Plasma Water Table Parts Retrieval

[Stout]

I just went from a dry table to a water table and need ideas on how to retrieve the cut parts that fall through the slats. The water level is currently not adjustable.

I tried a magnet but missed several parts for one job that were recovered during a later job. Ooops. Now I am just digging around with my hands in the water to find the parts. The magnet I used was one of those 2x16" handled models for finding screws after a roof job. Maybe it doesn't have the guts to pick up the parts. The steel dust sticking to the magnet seemed to inhibit the parts. Any suggestions from anyone?

I did clean out the table yesterday after one week's use. I picked up over a gallon of steel dust and it took over an hour. Next time I'll try pulling out the slats instead of going between them. How do you handle this type of cleaning?

[mario@a1fab]

Maybe make a wire grate/screen the size of the water tank that you can sink in the water then rise up when you loose parts in the drink?

[HC B]

Hello, I have a CNC plasma table and, while not fully functional (I'm here to post for some suggestions to get it working right) have spent a bit of time on the water table design. Maybe this will help, maybe not.

What it seems to me is simply this: when you drop something in the water, retrieving it is hit or miss unless you can see the item (I also scuba dive and trust me that items don't always end up at the bottom at the same X and Y coordinates they were dropped at).

You have two options that will be reliable, I think. One, make the table drain to a storage tank. Build/buy a tank with adequate volume to store the fluid from the table. Seal it off and apply air pressure TO the tank to fill your table with a hose/tube to the table bottom, relieve the pressure in the storage tank to allow the table to drain. Place the storage tank with the top of it below your table bottom so gravity will allow the fluid to flow into it. The tank may have to be low and flat and long. Place some magnets (rare earth neodymium works great, like you find on old hard drive magnets) near the drain(s) to collect the dross/slag/droppings.

Two, use clear liquid for the water in the table. I've heard (but not yet tried) that Washing Soda works as a rust-inhibitor for plasma tanks/water. Wash soda may be hard to come by (it is for me in my small town). However, Ph Plus products (I think it's plus...pretty sure...but double check it) are Sodium Carbonate (not Sodium Bicarbonate like baking soda). This raises the Ph making the water alkalinic (?) not acidic. Supposedly that works. I've used the Ph Plus (IIRC it's plus, not minus, but I've used both) for electrolysis and the solution is clear. You could then see your parts.

HTH

--HC

[crowdog]

The Jancey company has a tool called a MagBrush, I used one at my former employer and I think it works great. I havent gotten one of my own yet but I will. Jancey also builds Magnetic base drills.

[magma-joe]

Originally Posted by Stout I just went from a dry table to a water table and need ideas on how to retrieve the cut parts that fall through the slats. The water level is currently not adjustable. I tried a magnet but missed several parts for one job that were recovered during a later job. Ooops. Now I am just digging around with my hands in the water to find the parts. The magnet I used was one of those 2x16" handled models for finding screws after a roof job. Maybe it doesn't have the guts to pick up the parts. The steel dust sticking to the magnet seemed to inhibit the parts. Any suggestions from anyone? I did clean out the table yesterday after one week's use. I picked up over a gallon of steel dust and it took over an hour. Next time I'll try pulling out the slats instead of going between them. How do you handle this type of cleaning?

Stout,

Look at the pics in the link below. If you place a screen just below the slats and about 1" below the water level, retreiving your parts will be easy. As mentioned earlier, using a clear plasma quench mix is also required. Having the water level about 4" below the top of the slats will give a happy medium between controlling the smoke and splashing water everywhere while cutting.

When it is time to clean the table the method I use is to drain the table, remove all slats, screen etc, scoop out as much muck as possible and then use a wet / dry shop vacume to get the rest.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/cnc_pl...ant_water.html

Magma-joe

[HC B]

Originally Posted by HC B Hello, I have a CNC plasma table and, while not fully functional (I'm here to post for some suggestions to get it working right) have spent a bit of time on the water table design. Maybe this will help, maybe not. What it seems to me is simply this: when you drop something in the water, retrieving it is hit or miss unless you can see the item (I also scuba dive and trust me that items don't always end up at the bottom at the same X and Y coordinates they were dropped at). You have two options that will be reliable, I think. One, make the table drain to a storage tank. Build/buy a tank with adequate volume to store the fluid from the table. Seal it off and apply air pressure TO the tank to fill your table with a hose/tube to the table bottom, relieve the pressure in the storage tank to allow the table to drain. Place the storage tank with the top of it below your table bottom so gravity will allow the fluid to flow into it. The tank may have to be low and flat and long. Place some magnets (rare earth neodymium works great, like you find on old hard drive magnets) near the drain(s) to collect the dross/slag/droppings. Two, use clear liquid for the water in the table. I've heard (but not yet tried) that Washing Soda works as a rust-inhibitor for plasma tanks/water. Wash soda may be hard to come by (it is for me in my small town). However, Ph Plus products (I think it's plus...pretty sure...but double check it) are Sodium Carbonate (not Sodium Bicarbonate like baking soda). This raises the Ph making the water alkalinic (?) not acidic. Supposedly that works. I've used the Ph Plus (IIRC it's plus, not minus, but I've used both) for electrolysis and the solution is clear. You could then see your parts. HTH --HC

I've got my water table done. I put about 4 cups of sodium carbonate in it. The table is rusting anyway (filled for a week). Maybe not as much as if it was plain water but I don't know. I would not recommend its use. I will try the sodium nitrite when it arrives (on order).

--HC

[flyinwilly]

I made screen baskets that sit in the bottom of the water tray. I do most of my cutting over one section of the table so I didn't need to cover the whole tray.

As for quench, there is a formula somewhere here on one of the threads that use sodium nitrite ( NOT nitrate) and a fungicide to kill algea/ mold. It works great - I've not had any rust at all in over 4 months of use.

To clean the table, pick out the larger pieces and then use a large rubberized magnet to sweep the tray. The sludge that is left on the bottom of the tray is magnetic and the magnet picks it right up. I have a fine mesh screen over the drain which goes back to the storage tank so I have to clean it this way. I am thinking of adding another drain for just washing out the table.

Willy