Hi loopy251
Welcome to CNC Zone
Be patient, I'm sure you will get some opinions on both of the 2 manufacturers you mentioned.
WT
dyna vs practical
I am very new to all of this so please bare with me my wife and i watched a dvd on plasma cutting that cought our interest so much that we are going to purchase a small table for hobby working . We are looking to buy a 4x4 table for light steel cutting with router capability for light duty work and have researched a few table builders out there we were leaning towards the Dyna cnc. or the practical table if anyone could help us out who ownes any of these machines could you please let us knowhow your table works and also are these companies still there if you have a problem down the road. I have spoken with Sandy at dyna cnc and Jenny at practical . Both companies seem to have the best table out there .what i am looking for is some real world input to help us make a decision on which table to buy.
Thanks cnc zone great site.
Ken
Similar Threads:
Last edited by loopy251; 02-16-2006 at 03:25 PM.
Hi loopy251
Welcome to CNC Zone
Be patient, I'm sure you will get some opinions on both of the 2 manufacturers you mentioned.
WT
Here is some from a Practical cnc owner. Buy the DynaCnC.Originally Posted by loopy251
Support will be much better and any problems will get handled.
I also like the fact that Dyna uses Mach3 and SheetCam and
CandCnc on at least some of their tables. That means you
have more support from others out there. It's a no brainer.
Dave at DynaCnC is serious about his tables.
I got more help from Dave on my Practical
table then I got from Practical.
He also owns a highly modified Practical
table.
If you just look at the extra braces on the table and
gusset style, it will be a good clue on who thought out
the light routing.
His tables are shipped all put together, so shipping
could be higher. That is a nice touch.
Scott
Hi Loopy,
I too own a Practical table, I think mine is a little newer than Scott V.'s table. I received mine june 05. Mine has stepper motors,and the v rail to hold the y- axis down.
I would recommend the Dyna table also. The servo drive, and the linear rails would make using the table much better than mine. The extra braces are a must, I can deflect my table .010" if I push on the corner of my table.
As for routing, with my practical set up I can rout plastic and wood no problem, but when it comes to aluminum, I tear what little hair I have left out!
my 2cents
thanks for your input guys im on my way to michigan next week to have a look at the practical table but from what ive read and the input from this site has me really looking to the dyna machine i was just a little concerned about there location being on the west coast where as michigan is only a 4 hr. drive from my place just in case i needed parts or warantee stuff down the road.
thanks again guy .
Confusing "Dyna" Names
There are 2 companies with similar names, that market CNC Plasma cutting tables. This can lead to some confusion!
DynaCnc (Washington) as well as Dynatorch (Kentucky) are often both referred to as "DYNA"
It may be wise to double check which company any comments refer to.
have you looked at the practical table yet. i am in your boat also. don't know which to buy. let me know what you thought of the practical.
Hi
Don't do the Practical if you are routering. Plasma for that matter.(although mineHi
works pretty well now. You have been warned and the DynaCNC is the only good option in this class of tables. I am trying to save you a lot of grief that I went
through. I not bad mouthing the Practical table or even how they tried to help
me. I started to get help from the owner of DynaCNC before he built his tables.
That right there says it all. I explored other options and got my Practical table
set up with SheetCam. (first one) Things went from that, to the same software
system that DynaCnc uses. The support from that whole group is top notch.
Practical will never match them because Tom/Les/Art/Jim/Dave are just way
beyond the Practical group. If you buy a Practical table you will be in touch
with the above people before it is all said in done. That is a given.
Get more information about the different machines and solutions on the CNCMANUALPLASMACUTTING group on yahoo.
I cannot attest to the mechanical parts of the PCNC machines but I can tell you from having sold a lot of retro fit Torch Height Controllers to PCNC customers that their ATHC for 1300.00 is a waste of money.
There is also a Practical CNC group on yahoo (not sactioned by PCNC) that will provide some interesting reading and maybe a post will get you some direct feedback from some actual PCNC owners.
Dang, and I forgot all about that!!!
It's not only your THC that works correctly
but the software from Art (Mach 3) that
make the table much better to use.
Les's does too of course.
Hi Guys,
I am a distirbutor of DynaCNC products. I will stand neutral on my opinion of competition. However, on a whole I can guarantee great customer service, a great prouduct, and a great feeling from DynaCNC.
As always, your purchase is your choice. You can always call DynaCNC for information, or contact myself. We will always be glad to speak with you. We stand behind our products, our customers, and quite frankly, we stand behind our competition's customers---ready to catch them if they fall.
Many of you are small business owners, and Dave Cress and I are as well. We know the headaches. I am not a salesmen, and noone in my company is. My firm is a group of consultants who want to make people successful. The only time you will speak to someone who is incapable of finding you an answer, is if someone gives you a cold call asking if you would like some FREE info; and even then they will direct you to someone who can answer the questions.
Our actions, and our products speak for themselves.
