New Burntable is burning me up!!

[cnchybrid]

I'm being lazy here and do not want to read the whole thread.
If your having this kind of trouble just cut in "Manual Mode" with the correct Shield to Plate height.
You want that gap to be 1/16" off the material.
Go off the specs on the Hypertherm manual as your base line.
Adjust the speed to match your machines capabilities.

[jimcolt]

I would suggest describing the height control symptoms to Burntables and have them help you troubleshoot it. Height control with plasma is fairly complex, as it uses arc voltage feedback to control height. The relationship between arc voltage and height changes with cut speed, amperage, consumable wear, air pressure, and many other things. The fact that it is varying from close to 1/2" off the plate clearly explains the reason for the horrendous cut quality and consumable parts damage.

My guess is that there is an intermittent work ground connection....or there is a gain or feedback loop setting in the height control system itself that is incorrectly set or is out of whack. Who better to help you get it sorted out than the company that designed it? I have seen more than one burn table cutting metal, and using the height control with excellent results....so there is no reason yours cannot do the same.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

[pony]

The relationship between arc voltage and height changes with cut speed, amperage, consumable wear, air pressure, and many other things.

Jim,
I didn't realize this. How often, roughly speaking, should I be running the calibration again during the life of the consumable. I can control control the cut speed and air pressure, the consumables is obviously a moving target.

[Granite]

For Mach 3 THC solutions I'm a big fan of Texas MicroCircuits.

What I like most is they have EXCELLENT documentation for all their products. Its a lengthy read but well worth it in my opinion.

[SteelArt]

Interesting read and it seems like a lot of people are after a simple solution of getting a CNC Plasma Table that orks right out of the box.

I looked at BurnTables but their quality and knowledge was lacking and did not instill confidence in my at all. I ended up getting a table from Scott at ArcLight Dynamics (http://arclightcnc.com/). It ships with Mach3 and SheetCam. I see a few have mentioned his instructional vidoes as a got to source to help you out.

Well his tables are just as helpful and worked straight out of the box. They ship ready to cut just add power and away you go. They are all tested before shipping and he only sells them complete to avoid a lot of the issues listed in this thread.

I was amazed it was that simple but honestly it was and worth every cent I paid for it, which is listed in plain site on his website so there is no hidden costings. It shipped to my door and rolled out of the trailer fully assembled.

Anyway just thought I would chirp up as I know the pain of trying to make a decision on what way to go and if my experience is anything to go by ArcLight is a great option.

[rnsrecon]

My boss bought a burntable CNC plasma cutter last year. from the sound of your post they have not improved over the years. We have spent more time trying to clear up issue than we have running parts on the machine. We are looking to contact and talk with others who have bought a burntable CNC plasma cutters to see if as a group we can get the company to fix the issues. If you are interested you can contact us at jimmysconstruction2000@gmail.com or call us at 205-387-9416

[tcaudle]

There are just so many things of poor design that it's not just "fixing" some stuff. Its a total redesign. I get an average of three or four calls a month with the same story. Beats me how they continue to sell tables for big $$, but a slick website and good paint job goes a long ways. Even if you rip out the controls and their knob-chaser THC and replace it with a real control and high speed THC that is all set from software, and is many times as responsive (enough to cut corrugated) , you still need to deal with the bad mechanics. The Z uses all thread (16 TPI ) is limited drastically to speeds way below what it takes to cut thinner material. Torch mounting is wobbly and unstable. The table linear components are just bearings running on the FRAME and a flat side of angle iron. Gantry is too heavy and grossly underpowered.

Its several years old but here is a video where https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH4rVFOKmvM we did a mechanical and controller upgrade on a 5 X 10. That retro was done with out older Windows /MACH3 system. Fast forward a few years and even newer and faster technology can be had for about the same cost and the software is not obsolete or stuck behind Windows. .

If you bought into the "deluxe" options like the parts tracer (which is 100% manual using a CCD camera and a keyboard/joystick) and /or the rotary options then those will need to be abandoned and replaced with solutions that actually/ work and have support

We do not yet have a BT rescue Kit in our product line because it would need more mechanical pieces that we don't currently have. The TM rescue kit we offer would fulfill a lot of the things but the linear drive "system" and overweight gantry needs to be changed.

[shiner2001]

As I very plainly tried to explain to the owners of Burntables when I returned my table for a full refund, you simply can not beat physics, and their table suffers drastically because of it. Poor workmanship, poor build quality, poor mechanics, a joke of a THC setup, and frankly a couple of jerks running the show there. I can't imagine having been stuck with their table for the past several years and feel for anyone that is.

[Othog]

I am using a LDR, probably not the most popular table out there. What I found was that any issues I had getting started were "operator error". After a while I realized my lack of experience was the only issue.

[wyopower]

my height control NEVER did work correctly on my burn table brand table. I just turned it off, less problems then.
Machine was like a remote control tooth pick, over complicated in may ways. but once you master it, you will be able to trouble shoot anything. i never mastered it.

Old dog, hard to learn new tricks.