the recirculating ball (requiring lubrication) could hold up in such a harsh environment. Now I have the answer.... THEY DON'T!!!

I guess I used it because most everyone else was. That doesn't make it the correct choice either.

I really had hoped to find rail like what is pictured below. It's not the best pic in the world but you can get the idea from it. There is 2 of the hardened steel strips in each side of the rail. The bearing carrier has 4 rollers in each side. It will be the simplest to integrate into my current gantry. If I have to build a new one I will.

Right now down time on the table will quickly develop into a big issue. The repair will have to be pulled off over a week end. Lately the table gets some use every working day. By the end of today it will have seen 24 hours of operation cutting 1" HR steel plate since colse of business on Friday.


When I first put my table to use I really didn't know how smooth a Ox/Acet. torch was capable of cutting. I was getting cut edges literally smoother than my band saw will cut. Along with extremely high accuracy. I could increase a part size by as little as .010 & measure it accurately with a dial caliper. The torch is still accurate but the kerf lines are getting much more pronounced.

Millman,
I have just finished reading all 17 pages. Thank You for taking the time to post a progress log with all of the photo's. My local steel supplier has a large plasma/ox fuel table and he says that they have to use the ox fuel torch to cut the thicker pieces of steel. I have not sen the reason to buy a small hand plasma cutter because I have a small smith "airline" torch. today it is called a Versa torch. I would think that at some point the cost of the gas would become an issue using it on a cutting table.

I was wondering where in WV you are located. I live near Huntington out in the country.

archie =) =) =)

Millman,
I have just finished reading all 17 pages. Thank You for taking the time to post a progress log with all of the photo's. My local steel supplier has a large plasma/ox fuel table and he says that they have to use the ox fuel torch to cut the thicker pieces of steel. I have not sen the reason to buy a small hand plasma cutter because I have a small smith "airline" torch. today it is called a Versa torch. I would think that at some point the cost of the gas would become an issue using it on a cutting table.

I was wondering where in WV you are located. I live near Huntington out in the country.

archie =) =) =)

I am currently spending around $400.00-$500.00 per month on cutting & welding gasses combined. The Gas price is simply calculated into my price per hour for using the burning table & passed on to the customer.

My steel supplier has ox & plasma They still cut everything above 5/8 with Ox/Fuel & some thinner materials if precision is an issue.

I am in the country about 55 min North-North East of Charleston a few miles off I 79 In Clay County.

I am wanting to add Plasma to my table to do 1/2" & below. I'll probably only use it during warmer months though. The amount of cutting I do I just can't imagine cleaning out a water table or for that matter a catch pan with an air handler. For the home shop they make good sense, when a person cuts a bit of the evening or on weekends. I have 2 trays on the floor that catch burn dross & protect the floor. I do my best to keep larger plugs of metal cleand out of them. Still they have to be removed a couple times a month (2) men 1-1 1/2 hour to pull them out with the fork lift,tote them to the scrap hopper & literally shovel them off. I'd have nightmares if that stuff was in a slurry of water & rancid as a septic tank.

Take a look at the pic. Notice the jack stand sitting in the middle of the tray. That piece of strap welded around the angle iron legs is about 3" high. I emptied thes pans over Valentines Day weekend. I remember because my wife asked what I wanted...:D I told her "those pans cleaned" Of course that flew about like a lead baloon.

Are you in the process of planning or building a table?

Neil

Neil,
I am planning to build one at some point. I will probably build a Mecmate router for a friend.first. when I do I will have 2 sets of parts lasered out probably at the Byrd center in Huntington. they have a laser and a brand spanking new cnc press brake. I will wait till after I get my cnc mill up and running. I have a Bridgeport R2E4 cnc mill that I am replacing all the electronics on. I am currently laid off so funds have brought those projects to a screeching halt. :(

5X9 or 10 seems like a good size. if I add the price of a plasma cutter to the price of the table it adds up a whole lot faster. a freind built a mechmate router and it cost him a little over 4,000 then add the price of the THC and control for the plasm cutter and the price of the plasma cutter it's self well we are at 8 or 9 thousand.

so i am still setting on the fence.

Thanks for the post.
I sent you a PM
I would like to stop by when I get up that way.

archie =) =) =)

Hi Millman52,
How do you adjust height of oxy torch if not using THC? How can we to the second cut after finishing the first cut? Is that program automatically will do. I ask this since I plan to build one. Thanks. Asuratman.

Hi Millman52,
How do you adjust height of oxy torch if not using THC? How can we to the second cut after finishing the first cut? Is that program automatically will do. I ask this since I plan to build one. Thanks. Asuratman.

You set up your torch tip in the holder at 0.00" clearance from your cutting bed "slats". Then you tell your operating system the thickness of metal, cutting height above the metal, and how much you want the torch to raise before piercing. Once the torch pierces it will then lower the torch head as it leads into the cut (ramp lead in)

You can manually jog up or down from your keyboard or pendant control (if you have one), while cutting. I have a hand wheel adjustment on my torch holder I most often use.

Edit:: here is a link to a THC for oxy. http://www.agelkom.com.tr/prod02.htm I have no idea how, how well, or even if it will work. Looks cumbersome to me. Especially when it's time to have wrenches on the torch tip gland nut. Which is very often for changing tip size or cleaning.

Hey Milly,
I too have had concerns about the cleaning out of the water tank after days/weeks of cutting.
I have left numerous posts all over the place on several forums and YouTube and no-one ever gets back to me on how they do it! (secretly I think they sell the table and buy a new one as it would be quicker).
I decided to build mine without the tank because of this reason alone. I thought about a bank of Neo magnets covered in thick plastic attached to a board with a handle for easy cleaning but it still probably wouldn't fish out the big parts that drop inside (think long and thin between the slats).
That's another reason I made my slats in a serpentine path across the table.

