I built the same cnc table with oxy. I have tried to use solenoid and a relay, no success. Do you think should have post processor to control up and down with mach3 ? Have you tried to use feather touch ?
What is everyone using for a post processor?
My plasma post touches off the work to find material height. That will not work with the oxy setup. I tried a few other posts that came with sheetcam but none seemed to function right. I am fine doing all manual z movements but I need a way to be able to move the Z up and down while running a program. Right now I can not make any manual Z adjustments while a program is running. I have a solenoid for the cut oxygen so I need the post to fire that as well.
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Last edited by Mikes79Bronco; 03-12-2017 at 01:27 PM.
I built the same cnc table with oxy. I have tried to use solenoid and a relay, no success. Do you think should have post processor to control up and down with mach3 ? Have you tried to use feather touch ?
I can make my plasma post work with the solenoid but I still have the touch off problem. I'm sure that would just be a matter of removing part of the post. I've never edited a post any more than changing offsets and such. I'm not familiar with the coding at all.
I am not looking for it to control Z height during the cut but I would like it to at least retract it at the end of the cut. But I can live with no automatic Z as long as I can control it while a program is running. I have not tried the feather touch with plasma or the oxy torch.
I currently have my solenoid set up on a toggle switch that I flip after the preheat time. It works fine but I would like it automated. I would also like to add solenoids on preheat oxygen and propane in the future with an auto igniter. The torch burning all the time between cuts is annoying.
Did you see my write up posting on running Oxygen ?
I too would like the ability to change "Z axis" during the cut, but I just leveled my table well, so the water is all the same,
as well as the slats.
My torch came with the rack & pinion mount, so I can, carefully reach over and tweak the height if needed during a cut,
but agree, moving "z" during a cut would be better. The oxy torch is not nearly as sensitive to "z" changes as the plasma.
My post does not touch the torch to start, it just rapids to the "z" zero minus the standoff dim, then waits for my push button closure,
when I see the preheat is ready.
I will have to look up which post I use.
How are you activating the cut solenoid ? time ?
Last edited by digger doug; 04-03-2017 at 10:03 AM.