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  1. #61
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    Nice video Tommy, enjoy your kids because they grow up way to fast....

    Anyways i cut up another sheet and made a few more things for the web site, made a couple vids also but hey didnt turn out that well, between camera batteries and forgetting to turn on the compressor etc... for me cnc plasma isnt like riding a bike, takes me awhile to get back into it after about 3 months sitting idle, but its coming now... i decided to just make gussets out of scrap areas instead of burning a entire sheet up, it doesnt take long to accumulate a pile while using up little areas in between other larger parts, what i am doing is once the main peices are cut out, i bring up the dxf and insert the gussets where ever i can and then delete the peices already cut, then run the file through sheetcam again with just the gussets, so far its worked well....
    Just threw my first sheet of alum on the table and now trying to decide what to cut, Joe you have cut alot of alum, what settings do you recommend for 1/8th using fine cut?

    EDD

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 6'X12' DynaTorch build log-100_1948-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-100_1947-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-100_1950-jpg  


  2. #62
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    A few things i have been doing to occupy my time
    EDD


    "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh1H3YwFUc4"]YouTube - Cutting gussets



  3. #63
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    First new sheet on the table in almost 3 months .... lol

    EDD


    "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VPN5y708D8"]YouTube - dynatorch



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    WSS, I could'nt get your video to play?
    When will the harness arrive?

    Edwardo, Nice videos. What IPM and amperage are you cutting the art with?

    Your question about 1/8" aluminum; use 40 amp fine cut @ 150ipm and 84 arc volts.



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    magma-joe,
    I was wondering if everyone could view it. I need to get Edwardo to explain how he does the you-tube thing. I probably need to sign up w/you-tube and link them to the thread. The harness should have shipped today. I should see it friday. Probably install it over the weekend and give it a try on Monday!

    Edwardo,
    So you do all your drawings in Coreldraw? That is very intricate work. Were you using Corel before you started with CNC? Do you at any point import/export to a cad program? I like the way your machine moves. It is very direct and fluid. I hope mine moves half as smooth! I saw you flip out the tip-up, You seemed to have known were to look and when to snag it. Do you figure that in the drawing as well?

    I can see there is way more to learn here. I am seriously looking forward to it.

    WSS


    PS: I have a thread started for the HP 1250 cut charts. I am hoping to compile some helpful tips like standoff height and such. Any input will be helpul. I will post them as jpg's and pdf's when we finalize a draft on that thread.

    http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89219

    www.metaltechus.com


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    Edwardo,
    I watched the first vid again. That plate did not warp at all (visually). You went right to the edge as well (how did you align it right on?). If that had been oxy on any thickness it would have shifted the plate out of bounds and the torch would have been cutting off the edge. It looked like the remnant held it's shape very well. Is that typical of the plasma cutting you do? I notice the roundness of the artwork as well, they show no signs of warping. I know with art, you can hide a lot in the end, but round is still round and the same for square. I was thinking about tack welding plate to the slats, maybe it won't be required. Which brings up another thing I gotta do, make a center support for off-setting the slats.

    No hick-ups on start-up? Love it when it happens like that! I like to watch CNC machines work. It reminds me of when I saw Star Wars for the first time, I think it was in 1978.