I was also thinking of a motorized scraper that scrapes all the dross/parts towards the front and have it ride on a frame a few inches above the ground on the way back. Part of the track at the front would be hinged to allow the scraper to pass through it as it scrapes then drop down as it goes past allowing the scraper to ride back up and over on it's way to the rear.
It will be cable or chain driven with a limit switch at the back to stop the cycle.
All easy to do and use. Just push a button and all the parts are scraped towards the front and it turns off once the cycle is finished.
Wire it up like double light switches.
Maybe you could implement something like it with yours
I made a rough sketch to show what I mean.
Rich.

Hey Milly,
I too have had concerns about the cleaning out of the water tank after days/weeks of cutting.
I have left numerous posts all over the place on several forums and YouTube and no-one ever gets back to me on how they do it! (secretly I think they sell the table and buy a new one as it would be quicker).
I decided to build mine without the tank because of this reason alone. I thought about a bank of Neo magnets covered in thick plastic attached to a board with a handle for easy cleaning but it still probably wouldn't fish out the big parts that drop inside (think long and thin between the slats).
That's another reason I made my slats in a serpentine path across the table.



Rich.

Regardless what you do even if it's mechanized the stuff that comes out has to be the worst kind of nasty muck. Then what do you do with it?? If the environmental people happen by I'm sure it would be near impossible to convince them it isn't some sort of near nuclear toxic waste.

I didn't want to have to fish small parts out of the drink either. No matter what configuration your slats are something is still going to find it's way down.
Without using a magnet or other hateful device that wants to grab everything but the part you want. How the H*** are you supposed to get a small part out of the tray in the middle of the table just out of arms reach & just deep enough below the slats fingers will not reach either.........

I'll just keep venting mine with a huge 46" overhead exhaust fan that will nearly suck the shirt right off your back. When I add plasma I most likely will just not use it in really cold weather (apx. 2 1/2 months of the year). Just revert back to OX/Fuel on 1/2" down to 1/4"

I know that the waterbed is a great advantage in many ways. Although it has many disadvantages that come with it. I dont have a lot of experience with cnc plasma but I came up with one good idea on the waterbed that I saw everyone aving problems with. I have constructed my waterbed out of alum. 4'x8'x5" after it gets dirty enough the tank is just sitting on a stand. I can just carry the 50 lb tank outside in the grass rinse it out and put it right back on the table. With the parts that fall in the tank I guess everyone will have to deal with that and just reach down and get them... Magnets are a good idea but sometimes they can make more problems than they are worth....

P.S. watch neo magnets around plasma they have explosive powders inside...

millman

In another thread you asked about aluminum linear rails, I couldn't really tell from the photo, but Rexroth makes their "E-Line" with either balls or rollers:

http://www.boschrexroth-us.com/country_units/america/united_states/en/products/brl/product_overview1/eline/index.jsp

They also make their Cam Roller Guides: (steel rails)

http://www13.boschrexroth-us.com/utilities/Catalogs.aspx?division=LT

SKF also makes some with aluminum rails with steel inlays.

I've been spending _too_ much time looking at linear rails, and I'm still thinking about building my own.


If I remember correctly, your using an Oxweld torch, are you not?

semi

millman

In another thread you asked about aluminum linear rails, I couldn't really tell from the photo, but Rexroth makes their "E-Line" with either balls or rollers:

http://www.boschrexroth-us.com/country_units/america/united_states/en/products/brl/product_overview1/eline/index.jsp

They also make their Cam Roller Guides: (steel rails)

http://www13.boschrexroth-us.com/utilities/Catalogs.aspx?division=LT

SKF also makes some with aluminum rails with steel inlays.

I've been spending _too_ much time looking at linear rails, and I'm still thinking about building my own.


If I remember correctly, your using an Oxweld torch, are you not?

semi

First thanks for the reply. I certainly appreciate anyone taking time to help.

Bosch's E line is still a recirculating ball type of rail. Still no way to really seal it from grit.

No way do I want to deal with cam rollers.

SKF's Speedi-Roll is the typical linear rail with V groove bearings. Other manufacturers have a similar system also. Will work & I'm sure will resist wear from grit much better that the standard recirculating ball type of rail most people are using. Still not quite what I am looking for mainly because of it's bulkier size.

Yes I am using Oxweld torch. I like Oxweld products & have always receieved extermely long service life from their stuff. I haven't checked what tips are availible for others (Victor, Harris, Etc.) Oxweld has a tip for every circumstance & gas. Regular or High Speed. Some thickness I get better results with HS tips yet others I use standard tips.

That leaves me wondering what type of rail you have? Is it just a plain sliding unit, with no balls or rollers? I went and found that other thread, to see the picture again, but I can't tell much from the picture.

About Oxweld torches..... I bought six older Union Carbide/Linde machine torches similar to yours. (yours looks like a newer ESAB)

I got these torches pretty cheap, but they are fire damaged. The fire damage is not severe though, they have some plastic dripped down on them, and the fire was not hot enough for the plastic to burn up, but only hot enough to melt it.

I think the packing in the valves is ok, I'm not positive, but the valves seem to still be good.

However, these torches appear to be assembled using solder, and the fire was hot enough to at least partially melt some of this solder. One of them has a drop of solder frozen on the side, where it dripped out. On the others, the solder just looks like it was softened in place, without flowing out.

I bought these torches because I'm interested in shortening one of them for use in a CNC bevel cutting set up. I'm wondering if there is any info out there about disassembling and reassembling these units.

Do you have a closer picture of your rail?

Yipee!!! Finally found the type rail I am looking for. Mfd. in Germany. Now if I can purchase it from a distributor in the US.

Take a look & see if you agree with me in that it is a superior design for use in a dirty environment. I'm sure the recirculating ball type is probably more rigid & will hold more exact tolerances in a clean environment.

http://shop.franke-gmbh.de/en1/linear_systems/franke_dynamik.asp

That leaves me wondering what type of rail you have? Is it just a plain sliding unit, with no balls or rollers? I went and found that other thread, to see the picture again, but I can't tell much from the picture.

