CNC Plasma Cutter Table Build 3x2m including THC and watertable

[AndiKid]

Hey to everybody in this great forum. After being interested, studying and then planning a CNC Plasma Table for a long time now I finally decided to go ahead and get my project off the ground.

My name is Andreas and I am 29 years old and live in Berlin / Germany.

After getting so inspired by Dave's machine I decided, that this is exactly the way I want to go and then started by laying out and planning my table in Rhino 3D.

I want to quickly take the chance to explictly thank Dave so much for his incredibly nice built table as an inspiration, and even more, I want to thank him for his outstanding kindness and support! Vielen vielen Dank!!

First step of the build, was to come up with the dimensions. I decided to go with the measurent of 3x2 meters since this is the maximum width of my door in the shop so this size will come in handy if I ever want to take it out of my shop.

It is also perfect for standard medium sized sheets which in Germany are 2,50m x 1,25m and it will also hold a large sized sheet which is 3m x 1,50m.

I then cut and built the Frame out of 100x100x4mm cold rolled steel tube and the cross beams out of 60x60x3mm. The cross beams will be my under construction to hold the waterbed.

I also wanted to absolutely make sure the table will be mobile so I put heavy duty wheels as well as heavy duty mounting feet.

So here is a picture of my ready welded frame:

[GaryCorlew]

Very nice work!!

[AndiKid]

Thank you Gary, I tried to keep the warping to a minimum but it was very difficult.

I will try to compensate the small warps in a later stage of the build. The precision is very very important to me since I want to use my machine as a router as well.

After finishing the table welding I tried set up and allign the linear rails. They are from Hiwin and they are expensive.. But they are mega precise and will give the machine a good base.

Because my shop has a very uneven floor and I dont have a floorplate or anything i can use as a reference, I used cold rolled angle irons, attached them across the table and used them as a reference.

I then used one of my linear rails as a spacer and then made a center punch that precisely fit the holes of the Hiwins.

I would be very happy about people giving me their opinion on this since I don't feel it's perfect at all, but as Dave said the THC will compensate for minor irregularities but it worries me very much about the routing function.

[Boogiemanz1]

Andy, what size are your linear rails? I am going to build a plasma machine, but want it heavy enough to change it to a router later, if I decide to build a different plasma table. I am planning on using the hiwin also but am having a hard time deciding on which ones..................jb

[MBG]

Very nice, I will be following this build.

[AndiKid]

Thank you very much MBG. I really appreciate your friendly message.

I will keep on posting and really hope for the support and input of the people in the forum for the upcoming problems and challenges.

@Boogiemanz1

These are the linear rails that I chose for my machine:

6 x HGW30 HC ZA H
2 x HGR30R 3000 H
1 x HGR30R 2000 H

They are for sure very big and maybe a little overdosed but I prefer the safety and strength too make sure I don't encounter problems on such a vital part of the machine.

I also ordered for the rails, instead of the standard plastic caps, copper caps to avoid dust and dirt in the rails.

One important thing I did wrong in my choice is that the "sleds" (i don't know how you call them in english) are the version with the red plastic ends and the HGW sleds are also available in version with metal ends.

[Boogiemanz1]

Thanks ANDI, I have down to order the Heavy duty 30mm slides, I'm sure that the 25 mm would be all I never need, but overbuilding things seems to be a sickness with me. Hopefully I can keep my gantry light enough that I can achieve the speeds necessary for light material. Thanks again for your reply, and I'll be watching your progress...jb

[AndiKid]

So, I made some more progress in the build and finished drilling the holes and counterbores to attach the Hiwins.

The wall of my steel tube is only 4mm and that seems not enough for me to create a strong taper connection. So I decided to use blind rivet nuts to create a really solid reception of the bolts. You find some pics attached.

I also designed the aluminum waterbed in Rhino and then ordered huge sheet of 3mm aluminum (4m x 2m) and had the four edges bent by a company since my bench in the shop only bends 1,5m sheets.

The bending was € 89,- which translates to approx. $ 120,- so I think this is a very good investment to avoid problems and save time. I then only had to weld the four small corners and waterbed was done.

Next I will attach the rails, design and create the slatholders and try to place the rack.

[AndiKid]

and here's the rest..

[Boogiemanz1]

Very nice work Andeas. I have been torn between adjusters on the bottom or wheels. I have 12foot doors on both of my buildings and a fork lift, I think I will go with adjusters. My wall thickness is 0.186", not much more than yours, so I will keep your blind nuts in mind also. Thank you for posting the photos. I am still gathering parts , and will begin building my machine in the next thirty days................jb

[AndiKid]

I have used both adjusters and wheels. Meaning, when the table sits on the adjusters the wheels are up in the air. Then I level the tabel by adjusting each individual mounting foot.

When I then put the table back on the wheels I just lift the table a few inches up with a jack and then turn the adjusters so far up so the table will be back on the wheels.

The pic hopefully explains it better..

[dnelso]

Andreas
Looks very nice.
Dave