    WSS



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    WSS
    i seriously doubt you need to tack the plate down, i wouldnt... if in time you see a need to stabilize it someway then i would worry about it then.
    Joe im cutting 1/8 @ 79 arc volts, 120 ipm, 38 amps with fine cut.. dry with no water.
    Last few days i have been cutting art from a disc, they come as a bitmap and i convert them to vector in corel, usually i have to disect the drawing as the rings arent as round as i want them, so i make new rings and replace the originals, and add any text i want.. i didnt have a clue about corel or sheetcam or anything cnc up until i bought my DT, i could email and do simple things in excel but that was it.
    It took me a long time to figure things out, i spent weeks trying to figure out converting a bitmap to vector, in the end its a simple few clicks of the mouse, same with sheetcam, weeks trying to figure it out and in the end i was only using the demo version!!! i had'nt loaded the licence DT sent me..lol
    Although slow and frustrating, i have to figure things out learn it my way as then it seems to sink in, corel is great, there are things i will never use and once thats sorted out and i have the basic tools i need then it gets easier, im still finding and trying different tools, mostly short cuts and such, it seems easy now but in the begining it was a real serenity tester....
    Cutting up to the edge of the sheet... i do all my nesting in corel also, hot rolled sheets are 48.25x96.25 so i create a work area in corel 47.8x95.8, this leaves me a safe zone around the outter edge of the sheet, then i place all my drawings in this work area knowing it is smaller than the actual sheet. Once i have nested everything i delete the working area line i created and that just leaves my drawings that i want to cut, export it as a dxf then into sheetcam, if there is any problems with the drawing then sheetcam will pick it up right away and i can go back into the file and correct it. Use the DT post processor in sheetcam and it saves the file as .tap which the DT program can read and load up for cutting and its ready to go...
    Tip ups can happen anywhere at anytime, especially these little odd ball shapes that can pivot in between slats, i have my welding glasses on and watch it like a hawk when cutting, cutting doest always go as planned but its nice when it does, i have crashed my torch and run off the steel, it happens and is part of the learning curve for me...
    For cutting the gussets out of the left over areas, once the main peices are cut and removed from the table, i bring up the original dxf file i used showing the art work, i then lay out the gussets in between the peices already cut, once i have filled in all i can i then delete the art work drawing and am left with only the gusset drawings, then export it the same way and through sheetcam again, i could cut everything in one shot, art and gussets, but sometimes i cut right to the edge of other peices and i wouldnt want to wreck a 2x2 peice of art over a 6" gusset, its just safer this way...
    In DT and sheetcam you set up your table parameters, my working area is set at 50" x 100" this gives me 2" play on the width and 4" on the length, then in sheetcam i set the material size at 48x96, then my sheet size in corel just a hair under that, it just gives me a little room to move the drawing around when cutting a full sheet in one shot, its frustrating to lay everything out then have the DT program say some lines are outside the cutting area, the way im doing it, it eliminates that... but this is just my way of doing it and it works for me.
    As for posting vids, once they are on youtube look in the upper right hand corner you will see a window with URL and Embed below it, left click the URL then right click, copy then paste to your post in cnczone, it wont show as a vid until you preview or post it, but it works...

    EDD

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 6'X12' DynaTorch build log-100_1933-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-100_1934-jpg  


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    Edwardo,
    I agree after looking at the pic of the gussets sitting un-warped in the web/rem, that hold down tacks or clamps won't be necessary with plasma, I am not sure yet with oxy. It may be that the water table will be enough (on my to do list).

    That is some focus and determination to jump right in as you did. Your workflow has a good flow to it, that is what is important. The ability to shuffle and back step or make corrections is paramount to the success of the finished part. It can be as simple as using up your remnants as you did with the gussets (we-cim does something similar). The nesting that you do with Corel is pretty handy. I got lost trying to follow you when you move from Corel to Sheetcam.....Can Corel export a dxf? The raster to vector thing is hard to get ones head around. Once you get it though, the flow moves better. A few years back I was getting pressure from other photographers to shoot in RAW format instead of jpg or tiff (with a camera). Once I could see the advantages it made sense and moved way faster than processing jpgs. Now I can shuffle thousands of files in a couple of hours instead of days. Workflow! The downside is when you take off three months to go and do other things like earn a living. Now we have to retrain you! LOL. Funny story about the demo sheetcam! I got a new mouse for my computer that had way to many buttons that i did not know existed, my old one had one button (basic click). It took me a month to figure out why weird menus were popping up and apps just up and quitting! I still don't like what apple calls "mighty mouse". I switched back to my old one button mouse and have two other old ones hoarded for stormy weather.

