I built a plasma cutting table with a cantilevered arm and a down-draft table out of scrap metal I found at the dump and about $150 of electronics from eBay. It uses a non-pilot arc contact torch.
I built a plasma cutting table with a cantilevered arm and a down-draft table out of scrap metal I found at the dump and about $150 of electronics from eBay. It uses a non-pilot arc contact torch.
Here are the electronics I used, the are Amazon Affiliate links: Mach3 USB Controller: amzn.to/3U3qfGy Stepper Controllers: amzn.to/3GfGQkB Power Supply: amzn.to/3nJTmCp
The vibe during the montage. Man! Top notch!
Thank you!
Duct tape. The handyman's secret weapon.
Years ago I came across a video about building a cnc machine using a large scale printer as a base. I stumbled into having one but never got to build it. Keep inspiring me and you never know.
Cool! Most of the parts for this unit were left-overs from a big 3D printer project that I'll be doing a video about eventually!
Very nice work. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎
Awesome, thank you!
good job i like this
Doesn't need to be any more complicated, very nicely done. We have a 10' x 5' CNC Plasma and that thing is a space hog, about the size of a 95' Suburban.
Thanks! Yeah, this cart does multiple jobs, I have a tray top for it with a drain for rebuilding automatic transmissions I call the "autopsy table".
Buen trabajo! Gracias por compartirlo!
I've dealt with that crashing issue on USB controllers in the robotics industry I work for the pharmaceutical sector building robotics platforms for drug Discovery and development I would simply get some wide copper tape some skinny copper tape for the wiring and wrap everything and go for it it's not exactly an elegant solution but it always seem to work
That’s essentially what I did in the follow-up video, plus a whole bunch of decoupling caps
A particularly brilliant design!
Thanks!
thanks Jake, nice build
Glad you like it!
This design looks awsome! Iam planing to build also a plasmatable and i think i go with your design!!
Thanks!
Nice work! - What could you do with 4 or 5 HP1055 plotters. I have several if interested.
The pilot arc functions by applying a voltage between the electrode & the nozzle. This creates the pilot arc plasma. When the plasma contacts the work, current starts to flow through the work ground circuit. The machines circuity detects this current. It turns off the pilot arc voltage & ramps up the cutting current to what it is set for.
Precisely.
Very nice project, thank you.
Thanks for the kind words!
Lead Shielding may work.
Great build! Thanks for sharing! I'm doing one right now too using 3d printer parts. Will have a video soon Cheers!
Cool! Thanks!
It's always good to repurpose stuff.
It’s my jam!
Супер відео! І музика чудова! Бажаю розвитку каналу !
Thank you!
Nice build. I use SheetCam, please try it cos it's really good and if you ever add rotary axis, it is right fir the job. Regarding interference, try to ground the tip of torch. Then add a copper ground rod into floor and grown all that. I had to do that with my very first build and plasma.
Thanks! Check out my other plasma CNC video where I solve the interference problem!
@@JakevonSlatt will do thanks 👍
You can use the same head and convert it to a pilot arc. Use the ferrite core from that Dell monitor you had.
I've been looking at the "pilot arc conversion" videos on KZhead and I actually think they're bunk. There has to be a circuit that transfers the current to the work piece when cutting begins, in other words you can't just run a wire to the torch to initiate a pilot arc, there has to be additional circuitry otherwise you will loose a lot of cutting capacity. I've tried multiple ferrite cores to no avail. I think I need to move the electronics into a metal box and run shielded cable. Working on that now, stay tuned!
love the music
That's my friend Nathan! nathanieljohnstone.com/
@@JakevonSlatt my gypsy blood is dancing
Great build. I also started building mine recently. 50 Amp HF plasma. I use Arduino Uno and GRBL, firts attempt was a failure as the noise was knocking down arduino. I equipped myselef with shielded cables, metal box for control, ferrites, shielded USB. I will try to get it done over weekend. I hope it will work now, even tho after post factum research I know that it can be a waste of money😅
I'm working on shielding right now myself! Stay tuned!
Success! I've beaten the RFI problems, video coming soon!
@@JakevonSlatt Can't wait! Thanks for your work. Mine was not tested yet. Cabling is done. Took me a while to finish. Hopefully I will test it soon. I will look forward for your video
I have made cnc plasma and tig welding lathe with arduino. They both work awesome. For plasma pilot arc is the best option no high frequency. With tig welder it was a problem that is best solved with opto isolation board and always make sure the computer is plugged into a grounded outlet so no laptop running without being plugged in
It’s certainly a challenge. I had no luck with a HF plasma after days of foil wrapping, shielded wiring, putting the controller in a lead sheathed cast iron pot etc etc only success was when I moved the torch and work surface at least 10 feet away from the controller bo. Got rid of that and will try a pilot arc machine next.