About Oxweld torches..... I bought six older Union Carbide/Linde machine torches similar to yours. (yours looks like a newer ESAB)

I got these torches pretty cheap, but they are fire damaged. The fire damage is not severe though, they have some plastic dripped down on them, and the fire was not hot enough for the plastic to burn up, but only hot enough to melt it.

I think the packing in the valves is ok, I'm not positive, but the valves seem to still be good.

However, these torches appear to be assembled using solder, and the fire was hot enough to at least partially melt some of this solder. One of them has a drop of solder frozen on the side, where it dripped out. On the others, the solder just looks like it was softened in place, without flowing out.

I bought these torches because I'm interested in shortening one of them for use in a CNC bevel cutting set up. I'm wondering if there is any info out there about disassembling and reassembling these units.

Do you have a closer picture of your rail?

The roller carrage body is constructed of aluminum & has 4 sealed needle bearings in each side. The piece I now have may not be made by the same company as listed in the link above but it's the same design. When it comes to size the rail is about 20MM wide & about the same height. The roller carrage, even though it has sealed needle bearings is only slightly taller than the typical recirculating ball carrage. And is for all practical purposes the same width.

I have 3 of the same type but in the shorter barrel like the one on my CNC table, & commonly found on Linde track torches. They were take offs from a Linde burning table.

You are right that the one now mounted on my table is ESAB I purchased it new.

I have never seen information on rebuilding torch barrels. I know my local Airgas dealer offers rebuilding services. I dought you could talk them into shortening one though because of liability issues.

Neil

Thanks for the link. Interesting. I had not found that one, even though I've looked at products from probably two dozen company's. (or more)

It's a logical concept, and should be more dust resistant than recirculating balls, but I'm not sure if it would be any better in that regard than the Rexroth Cam Roller setup.

However, it looks like it would have better load carrying capacity then the Rexroth Cam Rollers, especially axially.

The advantage of the Rex C Rollers's is they use a round bar for the track, which should be cheaper, especially in very long length's.

Interesting.

Thanks for the link. Interesting. I had not found that one, even though I've looked at products from probably two dozen company's. (or more)

It's a logical concept, and should be more dust resistant than recirculating balls, but I'm not sure if it would be any better in that regard than the Rexroth Cam Roller setup.

However, it looks like it would have better load carrying capacity then the Rexroth Cam Rollers, especially axially.

The advantage of the Rex C Rollers's is they use a round bar for the track, which should be cheaper, especially in very long length's.

Interesting.

You are probably right in that they may not be any better as regarding dust. Eventually dust is going to wear parts. I guess the only question I might have with the rexroth (and other similar) carrages is: If you think of the amount of roll, pitch, & yaw the carrage may have after mounted on the rail.

I actually talked with one of the bearing/rail companys
"Application Asistance Dept." that has a similar setup but using "V" groove bearings similar to the one pictured below. I was told that the Yaw, or amount of twist the carrier would have if preloaded correctly would be 0.00 but there would be some although very slight pitch & roll. The wheels or double row bearing assemblys are not preloaded. Therefore a small amount of twist between the inner & outer bearing races. Very minimal yes, but still some.

The Franke rail with double 45 degree needle roller bearings, when preloaded is next to 0.00 in all directions. Important when space constraints require using only 1 rail.

If I could use 2 rails running parallel even the worn recirculating ball rail & carrage would last much longer than it does. I'm just trying to eleminate a complete re-design of my gantry.

If you go back to the very first pages of this build log & look at my simple round bar with 4 double row ball bearings, arranged 90 degrees apart design. The carrage simply sits on top of the round bar & nothing but gravity holding it down, has worked flawlessly. It was also as cheap as you could get. The oposite side is single row ball bearings running on top & bottom of a length of cold rolled flat bar. The round bar & V configured rollers keep the gantry running parallel with the table, while the other side merely is a platform for wheels to support the gantry. This allows the gantry to grow & contract with heat changes & not create bearing bind.

If I were building again I'd probably use single V rail & a pair of V grove bearings simply because of building ease (less hours in the machine shop). Not because I think the V grove stuff is better. The single "C" rollers also would work well on top of common CR round bar.

I now have a line out on the Franke (pronounced more like fronk, German) A few days will let me know price & how long an order will take.

I have also found the same sort of rail with Parker/Origa http://www.parkeroriga.com/prod_aluminum_roller_guides.html Link to pdf catalog http://www.parkeroriga.com/pdf_catalogs/GDL_Linear_Guides.pdf Applied Industrial Technoligies (Applied Bearing) https://www.applied.com/apps/commerce/logon.jsp?timeout=y
Who has distributors everywhere in the USA is supposed to carry, or at least be able to order them

I agree with your point about the Rexroth Cam Rollers, and Vee rails for that matter. I looked at the Rexroth product for awhile, and decided against using them, for much the same reason that you described.

"I have also found the same sort of rail with Parker/Origa"

When I downloaded the Franke catalog, the last page gave their USA contact as:
Hoerbiger Origa Corporation
100 West Lake Drive
Glendale Heights, IL 60139 hoerbiger.com

It looks like Parker bought Hoerbiger, because they have the same address.

Parker ORIGA Corporation
100 West Lake Drive
Glendale Heights, IL 60139

Therefore, I'm guessing it's not the "same sort or rail", it's the same rail.

Again, thanks much for the link. I made an attempt to answer your question, and you may have answered mine instead. My question now is price???
I'm not sure how Parker is on price, but if they are the USA broker, there may not be any choice but to go through them.

I'm designing a very different type of machine, and I'm looking for milling machine type rigidity, but at the same time, light weight, and moderate cost.

As far as dirt goes, I've been thinking of enclosed rails from the very beginning. I'm amazed to see how many machines are built with exposed rails, but then again, enclosing them is a complication and expense.

John

I know looking at the pictures of Parker/Origa and Franke they look identical & I had gone far enough in their literature to know they were both a German product. So I'd not be at all surprised if they don't come down the same assembly line just get a different logo stamped on them.