Tyler Shinaberry
EPIK
The best table to buy is from Dynatorch in Kentucky. I know becouse i have owned one for a little over a year now. the website is www.dynatorch.com
I have not don anything besides just using the plasma cutter but you can attach all of the following on to the dynatorch machine and it will run them
Drill,Welder,Wood Router,Plasma Cutter,Draw,Mill on a machine mill and plus more to come.
if you need anymore help from me just let me know
I don't think the two axis software they offer will allow anything but plasma/flame cutting so you would have to buy off on.........
LET's ALL SAY IT TOGETHER :
WECIM
WECIM
WEEEEEE CIMMMMMM
The machine (by their own admission) was never designed to be a 3 axis router or milling machine. Some customers have spent the time and money to make it do what you listed but it doesn't come that way from the factory.
Maybe that's why "Torch" is part of their name.........
I don't think the two axis software they offer will allow anything but plasma/flame cutting so you would have to buy off on.........
LET's ALL SAY IT TOGETHER :
WECIM
WECIM
WEEEEEE CIMMMMMM
The machine (by their own admission) was never designed to be a 3 axis router or milling machine. Some customers have spent the time and money to make it do what you listed but it doesn't come that way from the factory.
Maybe that's why "Torch" is part of their name.........
Torchhead,
You don't have to buy We-Cim as the main software you can buy other versions of software. And i am sore that if the machine and motors where not made to do that then why would they have that on there website. Just saying that if the machine was not capable at all of running that kind of stuff then why would it be on the website, Also in the dynatorch software you can adjust the height of the tool that it is using.
Most plasma cutters have a "Z" axis, but plasma is generally considered "2.5" axis. Almost every CAM package out there has provisions for a tool up/down.
Of course it is advertised that it can do all those things, I don't think they would sell as many machines if they told you what it can't do.
Other manufacturers would have you believe that simply using their table, you automatically make friends, make oodles of money, cut parts for NASA, surpass Bill Gates in net profit, forgo your existing problems with E.D., gain the ability to cleanly cut 1" thick steel, etc.
That is marketing. Marketing does not mean as much to me as a hands-on demonstration or a real-world user showing how they use the machine.
If you believe everything you see on the internet, I have a bridge to sell you.
Last edited by massajamesb; 06-03-2007 at 12:02 PM.
(Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"
-RedGreen show.
From Dynatorch page with all the "uses" (photos section)
And from their "features" listNow, when we designed the Dynatorch Plasma cutter, it's design and function was just that... a plasma cutter. Well that didn't last very long.... Some of our customers have truly mastered the creative thinking process.
Nowhere else do they mention anything about routers or milling. Everything on their site is aimed at:Software designed exclusively for plasma and oxy/fuel cutting
Their intelligent motors
Their flame cutting accessories
Their plasma tables
What version of (affordable) software can you use to do 2.5D routing and carving with their 2 axis machine and a torch lifter with their proprietary control software?
With their design you just can't add a 3rd motor axis and drop in g-code with precise Z moves.....or there would be pictures of pretty wood carvings like most of the other true 3 axis machines have.
I can tell you that if you think it's the exact same machine then you lose all credibility. The electronics of a PCNC controller box look like they were built by a terrorist. The filter caps are PC mount (with no PC board) and screwed to the bottom of the home made case with a bracket made in a vise (after the ones that they hot glued in broke loose and flopped around). No terminal strips at all, and the wires are all soldered in mid air and taped together in a bundle.
They didn't have a working THC but continued to sell them to guys like yourself that couldn't tell the difference.
Your experience with their support runs contrary to most other owners experiences.
Their servo machines for the last two years have used the Rutex 20XX series but with their own motherboard design. Virtually impossible to tune the servo's in the field. Against the advice of even Rutex they daisy chain the drives DC together and use one big fuse for all of them. Now it appears the Rutex 2000 series have been pulled from the market and there is speculation that Rutex is "moving in another direction". (see posts elsewhere on the forum about Rutex)
Since PCNC has burned their bridge with Gecko they are running out of drive options. Maybe a Chinese built unit?
We made a pretty nice amount of money helping PCNC owners getting their machines running and working with a Digital THC and MACH3 and talked with a LOT of their owners so these observations are not from one or two of their owners.
It would appear that PCNC has made an effort recently to improve their quality control and support but that has happened before in the past and they eventually lapse back into shipping junk and telling users that they need to use a "bigger fuse" if the motor runs away and blows the 10A. (actually happened).
If you got a good table, count yourself fortunate. If you have one of their ATHC's and can make it work, run out and buy a lottery ticket, for you are REALLY lucky.
I was hired by an attorney to do an engineering accessment of a servo drive PCNC machine. I wish I could publish the report and pictures but my contract forbids it.
i bought an ez-router at the beginning of the year. if i had it to do all over again i would with out question buy another table from them. i have a 5 x 10 water table for plasma. (did make the water table myself) also made it a dual purpose with a router setup. takes about 30 minutes to swap. their customer service has been excellent. no problems with the machine just questions on using the software. never felt like i was rushed to get off the phone. they would take as long as was needed plus additional info
bear
ez-router.com
Torchhead,
A couple things that came to mind are. For one if your routing wood why do you need a z axis, two, Dynatorch has a 3rd motor which you can move up or you can move down in there software.
Posting Permissions