    You mentioned you cut some stuff for your website, what's the address? I checked out your thread for cutting vids, very cool idea. I hope to add a few soon. I just got a good size job in today for 1/2" plate that is due late this month, I should have enough time to practice and get some real parts done by then! WML......

    I pounded another ground rod near our DT for good measure yesterday. My father in-law (retired electrician) also recommended that I install a sub panel (110v/220v single phase) next to the table with it's own ground as well for extra measure. So this weekend I will head to Home Depot and rent yet another trencher to make way for the 4 #10awg wires I need to get out the the building. Lots of fun.

    WSS



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    WSS, whats up with the harness install?



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    Funny you should ask! I just got off the the phone with Leon and we toasted another drive board on the slave this time. He is perplexed and so am I. They ran the guts out of it at there facility with no glitches, it gets here and fries on start up. I don't think it is a usual occurrence for DT or someone would have said something on the Zone by now. They are doing all they can, so I am not going to bash em'. It is just one of those things. They are going to next day me a drive board and a add-a-motor harness, It may be that I received my old one back on accident, we couldn't really tell if it was the original or not. Leon is sharp and knows what he's talking about, so I am going to trust his judgment here. I don't have a clue what's up. I can work on 110vac, 90vdc and mechanical issues but when the cable has more than two wires I am useless.

    WSS

    www.metaltechus.com


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    Hi Tommy

    Any progress on your table? i sent you a email to the address you pm'd me also.

    EDD



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    Talking UP AND RUNNING!

    Good news! I should be cutting this week. I should add at this point what has taken place.

    DT has sent me an entirely new gantry. DT felt the trouble I was having was worth the effort to get me a new gantry. I was happy to do this as the problem went beyond the norm and they handled it wonderfully. DT emailed me a you-tube link of our gantry cutting before they sent it and sent the part along with the gantry. "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DD3vvVe_dk"]YouTube - Wear surface test cut

    I have forgot to take some pics of the part but did measure the part and I am impressed. It is a 8"/4" donut and the inside is within .050" and the thickness is within a few thousandths. I'll post some actual pics later.

    I spent Friday and saturday running wires and cabling details along with a few brackets and small details on the gantry. I also installed two fans on my command center. I retro-fitted them to take a merv-9 filter to keep the dust out via positive pressure. I used a die grinder with a cut-off wheel to remove the grill for more flow. It works good.

    I took some video of it jogging around the table but could not figure out how to set-up a you-tube account. I'll work on that when I have more time.

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4913-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4914-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4915-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4917-jpg  

    6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4935-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4944-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4945-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4946-jpg  

    6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4947-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4937-jpg  
    www.metaltechus.com


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    Default More Pics

    A few more photos. Notice the harness laying on the ground in the previous post, In person it looked worse, untamable! But it all went as it should in the end. I used the spiral loom to cover the part of the harness that will be subject to abrasion (dragging, rolling around and hot stuff). It went on much easier this time. It took about 20 minutes compared to 4 hours the last time. I pre-wrapped the loom so it would "un-wind" as I rolled onto the cabling. There are four extra wires running through it than on a usual DT harness. I added a 2c cable for the toggle laser locater, a 4c cable to control the oxy/fuel and two other cables to the plasma gen (it was on the other side of the table anyway). The loom will keep them all in place and safe.


    Anyone, feel free to ask any questions or if you want to to see a specific piece or picture, just ask. I have enjoyed the many threads here and am more than happy to return the favor.

    WSS

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4922-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4924-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4925-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4927-jpg  

    6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4928-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4929-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4940-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn4948-jpg  

    www.metaltechus.com


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    WSS, Thats some first class work setting up your machine. Glad to hear your Dynatorch is nearly ready to start paying for itself. It is costly in time as well as money when you start out.

    Did you get the updated slave side V roller design on the replacement gantry? Did you also get the joy stick control? It works great for shearing and controling the machine for precise positioning on a part.

