Plasma Cutter selection in australia

[dingo117]

Hello all, i have been building another cnc machine and i am at the point where i need to think about and hopefully get a plasma source and torch head. i have had a quick browse to see what options people suggest, i have seen suggestions of the hypertherm powermax 45 and thermal dynamics, these are good and all but they are not easily available here, or at all that i know of, and the few over seas listings i have seen that possibly ship to here cost way over $3000 (AUD) which i am not up for, at most $2000 is my price point.

SO some requirements/limits:
1) i am after something that will cut 12 mm with that beautiful almost laser cut like finish and at a decent speed, and i am building a machine that should have the smooth traversal to do that. cutting thicker than that i may consider, depends on price.
2) i am using linux cnc and a 7i76e, i am still learning it but i feel comfortable with it and its flexibility (the reason why i chose it over mach 3 but i have tried both now).
3) i have 1 phase 240v 32 amp power in the shed, so it has to run at that.
4) i would like to implement it in the future so the plasma source needs to have an arc voltage/divider output for a thc.
5) this is not required but it would be nice if the source can also be used as a normal hand portable cutter for general cutting work.
6) it needs to not die after a few years...

Some questions:
a) torch height control, how important is it for achieving that beautiful finish? what is the real benefit of it?
b) for THC as far as i am aware it monitors the arc voltage and either gives direct stepper signals to adjust the torch up and down, or gives a more generic up/down command that mach 3 or linux cnc will have to interpret through the control boards gio pins and act on like a z incremental jog?
c) i have seen a suggestion for the everlast plasma machines for australia, https://www.everlast-welders.com.au/...ry/PowerPlasma what do you think of the PowerPlasma 50S ? since it is currently on sale im looking at it keenly, but i haven't seen many videos or seen much talk about its cut quality and capability but it seems to have every thing i need. I am also looking at the PowerPlasma 80S but that website dont offer it just a huge jump to the 100S!! any ideas on these options? and if some one sells the PowerPlasma 80S for around $2k AUD? also please let me know of any other brands/local sellers that you think have a machine in my price range and does what i am looking for.

Thank you all looking forward to your replies!

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[rodw]

Dingo, the last quote I got here in Brisbane from the Aussie distributor for a Hypertherm 45XP was around $3400 with the machine torch. To add the RS485 interface, it takes it over $4k but that does not add much in the scheme of things so leave it off.. If you are running LinuxCNC and the Mesa 7i76e, its a no brainer to buy the USD $69 Mesa THCAD-10 and run the Plasmac config for Linuxcnc. This will give you the best THC on the market for a few pennies.

I have a THCAD-10 in stock here so send me a PM.

I've owned a Everlast 50s. There are some traps using Everlast machines for CNC but I know how to set them up reliably with a 7i76e and THCAD-10 so I'll help you there.

After I sold my Everlast, I was going to buy a Hypertherm 65 but lucked on a new Thermal Dynamics A120 120 amp machine for a silly price.

So there you have it. They are the only 3 brands worth considering. (Everlast, Thermal Dynamics, Hypertherm)

I personally think the best option would be to try and find the money to buy the 45XP. I think that would have more usable grunt than both the Everlast machines. But be aware that none of them have the duty cycle to cut 12mm all day but without 3 phase and a bigger budget, you are not going to fix that. But with a bit of probing and the like, the duty cycle is never 100%

Anyway, send me a PM and I'll help you get up and running. We are working on bringing a table to market here and in the US using Mesa cards so its only a matter of time before I can source everything you need.

[rodw]

Oops, I forgot to add the link to the plasmac docs.
PlasmaC User Guide
ANd the plasma primer I wrote
Plasma Cutting Primer for LinuxCNC Users
Phill who created this lives in Melbourne, Stefan in Dubbo and myself here in Brisbane have had a lot of input into this config but my journey predated its inception.

[dingo117]

I wont be able to use 3 phase at all, not unless i get a space in an industrial area in which case money would have flown enough that a new machine wont be an issue, cutting 12mm i dont have to do all day or fast... I would just like the option to do big parts like that now and then when it comes up, my main purpose is sign making and such which will be 6 mm for big stuff, but i would like the edge finish to be very good so i can avoid lots of grinding cleanup. but as i said i would also like to get in to cutting some industrial parts from thicker steel if i can find the opportunity so that aspect would require a smooth accurate cut as well but i can do that slowly i dont mind, i dont have a choice any way, 32 amps 1 phase... so i guess i will go for that PowerPlasma 50S with its price reduced and hopefully with a machine torch it comes under or at 2k. the 50S manual states Recommended Daily Maximum Average Cut Thickness (CNC) 1/4" which is fine for my main use, Rated Maximum Quality Cut @ 10-12 IPM (Steel) 3/4" which is meeting my 12mm use as well.

so back on the topic of THC, do you know how critical THC is for a quality cut or is it mainly for reliability? also what pitfals does the 50S have with the mesa card/linux cnc? i would ask in PM which i will get around to later but for public sake it might be good to share here.

[rodw]

so back on the topic of THC, do you know how critical THC is for a quality cut or is it mainly for reliability? also what pitfals does the 50S have with the mesa card/linux cnc? i would ask in PM which i will get around to later but for public sake it might be good to share here.

Welll I cut some 6mm the other day and took this photo to show the warpage. Small parts you can get away with but imagine a larger part for your signs if you get this much variation (12mm) across the sheet.