Airborn dust is much like anti-sieze compound. Get a drop of it on your finger in the morning, Somehow it'll be on the end of your big toe inside your boot & sock by the end of the day.

I receieved a bit of pricing information on Parker Origa aluminum linear rail on Friday.

Although I don't have exact pricing nailed down for the rail length I need I seems to be about the same as other premium rail like THK, Thomson, IKO etc.

I have determined exact part #s for the bearing rail & casette. I'll be contacting my distributor on Monday to get final pricing information.

The bearing casette is available with truely sealed bearings, rail wipers, & metal rail scrapers. Both of which are recomended by a design engineer I spoke with at Parker-Origa.

I was also assured this particular type of rail is well suited for the dusty, gritty environment of a plasma table.

So, when you contacted Franke directly, did they refer you to Parker?

Reading Franke's web site, I got the impression that this was supposed to be an economical solution.

I imagine the shipping cost from Germany, plus the lousy strength of the U.S. dollar vs the Euro cant help. The shipping cost on long pieces of rail might be ridiculous, unless you shipped a container load of them. :eek:

So, when you contacted Franke directly, did they refer you to Parker?

Reading Franke's web site, I got the impression that this was supposed to be an economical solution.

I imagine the shipping cost from Germany, plus the lousy strength of the U.S. dollar vs the Euro cant help. The shipping cost on long pieces of rail might be ridiculous, unless you shipped a container load of them. :eek:

Franke has a distributor in the US. They wanted me to fill out a design spec sheet to determine for themselves if it was the proper rail/bearing for the application. The Parker Origa rail (same rail & bearing) has a stocking warehouse in Chicago IL. They use Applied Bearing Technologies for their distribution network. Applied has 3 locations within 50 mi. of me. Of course They don't stock & I pretty much had to determine the exact part #s etc. to be sure they would order the correct parts. Educate them in other words.

After talking with the design Tech in Chicago, I am very confident it is the correct & best choice of rail for a burning table. He was very helpful & seemed willing to actually listen to the problems I was having with other rail So he could best help me find a solution.

He then offered to plug all the parameters (weight carried, speed of travel, environment, etc) into their design software & see what the computer kicked out as a best match. For my machine 20MM rail with 1 bearing still had a 30% margin before needing to go with 2 bearings

His opinion that any recirculating ball type linear rail other than Round with 360 deg. full round bearings would be a poor choice for the application. He did mention that standard types of flat rail wouldn't be so bad if the fasteners came through the bottom. leaving a surface on top that a seal could manage to clean the rail. Made sense to me.

The Parker alum rail has nylon plugs to cap off the screw holes to create a sealable surface on top or you can get threaded holes & mount the rail from the underside.

Even being more expensive than han Hiwin & a couple of the others. If it holds up for longer term & the big bonus without having to continually lube then clean up the mess. It will bw well worth the extra money.

I decided to go with the High performance bearing carrage with wiper seals and metal scrapers which gives me a first & second line of defense to help keep contamination from entering the bearing casette. $145.51 US. for the 20 MM size.

1700 MM of rail cut to length with equal 1st. bolt spacing from each end (2)cuts on the rail, $341.73 total. $313.67 for the rail & $28.06 cut charge(s) for a total of $487.24.

Hiwin rail & bearing as near as I can compair a price for 20MM is $305.49. a differance of $181.75. Pretty big price gap.

I still believe the service life of the Origa or Franke system will be much greater than any recirculating ball type of flat rail. At least with the Origa when wear does begin to develop, the preload can be reset on the bearing which should at least give some added length to it's useful life. Anyway I took the plunge & ordered it today.

Time only will tell if my decision is good or bad. If I get 2 years then I have saved money. 18 months or less I gave money away.

My table is in the same section of the shop that all the welding, grinding etc. goes on. That on top of not having a water or down draft table creates just about the harshest environment possible for precision linear rail to live.

I have also found this product http://www.pacific-bearing.com/IVTAAB-Bolt-On.aspx I believe it would work pretty good for a plasma table also. Just from memory I believe the bearing carrier with shields/wipers etc was also near $150.00. The rail however is only around $95.00 for a 1700 MM length. To be in it's optimum load bearing orientation the rail needed to be mounted to the side of a gantry rather than on top. The PBC system is also much bulkier in size which pretty much ruled it out for my repair project.

http://video.designworldonline.com/channel/9BB4985AC8ED42B9895954001C864E5A/MECHANICAL

Just been looking at the Bishop Wisecarver booth video at Design World and thought you might want to have a quick look at the new stuff they have.
Even if you don't go with anything like this it still makes for an interesting view.
The guide rails also can be fitted with wipers and lube pads for extra protection and longevity and is fully documented on their website.
Personally, I prefer this over almost all other types for linear applications.
Rich.

http://video.designworldonline.com/channel/9BB4985AC8ED42B9895954001C864E5A/MECHANICAL

Just been looking at the Bishop Wisecarver booth video at Design World and thought you might want to have a quick look at the new stuff they have.
Even if you don't go with anything like this it still makes for an interesting view.
The guide rails also can be fitted with wipers and lube pads for extra protection and longevity and is fully documented on their website.
Personally, I prefer this over almost all other types for linear applications.
Rich.

Interesting you should bring up Bishop Wisecarver. I had been in touch with TEA Machine Components in regards to the B-W Lo Pro line as a possible solution for my gantry. I receieved a quote back from them today on a 1700 MM length of the track & a bearing carrier with as much shielding of the dual v wheels as they offer.

1700 MM of track part # M1ATP/1700 $517.91....
bearing carrier # BWP1SWWCBC $349.57.....

I couldn't believe it would be that expensive. Nearly soiled my shorts

Before I called TEA, I called B-W at their California headquarters office to try & get pricing information. Had no luck with that. It seems their products quite possibly have different pricing. Depending on what part of the USA one is located. I was given the name & a toll charge phone # of the person I needed to contact in the eastern US.

