Aussie Plasma Build


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    Default Aussie Plasma Build


    Hi all, I'm Will from Queensland, Australia and I've decided to start a CNC Plasma Build. After drawing up some plans in fusion 360, Ive decided to jump in with both feet and give this build a crack. I ordered the steel last week and it come in yesterday. Living out in the sticks tends to make things move a little slower when it comes to the delivery side of things. But anyways I picked up all 900kg of it and we started cutting all the parts from the 4mm plate this morning. Unfortunately I won't be about to get to the table for a week or so but I'd like to share my build and get some input from everyone . Here are some pics of the gantry bits and some other parts we cut today and I started just dry fitting it.







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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Do you cut with your cnc plasma? its good cut. What the plan with your cnc plasma build ?



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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Yeah the parts were cut on a mates plasma cam table. I just find their tables to flimsy for the applications that I will require. I designed the table to be 3600x1900 as Im planning on making a lower cost custom design fencing and gate panels for customers, plus it opens up more opportunities. Scroll work gets expensive in labour and steel.

    Unfortunately due to other commitments I can't start until the end of next week which is frustrating

    Because of the decision to restructure the business and this is the last gate of this type I'm making and it'll go out the front of my house.






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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Got started on the table made some cuts and laid some welds. The way it was designed I had to start making the legs first. Anyways here's some pics.

    The very first cut.



    Using laser to help level.




    Tacked squared and braced



    Welding it up.




    And welded up the feet.






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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    It looks big table, how big? Do you use stepper or servo?



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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Overall dimensions are 3600x2100 and I've decided to go with clearpath servos. Cheers



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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Will, good to see another Queenslander building a quality DIY Plasma table. Mine is only about 1300 x 1200 and after 10 months, I'm nearly there. The gantry is built so it won't be long before its together.



    Rod Webster
    www.vmn.com.au


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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Thanks mate. You'll be done in no time and it looks bloody strong to. It's hard to find Aussie cnc products but I'm going to give the masso a go for the controller.



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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Quote Originally Posted by Willpower View Post
    Thanks mate. You'll be done in no time and it looks bloody strong to. It's hard to find Aussie cnc products but I'm going to give the masso a go for the controller.
    Thanks Will, my controller is running on the bleeding edge of LinuxCNC. When I get it going, I think it will be fantastic, no external hardware other than a $100 daughter card to read the torch voltage. Everything will be integrated with the motion controller but the software has been a lot of work.

    Rod Webster
    www.vmn.com.au


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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Your build looks great Will. I'll be following its progress from now on. Keep up the great work.

    Being outside the square !!!


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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    That's awesome Rod. Do you have a thread about the controller?
    Thanks ynneb, appreciate the feedback.

    Got more done, a little disappointed that I didn't get further but I made sure that I was perfectly level and I'm square and dimensionally correct to the mm. I'm bolted to the floor and once I weld a solid cross brace on underneath I can start the water table and remove all the temperory bracing









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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Quote Originally Posted by Willpower View Post
    That's awesome Rod. Do you have a thread about the controller?
    Well kinda. I'm using a Mesa 7176e Ethernet controller and their THCAD voltage to frequency converter card that is designed for plasma applications. It converts torch voltage to a frequency that comes into LinuxCNC as an encoder count on the spindle input. You can read about my build here but I have not updated it for a while
    https://forum.linuxcnc.org/show-your...a-cutter-build

    When you visit, make sure you check out the new plasma section which is where the bleeding edge activity is (including a few plasma components I've written). There is a still experimental branch of LinuxCNC that gives plasma the support lt needs includes a PID based Torch Height component.

    Rod Webster
    www.vmn.com.au


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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    That sounds interesting I'll read up on it.

    Today progress has been attaching permanent bracing and removing temporary bracing also made a start on the perimeter of the the water tray.









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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Looks really good Will. I've spent the day on software and have pretty much completed the LinuxCNC configuration. I had surgery on my finger on Good Friday after I stuck a milling cutter into it, so I am still avoiding the hands on stuff. I have just found an obscure feature in LinuxCNC that will allow me to read variables from the screen (pins in linuxcnc speak) in gcode. It stumped me for a while until I worked out the gcode interpreter does not like upper case characters in pin names.

    I'd like to squeeze in one more variable on this screen if I can!



    You can see this GUI is designed for a touch screen. I've modified it pretty heavily from one of the LinuxCNC standard interfaces.

    Sorry for the Hijack.

    Rod Webster
    www.vmn.com.au


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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    That's ok mate I don't mind at all. Have you considered putting a feedhold and stop button on your main screen so that if you have issues with the tip contacting the scrap or dirt in tip that you can stop, clean tip, rewind gcode and continue on?

    Had a lazy Sunday. Lazy as in worked on it all day and looked back and saw hardly and progress lol. I'm up to the water tray. I'm a structural welder not a sheet metal worker, so it seems no matter what I do to manage the heat it still buckles a bit on me. I've decided to weld the tray up completely first then come back to grind and smooth out last. If I was to offer advice it would be to have tray bent up and then only weld the corner shut.





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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Quote Originally Posted by Willpower View Post
    That's ok mate I don't mind at all. Have you considered putting a feedhold and stop button on your main screen so that if you have issues with the tip contacting the scrap or dirt in tip that you can stop, clean tip, rewind gcode and continue on?
    WIll, yes, thats all on another tab you get to by the buttons on the right hand side. The current tab is for jogging, then there is another MDI tab for entering manual gcode and below that is the run tab where you load gcode etc It has the controls you mention. I've also got external buttons for Run/Step and Pause/Resume together with some cool warning lights. I've got a traffic light mast to go on top of the machine that will mirror these lights so you can see from a distance whats going on. Here's what I mean. Some people think its cool!



    Rod Webster
    www.vmn.com.au


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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Nice I was wanting to put the lights up aswell got other things to do other than stand around a machine and even tho it would go silent there's still to much noise going on that I'd notice.

    Well I don't much care for sheet metal work haha. What a nightmare today has been. No matter what I did I couldn't stop it from buckling on me. I'll just have to flatten it out when I put it back in the frame.









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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Another day done and still just working on the water tray. So I fully seam welded from underneath and put the tray back in the frame and spent most of the day getting the heat buckle out of it. I got it really close to being flat again and tomorrow I'll get the rest done and hopefully start working on the sump at the other end. Then it's on the make the slat adjusters so I can raise and lower the slats for different tasks and it gives me adjustability to get them flat.

    Anyways here's some progress pics









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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Worked on the sump today and started putting on the rail support brackets











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    Default Re: Aussie Plasma Build

    Must be a Queenslander thing that we don't do things by halves

    Great looking machine there Willpower. Look forward to seeing it finished.

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Aussie Plasma Build-20150212_135828-jpg  
    If my post is missing the n't you might have to mentally add it yourself.


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