Would be the perfect size for my shop. I don't think anyone around here is scrapping out assembly lines though. 😂
The standard 40x40mm t-slot extrusions are reasonably priced and pretty available, doesn’t have to be Rexroth!
@@JakevonSlatt I'll have to look around.
Looks almost identical to some aluminum door frames I've got from some glass store front doors. A thought...
Nice work, Im currently building a 4x2 same kind of gantry arrangement ,but I'm in two minds mow on the breakout board its the same as what your using..any issues with it? thanks
Biggest issue is that it doesn’t support a command used on laser cutters that eliminates the dwell delay when turning on the “spindle”. It your torch is pilot arc you won’t need it but I feel it would make cleaner cuts if I could immediately lift the torch after ignition rather than having to wait about 60ms.
Amazing.
Thanks!
Real credit to you!!😊
Thanks!
@Jake von Slatt there one out of Canada for $2.400.00 im looking at
One of the nicest low dollar builds on KZhead! Maybe I missed it but wondering how you are tensioning the belts?
Thank you! To tension the belts I just made a plastic block with a slot through it. I pull both end of the belt through it with a pair of plies and then screw a drywall screw through them to pin them in place.
@11:27 An outer-edge lead in to the circle would have prevented that bugger when trying to close the circle.
Thanks! Yeah, I been steadily refining the gcode generator to do that.
Nice job. Any plans to add arc droid -like tracing capability?
No plans for that and to be honest creating the drawing in the software I use (Cambam) is so quick and easy I think tracing would take a lot longer!
Nice build! What brand torch did you use, please?
It’s a Simadre, basically a CUT50 in a slightly fancier case.
Did you find a solution for the high frequency crashing issue?
Yes! See this video: kzhead.info/sun/nMiEkpZsbaOkdKM/bejne.html
Jake, great project. I think I'm going to attempt to replicate your setup. I most likely missed the models of all the electronics you used. I think one controller board might be the CNC USB MACH3 100Khz Breakout Board 4 Axis Interface Driver Motion Controller.?. If it's not to much of a bother, could you list everything? thank you for your time.
These are what I used (but not from these particular vendors): www.ebay.com/itm/175642450298 www.ebay.com/itm/254853814455
@@JakevonSlatt Thank you.
Hi, I'm very interested in your dust collection system under the plasma table!! i would like to build for my belt grinder (very dusty) and was wondering if you provide the information on the fan and motor, please
It’s a dust collector from Harbor freight, the kind that usually has a big cloth bag on the output
thank you very much be safe @@JakevonSlatt
I've watched heaps of CNC plasma builds the efficiency here is exceptional please tell us how many dollars and hrs you have invested ..
A lot of the material came from my junk bin including two of the stepper motors. I think I spent about $180 on the USB CNC Controller, the stepper drivers, a second torch for my plasma cutter, and the shielded cable I talk about in Part 2. I didn't keep track of the hours I spent on it, but it was an off-again-on-again project over the winter.
What's the name of the music you play on this video
That’s the Nathaniel Johnstone Band nathanieljohnstone.com
Hi what torch hight control did you use??
None yet, there’s a bit more on that subject in part 2.
Hello Jake What is the reference of the xy soport cnc? plase. Where I can find?
I'm not sure what you're asking for, can you rephrase the question?
@@JakevonSlatt how do i get the cnc system you used
Ah! Here are the electronics I used, the are Amazon Affiliate links: Mach3 USB Controller: amzn.to/3U3qfGy Stepper Controllers: amzn.to/3GfGQkB Power Supply: amzn.to/3nJTmCp
Sheetcam and a floating Z axes will fix all your problems also USB and EFI doesn't play well together. that MACH3 controller board is for a wood cutter or mill
There’s a later video showing how I fixed the EFI with filter caps and shielding. The unit does have a floating axis but the real fix was an actual pilot arc converter I built in my most recent video. I’m intrigued by Sheetcam, especially now that I see there is a Linux version! Thanks!
Programming it to cut things is probably a lot more difficult than building the table, huh?
It's basically the same as creating g-code for a CNC mill. I use a program called CamBam which is pretty easy to learn. I talk about the changes you need to make to CamBam for plasma cutting in Part 2.