I tried to explain to the person I spoke with, All I wanted was a standard retail price for the 2 products. That would have given me enough information to decide if I wanted to persue it further.

But NOOOOooooooo! They had to waste even more of my time & now TEA's time in finding out the product is way over priced.

The Pacific Bearing product is practically identical in concept. The bearing carrier is basically the same at less thn 1/2 the price. The 1700MM length of Pacific rail is less than 1/5 the price. & most likely hold up as long on a torch gantry.

Neil

"Expletive".
I can't believe the price. Do these people really want a sale or do they just hold out for the "Boeing" companies that seem to have unlimited finances to keep them going .

I bought mine from Fred at IMServices.com and they were pretty cheap and he will cut to order. I think he is active on the Zone but I haven't seen him around for a while.

You could drill and tap the holes for the rail onto another low profile Al extrusion and bolt it to your frame afterwards which wouldn't set you back too much in down time.
Just a thought.
The rails you want still have flats on them like the cam roller type which would still need to be wiped clean all the time and as you say the dust is very wearing on these parts even with the wipers.
I still like the self cleaning rollers on the Bishop WC ones.
I just use the V rollers on angle iron and don't seem to have any trouble but I have only used it for about 10 hours so my answers are probably moot for you.

Although I didn't check into it I'm quite sure I can purchase Ground & polished CRS in flat form . All it would take is to add a couple of the hardened IMS rails, 4 bearings & 2 eccentrics all for about $200.00 Throw in about 6-8 hours in the machine shop & there you have it.

If I were on a tight budget Exactly what I'd do. I'm fortunate that my table makes money every day & would just rather take the "low man hours" approach to fixing it.

That almost always translates into spending more money.

Millman look into purchasing some hydraulic cylinder shafting. Very straight, chrome finish, considerably cheaper than "linear shafting".

I have ground chrome plated piston shafting on my big router frame and the linear bearings I used on it have worn a groove where they roll into the shaft about 0.005" deep after only about 10 hours of use.
I don't use the router any more as I am going to pull it down and fit plain old angle iron with V guide rollers to it. After fitting them to my plasma cutter I think it is the way to go for cheap and straight guides. I measured the height after welding and it varies only 0.006 over the whole length of 16 feet.
I used clamps on it to hold it in place and measured the height before welding with a vernier and it was pretty much spot on.
A testament to the steel manufacturers quality control more than anything else..
You get more shrinkage with wood than that and over about 6 feet it is only 0.002 out of height. More accuracy than I need.
One of the reasons I want to go down the path of V guides as there isn't as much point loading as the linear guide spherical ball bearings.
I think the chrome rod is about 43 - 45Rc in hardness and I'm pretty sure you need at least 50 - 55 Rc in hardness to be quite wear resistant.
I can't wait until you get it up and running and see what the difference is with whatever you choose.
Rich.

One more thing with CRS flat bar is that any machining operations you do to it releases stresses in the material causing it to bend/twist a certain amount but just drilling a few holes and mounting some guides to them would probably not do any harm and bolting it to a frame would straighten them out anyway.
You work with steel all day so you will know what I am talking about.

Hello,
Good day. Sorry, my question is out of track, asking about 2 servo motor in one axis. Will you have any difficulties to run 2 ea DC servo motor in one axis (X) for this big plasma table? I read in yahoo forum that it is problematic to run 2 ea DC servo motor in one axis (X). Thanks.

One more thing with CRS flat bar is that any machining operations you do to it releases stresses in the material causing it to bend/twist a certain amount but just drilling a few holes and mounting some guides to them would probably not do any harm and bolting it to a frame would straighten them out anyway.
You work with steel all day so you will know what I am talking about.

I have already ordered the Parker-Origa rail & bearing. Should be here by mid week.

Yeah Mono I'm full aware of CRS warping from stress relief from machining. As long as machining is performed equally, as in (2) rows of drilled & tapped holes 1 row for each of 2 V rails. The CRS should remail straight.

I drilled a row of 12MM holes on the centerline of a piece of 1/4" X 3 CR flat bar & it didn't warp. I'll bet it would have if I had attrempted to drill them off center.

What brand of plasma cutter are you going to use? Do you plan to install Height Control System?
Thanks

What brand of plasma cutter are you going to use? Do you plan to install Height Control System?
Thanks

I have www.CandCNC.com MP1000 THC I purchased my control electronics from them.

I will be using a Hypertherm Plasma machine

Hello,
Good day. Sorry, my question is out of track, asking about 2 servo motor in one axis. Will you have any difficulties to run 2 ea DC servo motor in one axis (X) for this big plasma table? I read in yahoo forum that it is problematic to run 2 ea DC servo motor in one axis (X). Thanks.

I am using a stepper system. Running (2) steppers on the X axis. configured through Mach as X with A slaved.

I really know very little about servo systems so I am not the one to answer your question. It seems to me a servo system would work the same as long as it was configured correctly in Mach and connected to 2 seperate drivers (Geckos) etc.

There is a Forum here on the Zone that deals specifically with drivers & other electronics issues. You'd probably get better results with your question(s) posted there.

Hi millman52,
Thanks for your recommendation. I will try to find in those sections. I raise this question because I heard some people have problem when using 2 servo in one axis. OK, no problem. i will find it.

I have receieved the new rail & bearing casette from Parker-Origa. I must say it is a fine looking rail & bearing assembly.

I have machined a new plate to mount to the casette that I will have to weld the existing Z axis to.

I don't have enough time this weekend to pull off the entire conversion so I am just making what few new parts I am going to need. Hopefully I will be able to pull off the entire conversion next week end.

I am afraid if I tear it down today there will be something come in first thing Monday morning I will need the table for.

Good lookin casette, I'll bet that it will work really good. Here's what I ended up doing with mine, and boy it sure is smooth compared to the old cam followers. Best of luck. Blake

I started to upgrade just my Y axis linear rail. As with most tings I get myself into, it has turned into a much bigger project.

From the beginning I had decided to have a Ox/fuel-Plasma table. Thus far I have a ox/fuel table. That's about to change.

