Piercing holes

[tulsaturbo]

I asked the following question on the sheetcam forum under cnczone but got no replies so I figured I would ask here...

Is it possible to have sheetcam, using the plasma cutting tool, just pierce the center of the circle without cutting out the the circle itself? Or just pierce the center of drill cross marking?

[creepy]

I think i read something about using the drill cycle in sheetcam? haven't tried it myself yet.

[tulsaturbo]

Originally Posted by creepy I think i read something about using the drill cycle in sheetcam? haven't tried it myself yet.

After playing around a bit with sheetcam, I think I finally got it figured out with using the drill function. I'll let you know when I test it. It will be nice to just get a pierce right in the center of small holes then drill it out to the correct size...

[hanover owing]

ive bin thinking about a air powered center punch offset from the torch head i dont think pierce holes would be acurate enough

[tulsaturbo]

Well... I can get it to work in sheetcam viewing it as a simulation but when I load it in Mach3, the holes designated as a drill function in sheetcam disappear and all I see is the outline to be cut with plasma.

Does anyone know what I have to do in Mach3 to get it to work? Any suggestions welcomed. I have supplied the link to the file I'm using to test this below:

http://www.needfulthings.net/files/P...DRILL_TEST.job

TIA

[bruce01]

Have you tried to drill out a hole after it has been pierced by a plasma torch?
If you are trying to make a small hole, slightly larger than the pierced hole I am pretty sure you will break every drill bit you try. I have tried to do this with 1/2" hole with minimal success.
Good Luck.

[tulsaturbo]

Originally Posted by bruce01 Have you tried to drill out a hole after it has been pierced by a plasma torch? If you are trying to make a small hole, slightly larger than the pierced hole I am pretty sure you will break every drill bit you try. I have tried to do this with 1/2" hole with minimal success. Good Luck.

I have not been able to get it to work as far as just piercing the center so I have just been making 1/8" holes with the program on 1/8" & 3/16" steel and then drilling the holes up to 1/4" and 3/8". I never had a drill break on me and all the holes drill out smoothly and effortlessly.

I always use Titanium Nitride Coated High Speed Steel Step Drills and never had an issue.

[lowpull]

I use the drill/pierce function in sheetcam. I then use a regular drill bit to drill the piercings out on the drill press. I havent broken a drill bit yet.

[tulsaturbo]

Originally Posted by lowpull I use the drill/pierce function in sheetcam. I then use a regular drill bit to drill the piercings out on the drill press.

Can you explain to me how to do the drill/pierce function in sheetcam... When I thought I had it figured out it did not work when running under Mach3.

Would really appreciate the info...

[Bossman1]

I would really like to know how this is done as well.

[lowpull]

When I am drawing and I want a pierce to drill out, I make it a perfect circle between .2 and .5 diameter. When I bring it into sheetcam I make sure the use points for drilling is checked on the drawing options popup box. In sheetcam I select the circles ( they should have a plus mark in the center.) I move them to a new layer. Or you could have them in their own layer in the dxf file. I choose the drill function in the operations tab. choose the layer with the circles. Choose the plasma tool needed for your thickness. Make sure the min hole size is smaller than your circle size and the max hole size is larger than your circle size. When sheetcam shows the green cut lines you should have a tiny green waggon wheel looking thing in the very center of your circle.
That is what I do.

[tulsaturbo]

Thanks lowpull! You are the man!

Reading your explanation helped determine what I was doing wrong. When selecting the drill funcion, I was using tool:2 - the drill instead of selecting tool:1 - plasma.

Thanks again for setting the record straight on how its done.