Xalky's cnc plasma table build log.

something that may help i found in mach3 mill is to put the curser on the text and scroll to watch the code execute in the display one line at a time. you can watch what is happening in the simulator screen. if you just hit run it is too fast. I dont know about the plasma screens i have never opened them but i'll take a look to see if it works there also.
steve
 
Apparently sheetcam has a similar simulator. So I'm told, I haven't messed with it yet, but a few guys have told me that you can run the code on regular PC without Mach3. My plasma computer is dedicated to running Mach3 exclusively, which makes it a real pain to load files that may or may not be good. Running the simulations on my laptop would allow me to do it right in bed before i go to sleep or wherever.
 
i have mach3 installed on all my pcs and run them offline to simulate you can put your licence on all the pcs to run full code unlimited. just copy the entire mach3 folder from the plasma pc to the other pc.
hope that helps, if you want help copying it ask.
steve
 
i save all my files to a mem stick that away i can take them from the shop to inside to work at night. then plug it in at the shop and run it from the stick. helps keep everything together in one place.
steve
 
I ran my first couple of simulations on the sheetcam simulator. It seems to work fine. I've learned a lot in sheetcam and DraftSight for 2d cad. in just a couple of days.

I also ran my first test cuts with the Torch Height Control enabled, which has introduced a whole new set of obstacles. My plasma is an 85 amp model and the torch tips that came with it are for the 85 amp torch setting which is way too much juice for cutting 16 guage. I can cut it but can't enable THC because the tips are too big. I ordered some smaller tips to cut 16 guage cleanly with THC enabled. I won't get those till the end of the week. In the meantime, I'm working on my downdraft system to tame this smoke and dust producing beast.:))
 
That is very cool! So let me understand please, with THC (torch height control) it checks/verifys the height before every segment? Is this automatic or programmed by you?
 
Kennyd said:
That is very cool! So let me understand please, with THC (torch height control) it checks/verifys the height before every segment? Is this automatic or programmed by you?
Click to expand...
It's set by me. I tell it to check plate height before each pierce. But thats not torch height control. Torch height control actually regulates the hieght of the torch between the pierces. Imagine a long 24" cut that only has one pierce in the beginning. As the torch goes along the plate starts to distort and warp from the heat. The THC moves the torch up or down to keep the distance to the work uniform throughout the cut. It does this by monitoring the voltage of the arc. As the arc gets longer the voltage increases and vice versa when the arc shortens. As voltage increases or decreases it sends a signal back to the controller to move the z axis up or down to keep the voltage within a specified range.
 
The weather is getting cooler and I'm again looking at my plasma table that's on the verge of being finished. I ordered the hyt connect kit from cancnc and the serial port kit for the Hypertherm. They've both been sitting on the work bench for a couple of months. I have to finish wiring that up.


Tom at candcnc is almost finished with his software and posts to get it all working together, so i'm pretty excited about getting all this working together.


On another note, I've reconsidered my plan to use a downdraft setup. In the video above, The downdraft was working well, but it's a bulky setup and the fiberglass filters on the negative air machine clog up very quickly. I don't see this as being very practical in my small 2 car garage at this time. So now, I'm planning on building a water tray for it. I'm going basic, Filling it with a hose and draining it out with a ball valve with a hose attached to it. The under the table reservoir idea is great but not for my shop, i need to be able to wheel my table around in the shop when I'm not using it, all that water weight will just make it a bear to move.


So that's the progress report. I'll be posting more once i actually start working on it.
 
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