Originally I stopped with Ox/Fuel for 2 reasons. (1) I already had oxy equipemnt. (2) I wanted to know the $6000.00 or so I had already invested would actually work. It has & worked much better than I expected it to.

I decided if I was going to have my table down for the rail upgrade it was high time to add the plasma also.

Well with adding plasma there are other issues I needed to address. (1) Need to add more air compressor. I'll get into the details of that later. (2) Plasma needs as clean & dry air as is possible. Bought a refrigerated dryer with coalescent filter. Pic Below.

I want both oxy & plasma to have their own Z axis so there isn't any switch out time involved in changing over. I started building my second Z this evening.

Dust & GRIT being a big issue with burning tables I wanted to keep my ballscrew & nut sealed up. I decided to build a telescoping actuator. The pictures below should pretty much give you the idea of my madness.

If time permits tomorrow I'll work on building the lead screw thrust bearing housing & motor mount & possibly the ball mount for the lower end of the actuator.

Managed to get a bit more done today on the new Z axis actuator.


Turned the end of the ball screw to press fit a bearing. I had to anneal the end of the hardened screw & even then it was a bit of a chore to turn.

Then set in on making the combination bearing housing & mount so I can fix the assembly to the outer aluminum tube. & finally the motor mount.

I still need to make a coupler to fix the screw & motor shaft together. also drill & tap the bearing housing halfs & drill the motor mount flange. Still have to make mount bracket(s) to fix the actuator assembly to the Z axis.

Hi Millman, I've seen your post at Tom's forum, he helped me with the same issue.
Do not use the same power source for the plasma and the electronics. Same with the grounding, I use one rod for the table , other for the electronics and other for the plasma. my table is isolated from the machine.
The grounding wire of the line going to the motors goes to the rod , the other end is not connected.
Hope it helps
Luis

Millman, nice craftsmanship on the actuator. It will be nice not having to worry about cleaning the z-axis ballscrew. Plus it looks cool....

Lamicron, I had a question about the cable chain on your machine. Did you make that plastic/urethane chain yourself? If so do you still have the molds?

[QUOTE=Dustin407;607643]Millman, nice craftsmanship on the actuator. It will be nice not having to worry about cleaning the z-axis ballscrew. Plus it looks cool....

QUOTE]

Thanks Dustin. It also should allow me to use just 1 length of linear rail of the Z & another short piece for the floating head. This will help keep these parts small as possible & help keep the weight whipping around on the gantry to a minimum.

I spoke with Lamicron sometime back on his E chain. Best I remember he laser cut the parts then formed them somehow. He described his process on one of his machine builds here on the zone, or possibly on this thread.

I have the drawings in corel, 3 or 4 mm Polystyrene plate. you'll have to make a mold to bend it, its very easy, let me send you the files and some pics.
Sorry cant upload the corel files, let me know how can I send it.

I have autocad 2007 if you have a dwg/dxf that would be great. What was the process you took to make 1 link. Did you cut 4 different peices and bond them together or poor one solid mold?

I see you cut all three sides out of one flat piece and then bent the sides at 90 to give it a u shape. Then put the small crossbrace in afterwards is that correct.

Sorry for the delay, tomorrow I'll send it in dxf, and some photos of the mold. I made a U with 1/8" HR plate, with two pins to get it centered , you have to make two of them , different sizes.
Luis

I used 1/8" HR plate to make a U for the mold, tomorrow I'll send some photos with the dxf files

Purchased a new HT1250 today. Got what I think is a great bargain on it too.

1250 machine + 50' machine torch + 50' hand torch + air filter with replaceable filter cartrige Freight included to the door $3736.00. On top of that there wil be almost $400.00 refunded back to me in the form of "Trade In Allowance" Basically a rebate if you supply them with: Make, Mod., Ser. #s of your old plasma.

millman, hows the new z-axis and all the new toys coming along. Id like to see some pics of your progress if you have any...Thanks..

About all I have managed to get done is make the motor/screw coupler sleeve, drill & tap holes to mount the upper assembly all together.

To be honest I just got lazy last weekend & I'm going to be out of town tomorrow.

If I'm not to tired out from the trip I may try to get a couple things done on Sunday.

My plasma (Hypertherm 1250) has arrived. I pretty much have Thought out & made notes on the remainder of what I have to make in the machine shop to get the remainder of the 2nd Z axis together.

If I can get things wired & figure out what all I have to do with creating a second profile in Mach for the plasma. Then create a second table profile in Sheetcam TNG.

I drilled the holes in the stepper end bell & tapped them for 1/4"-20 to make mounting the motor easier.

Removed the open bearing I was using for mock up from the ball screw & replaced it with a new double sealed bearing. Installed the shaft coupler to the screw, the coupler also acts as the bearing retainer.

The last pic shows the assembly all bolted together. The single set screw on the outer housing is merely a plug for the access hole to tighten the motor coupler to the motor shaft

Millman, thanks for the response/pics, everything is coming along great when do you suspect youll have it up and running...?

Millman, thanks for the response/pics, everything is coming along great when do you suspect youll have it up and running...?

Thanx for the favorable comments. Please send me a pocket full of ROUNDTUITS!! I could certainly use it right now. I have little time of the evenings with my 11 yr old daughters school year winding down. Besides that She is my fishing buddy & the river out back is starting to look pretty good on the weekends.

That being said Who knows!! I should be able to finish most or all the mechanical stuff in 8-12 hrs of uninterrupted (Yeah Right) work time.

I'm pretty good with a computer in general but still pretty much an Idiot when it comes to fooling around in MACH so Only the CNC gods know how long it will take me to integrate the plasma & ox fuel together & make that work......

Any more simple questions? LMAO

Please send me a pocket full of ROUNDTUITS!!

Hope this attachment is what you wanted.:p

I've been following your conversion with interest.
The addition of a plasma unit to your already useful machine should make it very versatile.

Don't let the new Mach profile scare you.
Probably a few hours on the riverbank with a fishing pole & you'll figure it out.

