What am I doing?

[Homer Simpson]

I am considering buying a torchmate 2, but after discovering this web site I am not so sure? But none the less I still want a cnc plasma cutter. I was also wondering how well and how difficult the marking tool is to use if it is usefull at all. I have edited this post because I have recieved many positive posts about the tracker machine. I thought I had talked to them, maybe the price was to high, but when it comes to something this exspensive it should probably not be a pain to assemble and most of all it should work well and accuratley.Any suggestions about this purchase would be greatly appreciated.

[Med-Pac]

We've had our torchmate for about 5 years now. We are very pleased with the performance, reliability and the customer service. I guess it depends on what you are planning to cut, tolerances you want to hold and your budget.

We cut alum. 24ga-.50 thick; steel 24ga-.750; and a little stainless. Tolerances are .01-.03, depending on the material, size and thickness we're cutting.

Hope that helps ya,

Mike

[jimcolt]

Reconsider PlasmaCam.....I have owned two of them ....absolutely awesome machines for the price! The early machines had a few issues....but the newest models (third generation are hard to beat.

Jim

[DISCONNECTED]

No ones products are perfect.Does not matter what it is(car,tv,motorcycles or cnc plasma cutting machines).You will always hear good and bad things about a product.The only thing I can say is I have never heard anyone complain about a TRACKER CNC CUTTING machine.I personally do not own one,but they were one of my choices when I was looking to buy a machine in the $15,000 to $25,000 dollar range.Now I know what I know about cutting tables and there are some key features you should consider when purchasing a table.Good strong steel frame a must.Drop side gantry a must for loading material especially heavy plate with a forklift.Take it from me it really is a must to have the table that has the ability to be completly open from abstructions(Y axis rails out of the way)if you are going to do any quantity cutting.Do not make the mistake I made.My table cuts good,but having the Y axis rails in the way is a pain in the ass.I can only load material form the front or the back of the machine not the sides.

[jimcolt]

Tracker is a nice machine as well. You really have to research what you want...what you intend to do with it and what your expectations are. There are many many choices.....and of course you also have to factor in the ease of use and affordability.

Ask a lot of questions on this and other forums.....and many people with machines and experience can help!

Just make sure a Hypertherm plasma is on it!

(I had to say that!)

Jim

[vega_winnfield]

I bought a Torchmate 3. Pretty Much all the problems I have had were of the fault of my own and easy to figure out when I called tech support. Which was always good. They always answer your questions and are patient with you. which I appreciate because I had no prior Knowledge or expierence with Machines like these.

[millman52]

I agree with Disconnected. No table is perfect for everyone. For the most part the owners that have researched as fully as possible. The many different packages to fully assembled tables. As well as what will work best for the individuals needs, space ,budget etc. These owners seem to be pretty happy with their purchase.

For my needs I had narrowed it down to (2) Torchmate or Dynatorch. For an entry level table that was large enough + had the features I wanted. I still designed & built my own, because I felt I needed a much heavier frame than either of them provided. I looked at purchasing a gantry kit. Then decided if I was going to build part of it I'd just build it all. Then it would probably suit me best. I am very happy with the results.

If I had it to do over I'd still build my own. Sure I'd change some things. But who wouldn't after the first build. I'm sure that every builder out there changed things on their first marketable table after building the prototype.

The single biggest change I'd make is a 5' X 12'+ table rather than a 5' X 10'. In fact I am upgrading my gantry now to add a 2nd Z axis for plasma.

Happy cutting
Neil

[Homer Simpson]

Where are the best sites to build your own machine? Something I was wondering is one machine more accurate than the other and is the exspensive software worth the price? Man, it gets discouraging when the more serious you get about the purchase the more the price begins to go up with shipping and software. Plus I went as far as saying I will just pick up the machine and the reply was "Then you will have to pay sales tax".
I appreciate everyones help. I need a tool like this quikly for production, but something I want this badly may be my eagerness to have it. I think if it is this important I may give it go at building it and save myself a giant headache and a pile of money.

[millman52]

If you are going to be doing lots of small run yet different parts that you need to nest to a single sheet of metal then you might need more expensive software. I thought I did.

Once I became familiar with Sheetcam & the ability to save manually arrayed & nested sheets I don't see the need for anything more than Mach3, a CAD or Draw program you can use & Sheetcam.

If you need a machine in a hurry You are better off to buy one ready to go. Even if you can dedicate yourself full time & have machine tools (lathe, milling machine,etc.) to work with You are looking at 30-60 days to build, tweak, troubleshoot & finally get the machine to making money. Probably www.candcnc.com plaxpak kit is the best way to go for the electronics if building in a hurry. Their stuff is about as plug & play as you can get for building a table. I feel their quality is second to none also.

This is the best site I know of for "Build it Yourself" table information.

Have you asked TM & DT what their lead time is from Paying for it to actually having it delivered. I'd venture to say you are looking at a couple months at least.

There is much about these folks I like too. I definitely wouldn't buy right now without seriously concidering one of these: http://www.plasmaroutecnc.com/

[pdjcutandfab]

i am in the process of completing the assembly of my new torchmate 3 system. so far the construction of the table exceeds my expectations. the only complaint i have so far is the assembly manual. they could have gone into more depth with the assemly, all the manual shows is isometric pictures with little/no text to go along with it. i researched many different options and felt that the torchmate was my best bang for my buck. i sent them the check and within 2 weeks i had most of my items to start assembly of the machine. i have around 15 hours so far in it and just have to finish some last minute wiring. i hope to be using the machine within the next day or so. if anyone has any pointers as far as using the machine i would appreciate it.

[jmsrbrt]

if anyone has any pointers as far as using the machine i would appreciate it.

Not to be flippant, but I'd say trial and error. There are no 'magic' settings for cutting your metal, you just have to find that window that gives you the best results. When I first started 3 years ago, I had a tough time getting started, but after keeping a log and using the machine & software more, I feel very confident now when I go from drawing to finished product. Yipper.

[ukracer]

If you are going to be doing lots of small run yet different parts that you need to nest to a single sheet of metal then you might need more expensive software. I thought I did.

Once I became familiar with Sheetcam & the ability to save manually arrayed & nested sheets I don't see the need for anything more than Mach3, a CAD or Draw program you can use & Sheetcam.

Are you saying a torchmate system will run with Mach3 and any CAD system or Drawing program??