oxy fuel rates

[rmkscrambler]

Hi I just finished building a cnc plasma table, well shouldn't say finished but its up and running any how

I manage a small machine shop the plasma table was a side project, and I mentioned it to one of my customers and he brought me a fair sized job to bid out of 1-1/2" plate. So I am going to quickly add oxy fuel to handle the thicker plate but not sure the best way to calculate cost. I have run some numbers a few different ways figuring time and shop rate and I come up with about 20-25 cents per inch but after doing some research in the internet I found a governmental report showing cost of oxy fuel for 1" plate being about $1.05 per inch which seems outrageous to me.
So my question is am I in the ballpark with my figures. That and what methods do others use to figure cost for oxy fuel cutting?

sorry just not enough experience with oxy fuel on machine torches.
thanks for any help

also I will probably be using propane but not set in stone yet

[harryn]

Hi, I don't know the answer to your question, but I have been hearing more about oxy - gasoline based cutting torches lately. The economics appear to be pretty interesting, but I have no personal experience. Here is a link to one outfit that makes them.

http://www.petrogen.com/

[rmkscrambler]

Thanks I will look into this I know a guy in town who purchased a oxy gasoline torch not sure of the brand but I will check with him to see how he likes it.
It would defiantly be nice to avoid dealing with the local gas dealer. I get decent prices only because I have reported them to their corporate for price gouging other wise they charge $200 for a small bottle of gold gas I pay $30.
which is why I was leaning towards propane.

with my other question my customer actually requested a bid in price per in of cut. Since I haven't priced things this way before I was hoping others may have
an idea of the cost per in. So I figured I would set a price for 1" plate multiply it by the plate thickness and then by linear inches of cut. So well see what happens.

[WSS]

Originally Posted by rmkscrambler Thanks I will look into this I know a guy in town who purchased a oxy gasoline torch not sure of the brand but I will check with him to see how he likes it. It would defiantly be nice to avoid dealing with the local gas dealer. I get decent prices only because I have reported them to their corporate for price gouging other wise they charge $200 for a small bottle of gold gas I pay $30. which is why I was leaning towards propane. with my other question my customer actually requested a bid in price per in of cut. Since I haven't priced things this way before I was hoping others may have an idea of the cost per in. So I figured I would set a price for 1" plate multiply it by the plate thickness and then by linear inches of cut. So well see what happens.

How did the job go (if it's finished)? Propane is clean and efficient. Pre-heating 1.5" plate with a standard LP tip will take about 2 minutes per pierce. Chain cut if you can. If you have internal cuts, make sure you add that time/cost into the mix. If you have a hi/lo setup you can pierce in about 30 seconds (give or take)

Cheers!
WSS

[rmkscrambler]

Originally Posted by WSS How did the job go (if it's finished)? Propane is clean and efficient. Pre-heating 1.5" plate with a standard LP tip will take about 2 minutes per pierce. Chain cut if you can. If you have internal cuts, make sure you add that time/cost into the mix. If you have a hi/lo setup you can pierce in about 30 seconds (give or take) Cheers! WSS

Well That job was canceled corporate cant decide if they want to rebuild or buy new. That and I have been tied up at work so haven't had a chance to play with it. I guess I should in case they change their minds again. 3rd time now.

[WSS]

Originally Posted by rmkscrambler Well That job was canceled corporate cant decide if they want to rebuild or buy new. That and I have been tied up at work so haven't had a chance to play with it. I guess I should in case they change their minds again. 3rd time now.

Being tied up with work is a good thing! Our shop has been getting busier this last few months. It feels like it might actually stay busy for awhile.

This thread has some good info with oxy/fuel:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98346

WSS

[rmkscrambler]

Originally Posted by WSS Being tied up with work is a good thing! Our shop has been getting busier this last few months. It feels like it might actually stay busy for awhile. This thread has some good info with oxy/fuel: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98346 WSS

Thanks for the link I had actually programed all edge starts and chain cuts because I didn't want to deal with pierces not knowing what I was getting into I figured I could play it safe that way. Of course I know i couldn't get away with this on all jobs.

I think the main reason for the pickup at work is the vacation I had planed
It never fails. But hopefully things will keep going so far it is looking good.

[asuratman]

Hi WSS,
I have Victor 210N, there are 2 hose. I think 1 hose is for LPG line, what is another hose used for? I have tried using oxy/acetylene on this cutting torch. Thanks.

[WSS]

Originally Posted by asuratman Hi WSS, I have Victor 210N, there are 2 hose. I think 1 hose is for LPG line, what is another hose used for? I have tried using oxy/acetylene on this cutting torch. Thanks.

Hi asuratman!

That is a good torch (I have two of them).

The "2" refers to the lines in, meaning one for oxygen and the other for the cutting fuel. It has a handle for turning on the cut pressure. the "10" refers to the barrel length in inches. The "N" refers to type of fuel it can use. Yours is good for any fuel BUT acetylene. That being said, propane works very well with clean cuts and very little slag/dross. You can change the mixer to a "A" (acetylene) style, but generally it is better to buy one with the mixer installed. If you are using it on a CNC table, a MT310-A or N would work better. You can trigger the cut line with a input to a oxy safe solenoid.

Good to hear from you!

WSS

[WSS]

Originally Posted by rmkscrambler Thanks for the link I had actually programed all edge starts and chain cuts because I didn't want to deal with pierces not knowing what I was getting into I figured I could play it safe that way. Of course I know i couldn't get away with this on all jobs. I think the main reason for the pickup at work is the vacation I had planed It never fails. But hopefully things will keep going so far it is looking good.

Vacations will do it every time. Plan one a month and be busy forever!

Edge starts will allow the part to shift with the gap where you started, sometimes causing out of tolerance parts. Try a circle with a edge start first to make sure your plate does not shift too much. If my circle looks like a "G", then I will try to clamp the plate (or really cheat and tack weld it to a slat)

WSS