I'm jealous.
I purchased my 1250 for $5800 and that was with a huge 'discount' and it only came with the machine torch and I also bought the fine cut kit at the same time. I have just fitted the relay card in the Hypertherm 2 days ago and it has rained every day since and it rarely rains here. Annual rainfall of 9 inches.
I have only just started to get back into fixing the table up and reformatting the hard drive again so I can put it to work as I haven't been able to get to it for about 5 months due to getting married and running the shop for the missus and working 12 hour shifts at work........"when will it ever end ?"
I am using roller chain on mine, as the rack and pinion drive was hugely expensive, and it is pretty smooth in use. A lot better than I first thought but the sprockets need to be 20 tooth and over to stop the cogging effect for smooth motion.
I will have to get up a video of it in use when it's done and post on YouTube.
Keep up your good work and I hope it all goes well for you.
Rich.

I'm jealous.
I purchased my 1250 for $5800 and that was with a huge 'discount' and it only came with the machine torch and I also bought the fine cut kit at the same time. I have just fitted the relay card in the Hypertherm 2 days ago and it has rained every day since and it rarely rains here. Annual rainfall of 9 inches.
I have only just started to get back into fixing the table up and reformatting the hard drive again so I can put it to work as I haven't been able to get to it for about 5 months due to getting married and running the shop for the missus and working 12 hour shifts at work........"when will it ever end ?"
I am using roller chain on mine, as the rack and pinion drive was hugely expensive, and it is pretty smooth in use. A lot better than I first thought but the sprockets need to be 20 tooth and over to stop the cogging effect for smooth motion.
I will have to get up a video of it in use when it's done and post on YouTube.
Keep up your good work and I hope it all goes well for you.
Rich.

Funny thing on the HT 1250 is, If you want both torches it's much cheaper to buy the machine with hand torch. Then purchase the machine torch seperate. You don't get the CNC interface cable that way but it's only about $120.00 US if you need it I didn't.

On the Married thing NO COMMENT :)

The rat race ends when you are pushing up daiseys!! NOT a good alternative.

Many use roller chain & report good results. I looked in that direction but knowing my table would see nearly daily usage I was afraid of maintenance issues over the long haul.

I was given an interesting tidbit on the use of roller chain in less than an ideal environment just this weekend. My first cousin is plant maintenance foreman (22 yrs) at a porcelan tile factory. They literally have miles of roller chain running on automated conveyor lines. Porcelan tile being made of finely ground sand(s), clay(s) & similar gritty ingerdients you can imagine the wear problems. Cousin says they get far better life to run it completely dry. Even rust isn't as bad as the grit being carried in & clinging to by lubrication. After thinking it over, sounds reasonable to me. Especially since it isn't high speed & heat wouldn't be a problem.

I'd enjoy seeing a video of your work under power....

Neil

Hope this attachment is what you wanted.:p

I've been following your conversion with interest.
The addition of a plasma unit to your already useful machine should make it very versatile.

Don't let the new Mach profile scare you.
Probably a few hours on the riverbank with a fishing pole & you'll figure it out.

River bank He** I'll be on my river Yacht LOL.

I'll post up a couple pics of my actual rig once I get it out of moth balls.

I wish now I had purchased the 10'er. But still these little boats are amaxingly stable & plenty roomy enough for 2 people. Just not enough room for a full days BEER STORAGE!!:cheers:

Yes, I got ripped off with the CNC cable that came with the machine. I didn't need it but it is included in the purchase price and also sent with the machine.
I wasn't going to lubricate the chain with regular oily lubricants but with a dry lube in a spray can.
We used to spray a MoS2 (Molybdinum DiSulphide) coating on the rotors of the air driven scraper winches used in underground mining, when I was an apprentice long ago, and it dried like a coating of graphite but not as easily worn off. It foams when applied so should penetrate the rollers quite easily.
I can't for the life of me remember what the can was called though but I will google for something similar and try it out as the original probably isn't made anymore. The air rotors were herringbone gears and lasted for years.
Maybe you could let the cousin know that there are dry lubricants out there that perform really well in adverse conditions. I think the MoS2 is the slipperiest compound around.
I was hoping for some free time at work lately to do a bit of work on my updated Z axis but we are having a lot of breakdowns at the moment so I have to put other stuff on hold.
I hear you on the marriage side. It's taken me 30 years to find a good one that I want to settle down with and now it's too late to have kids. Hers will have to do and they are really great and "are all growed up" which isn't too bad a thing. :-)
I'll keep practicing though 'cause you never know.!!!! ;-)

Mono, One of my employees brought in a can of "Dry Lube" & spryed a bit of it in some bearings on an overhead hoist trolley that we could hear & feel the bearings clunking around. It didn't quieten them any but it sure made it roll smoother. I'll ask him what it is & get back to you.

I have some of my product in the coal fields down under. Have 4 more items for Australia on my up coming to do list. Not sure right now of the scheduled completion date but I already have purchase orders for them.

That's great about the parts you send to the coal fields. Are they big parts? I'm just curious about freight etc as it's a killer here.
The new parts sound interesting.
How is the upgrade going? I saw an add for a Hypertherm G3 plasma cutter yesterday up in Queensland and they wanted $8500 for it. Don't know if it was the 1000, 1250 or the 1650 but it sure was expensive and makes me feel a bit better after buying mine for $5800.

I just remembered the name of the spray. It was MolyKote but I don't remember what number was after it ( like MolyKote-111 etc )

Mono, The dry lube that Ron brought in here is made by Amsoil, he'll get me the exact name, # later today.

Yep the parts are pretty heavy (1) of them is a trunion axle. The 64" version of it weighs about 1500# Another part is called a Cable Guide They go apx. 150-200# each.

I don't deal with the freight end. I'm just 1 supplier of many that makes up a "package deal" Someone on down the line ships them. I'll try to post up a couple pics of similar parts. The Aussie parts are esentially the same just a few different specs. Bolt pattern(s) thread size(s) etc.

