Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: NEWBIE WITH PLASMA/ROUTER ??'s

Tom,
thank you for a first-hand description of plasma cutting.
It seems to be good enough for ornamental metal apps, and cutting parts to
be welded,
but doesn't appear to be suitable for replacement of sheet metal punching.
Also it doesn't appear to be very clean - amount of generated dust is
disturbing.
You probably should wear a dust mask to protect yourself.
Regards, Alex

----- Original Message -----
From: caudlet <info@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2003 12:11 AM
Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: NEWBIE WITH PLASMA/ROUTER ??'s


> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "alex" <telecomt@t...> wrote:
> > This sounds very exciting!
> > What is the thickness of material you cut?
> > What are the tolerances for the cut?
> > Alex
> >
> I currently cut a lot of 11ga material. While my machine can
> hold .002 easy, the torch flame can vary from .050 to .070 in
> diameter based on the "age" of the tip consumables and the speed of
> the cut. I am cutting decorative type signs that have a lot of
> detail. The machine will cut a full 48" X 48" and the material can be
> indexed (tiled cut) so up to a 48" X 144" can be cut. Most start off
> as a 2ft sq piece of material. Usually about 80% of the material
> falls into the water vat. While plasma won't rival abrasive waterjet
> or laser for glass smooth cuts and consistant width of cut, its a lot
> cheaper to setup and maintain. A plasma cutter is not a precision
> cutting tool. You have to learn to work within its limitations.
>
> If somebody had a source on cheap 55,000 psi pumps and heads then I
> would consider switching to waterjet! The plasma is cool to use and
> watch but the air gets filled with a fine metallic dust that gets
> into everything. Even with water tanks 4" below the material a lot
> of stuff gets into the air. I have taken to sweeping the shop floor
> daily and doing a complete clean and lube on all moving parts of the
> table once a week. Even though the ballscrews are protected on the
> sides of the machine they are not sealed totally from dust. I am
> tempted to put a dust extraction system on the table (I abandoned
> that project when I switched the table from wood router to plasma
> cutter) to see if it will help keep the smoke, soot and plasma dust
> down. One of the really FUN jobs around here is cleaning out the
> slag tanks after several days of cutting..yech!
>
>
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