OH NO! Another new guy.

[Steve59]

Greetings and Salutations to one and all.
I have very little experience with plasma cutters. I bought a Victor Cutmaster 42 awhile back. I haven't used it much, not enough to get consistent clean cuts. The Cutmaster doesn't have a CNC port so I picked up a cheap plasma cutter that is already set to use a CNC.

While trolling YouTube I came across a DIY plasma table that peeked my intrest. I almost pulled the trigger on a Langmire Crossfire a few years back, but I couldn't justify the expense. (My wife is of the firm opinion that I have too many toys. Not that I have a good argument against that opinion, I still feel that there's always room for more. Anyway most wives have that opinion, so I feel that it's my duty to ignore it.)

Anyway, back to the DIY CNC. I've finally learned enoug of Fusion to draw most of the parts that I want and I've figured out enough of the control software to get into trouble. Really, isn't that how you learn?

I just finished my first test cuts that look promising. I only guessed at the torch height and travel speed, actually I pretty much guessed at everything. So now the research will beging in ernest. I did notice a thread that's about cutting charts, hopefully that will get me pointed in the right direction.

The nozzles that came with the new machine are all 1.1 mm and I believe that I need a .8 mm nozzle for .125 steel. But I couldn't wait so I gave it a try with the 1.1 nozzle. I think that I set the travel speed at 40 INPM. The first cut, (The one closest to my feet) was at about 25 amps and the second was at 40 amps. The third cut was done at 50 amps. I had no idea what the torch height should be, I just stuck a piece of 16 guage on top of the plate and set the torch height at that thickness.

Here's some photos of the first 3 cuts.

[Joe Jones]

Where are you located, Steve?

Joe

[Steve59]

Southern California

[acourtjester]

To give you some ball park info you can download the manual for a Hypertherm 45. All their manuals have cut charts for the different metals/thickness for pierce and cut heights and speeds. They give both English and metric thickness too.
Have fun many DIY types here so you will fit right in.

hypertherm 45 manual.pdf

(5.93 MiB) Downloaded 7 times

hypertherm 45 manual.pdf

(5.93 MiB) Downloaded 7 times

[Joe Jones]

Southern California

Ah ... I escaped from SoCal in 2011 and never looked back! I lived most recently in Vista, CA.

Joe

[Steve59]

We would love to leave, but health insurance is keeping us here. And before you ask where to, my answer is pretty much anywhere but California.

[Joe Jones]

Well ... ... The weather is nice.

Joe