:violin:Mono, The Dry lube Ron used on the trolley is made by Amsoil & is labeled MP HD

Label states "it does not collect dust" & Heavy Duty Metal Protector. I haven't used the stuff myself so can't really report to you on just how "DRY" the stuff is after sprayed on.



I have found a couple hours to complete my Z axis actuator, That is all but final assembly. I've put off a bit doing the last couple pieces simply because I don't much like working with small parts. Also having to catch a lathe & milling machine that's not set up for paying production work.

The first pic is of the bottom plug for the inner aluminum tube.

I'll post a couple pics of the final assembly once I get the balls back in the ball nut & it all bolted together & :violin:

EDIT:

Well here it is (last 3 pictures) all buttoned up ready to be installed. Now on to building the Z slide & floating head. Hopefully that will move along much faster than building this drive. The slide(s) are much more straight forward & not near as many high precision parts to machine..

Hi Millman, i have problems with the warping of the plate, cutting with oxyfuel, how do you change the heigth of the torch, manually?
Thanks
Luis

Hi Millman, i have problems with the warping of the plate, cutting with oxyfuel, how do you change the heigth of the torch, manually?
Thanks
Luis

Yes I chase it manually. It's not a big problem for me as most metal I cut is 3/8" & above.

Hey millman,

Just droppin in to see how things are coming along with the z axis. I seen the pics of your sheilded actuator and I must say it turned out really nice. Keep me informed on you floating head, I will be building mine in about three weeks I suspect....

I have my Plasma Z backplate with main linear rail mounted & the floating rail mounted to that. Just a matter now of machining, attachint the torch holder, limit switch, make mounting points for the actuator, etc. etc. Then change out the rail on the gantry & attach the O/A Z to the new stuff.

Then get it all figured out in Mach.

Few more pics of some work on my Z axis.

Need to make switch mount, actuator mounts, stop for floating head & mount torch holder.

Hi Millman,
Thanks for the info on the spray. I bought a can of dry PTFE lube the other day to try that out and see how it goes. I have been away for a few weeks so haven't caught up with much lately and a few things have broken around the house that I have had to fix so the plasma cutter is on hold for a few more days. The Z axis I am building should be finished soon and I am trying out a different approach and one I used on a smaller wood router previously.
I will direct couple a toothed belt to the slide and use an idler at the bottom and a motor at the top which is a very simple arrangement and easy to implement and also attach a spring for some counterbalance.
I was going to use an acme screw with Poly-acetyl anti backlash nut but decided to go with the belt drive first and see how it pans out.
I should slap up a couple of pics to show all and sundry but I have been lazy in taking them.
I procrastinate way too much lately. I did do a couple of carvings for the kitchen island on the wood router which I will finish off and attach soon and I also have a few orders for 100 laser engraved shot glasses and 4 mirror engravings. Then I can put up the rear veranda across the back of the house.
Oh, such is the gift of work!!!
Keep up the good quality pics and thanks for keeping us informed. This is a good thread.
Rich.

Hey Milly,
Just a thought.
I think I remember somewhere that you adjust the height of your oxy torch by hand and I just went to the Rutex site and noticed they have a capacitive torch height sensor for $99.
I don't know if you would use it on the oxy setup you have because you only cut thick stuff but it is a bit of useful info if ever you need it.
I'm getting back to my plasma table today after a couple of months away from it and I hope to be able to get the bug out of it over the next few days. I go through a tip every time I use it and it gets expensive after a few hours of running as the tip plunges into the job and buries the tip.
I am also using rusted old plate which would probably stuff up the voltage sensing so i might just go out and buy a sheet of galvo and cut it up for testing.
I hope you've got your setup running properly by now and I haven't seen a post from you for a while so I do hope that's a good thing and you are busy making lots of parts.

http://www.rutex.com/us/index.php?productID=117

That is the link to the height sensor.
Be well
Rich.
P.S. I have looked around for an oxy setup for my rig in case one day I want to cut thicker than 3/4 plate but can't find any info on them anywhere and they are like hens teeth here in Aus. Damn hard to find anything that is very specific that's in a niche market.

Hey Milly,
Just a thought.
I think I remember somewhere that you adjust the height of your oxy torch by hand and I just went to the Rutex site and noticed they have a capacitive torch height sensor for $99.
I don't know if you would use it on the oxy setup you have because you only cut thick stuff but it is a bit of useful info if ever you need it.
I'm getting back to my plasma table today after a couple of months away from it and I hope to be able to get the bug out of it over the next few days. I go through a tip every time I use it and it gets expensive after a few hours of running as the tip plunges into the job and buries the tip.
I am also using rusted old plate which would probably stuff up the voltage sensing so i might just go out and buy a sheet of galvo and cut it up for testing.
I hope you've got your setup running properly by now and I haven't seen a post from you for a while so I do hope that's a good thing and you are busy making lots of parts.

http://www.rutex.com/us/index.php?productID=117

That is the link to the height sensor.
Be well
Rich.
P.S. I have looked around for an oxy setup for my rig in case one day I want to cut thicker than 3/4 plate but can't find any info on them anywhere and they are like hens teeth here in Aus. Damn hard to find anything that is very specific that's in a niche market.

Except for the machine torch body itself I'd think you could fins regulators, hose etc fairly easily. Machine torch barrels show up on Ebay quite regularly.

I haven't moved beyond my last posting with the plasma install. I had a couple guys quit about the time the economy took a crap. I've jusn not hired anyone back for fear of having to lay them off. That leaves me doing mostly production work & very little time for my torch project.

It's beginning to look like I am just going to have to take a couple weekends & get it done.

Millman, Could you send me your xml file used for oxyfuel cutting,
Thanks
Luis

Other thing I want to do is conect A switch to the UBOB and map it to THC down and THC UP to move the torch when is working, )oxyfuel= so I can handle th warping opf the plate.
I made some trials but did not work .
Anyone Know how to conect it _
Thanks
Luis