    I found it heplful when I first got my machine to cut one part of a certain thickness over and over while tweaking the adjustments and watching the cut quality each time. If you use the joy stick you can watch the torch up close each time you make an adjustment. The joy stick also makes it easy to stop the machine if something goes wrong.

    Thanks for the pics you sent me in the PM. Looking forward to seeing your first parts!



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    Default Did some cutting!

    Two good things:

    1) Our DT cut today, and worked great!

    2) I set-up a youtube thingy finally.

    Here is one of the vids before Leon got me homed and cutting. The noise from the THC went away with some adjustments in the tuning page. I'll post some more videos as I can. It cut clean. No wobble or chatter and I even tested the oxy side. Now to learn the software!

    "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdFABGHCcTc"]YouTube - Running DT gantry around table


    WSS



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    magma-joe,

    I did not get the v-rail slave addition. I kept the original rails during the switch. Less shipping and re-do time. I did get the joystick controller. I have not used it yet but did set it up in the machine set-up page. I had to surface the back of the torch mounts I made with a 50 grit belt because the THC touched harder than the smooth surface would hold. I tested it this morning and it worked great. I won't have a chance to play with the machine until Tuesday. Looks like a bunch of fun!!!!


    WSS



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    WSS, in the machine settings on the torch tab you can adjust the down force applied when the torch touches off the material. The less force the better especially when you are touching off thin material that wants to flex and spring back giving you a false material height for the initial pierce height.

    Have fun!



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    Quote Originally Posted by magma-joe View Post
    WSS, in the machine settings on the torch tab you can adjust the down force applied when the torch touches off the material. The less force the better especially when you are touching off thin material that wants to flex and spring back giving you a false material height for the initial pierce height.

    Have fun!
    magma-joe,
    I did lower the down force pressure and it pretty much fixed it. I still have "slat wobble". I have a 1350lb sheet of 1" on the table now and can wiggle it with one hand way to easy, not inches if course but maybe a 1/4". I think I will have to put a bow in them. Anyway they wont be there long. I will be starting on the water table shortly. It will be a must! I cut with the oxy set-up today and was pleased. I ended up doing a nest in we-cim of one part, just one. I could not figure out how to line it up on the table. I got messages like "beyond extents of table" and another like it inside the DT software.

    I did manage to video it while it was cutting. This puppy cuts nice. I have better cut quality right now with the oxy. I am sure that will change once I get a feel for the plasma.

    WSS

    "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u49RePNg8YU"]YouTube- DT cutting



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    WSS, normally when I encounter the "beyond table extents message" the X Y zero location is to close to the edge of the table to cut the dimentions of the part file you have loaded.

    Say you have a 3' by 3' part you want to cut and your X Y zero starting point is 2' from the travel limits of the gantry you will get this messege.

    Back up the gantry toward the center of the table move the Y carriage to a point where there is enough travel to cut the dimentions of your part and then press zero X Y. When you finish cutting your torch will automatically return to the X Y zero location.



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    Default X,Y button works!

    Quote Originally Posted by magma-joe View Post
    WSS, normally when I encounter the "beyond table extents message" the X Y zero location is to close to the edge of the table to cut the dimentions of the part file you have loaded.

    Say you have a 3' by 3' part you want to cut and your X Y zero starting point is 2' from the travel limits of the gantry you will get this messege.

    Back up the gantry toward the center of the table move the Y carriage to a point where there is enough travel to cut the dimentions of your part and then press zero X Y. When you finish cutting your torch will automatically return to the X Y zero location.
    That was the fixer! Bingo, all fit. I did a little study in the manual about the different buttons along the bottom of the screen (when all else fails, read the manual?). Thanks!

    The gantry did some nice cutting today. Here are a few pics.

    WSS

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn5041-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn5017-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn5032-jpg   6'X12' DynaTorch build log-dscn5039-jpg  



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6'X12' DynaTorch build log

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