New addition to the family

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It finally stopped raining long enough for me to unpack it. Doesnt look like much in the crate, but it does get alot better once its assembled. Havent got to run it yet, still have to conigure my computer to it. I will hopefully make the virgin cut with it tomorrow. Attached ImagesMiller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Looks great and make sure to let me know how you make out as I am looking to get one myself. Also you better put in a good ventilation system as when I use my plasma in the shop, it makes a lot of fine black soot all over everything. I cut 75 - 12 inch circles from 3 sheets of 1/8 plate. and I had one big mess in the shop. Now I cut outdoors until I get a ventilation system put on.I have the TD Cutmaster 38 as well so you will have the same setup as I would have to start. I am planning on getting the TD Cutmaster 101 when I get the Plasmacam for thicker material. Have FunMiller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:You get all the fun toys.. ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Hey J, i will definitely let you guys know how it works out. I know I am going to have to upgrade the plasma cutter in the future, but I dont know if I want to go to the 101. My buddy introduced me to a guy that has a plasma cam, and he was running a large plasma cutter on his, a big hypertherm I think. He complained that if you go too large on the plasma cutter, the kerf tends to get pretty bad. Alot of the stuff he does for his business is 1/4" and thinner, and his cutter limited his abilities to do the more detailed cuts. He ended up having to punch out all of his holes bolt on an ironworker. I dont ever plan on going over 1/2" thick and I know my cutmaster 38 is a little too small for that, so for now its 1/8" and less. I will try 1/4" too, but I doubt my consumables will last long at that thickness. I am definitely going to make a ventilation system for it, not too elaborate, but good enough to suck all of the junk from the bottom and shoot it outside. Plasma dust finds the strangest places to settle, like my butt crack for one Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Please keep posting on this. I have been going back and forth from Plasma Cam to Torchmate to Dyna and can't make up my mind. Really interested in the software and it's ease of converting hand done drawings.
Reply:How much do those run?  I looked at the website, and it didn't list any prices.Approximate would be fine, I'm not in the market, but I am curious.PatrickLincoln 175HD
Reply:I was in the same boat you are eburgblue. I originally looked at the plasma cam over a year ago, and have been researching it and its comparables this whole time. I went with the plasma cam, because my partner and I have contracted parts for one of our projects, and the guy who cut our stuff used a plasma cam, and the pieces came out awesome. We gave him a prototyped template, he scanned it in, cleaned up some rough edges, and pushed out 20 identical peices. That was enough for me to make up my mind. Its whatever floats your boat though, Ive heard people talk bad about the plasma cam, but others have raved about it. I think its all about figuring out the software. Im sure if you spend 10 grand on a piece of equipment you want it to do all the work for you, and do it right out of the box. I think when these people cant figure out the software they tend to get frustrated. If I cant figure out the software in the next couple of days, you will see a lot of these   Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Patrick, it was about 9k, but then you add a few hundred bucks shipping to your location. Thats just for the table and software, you still have to supply a computer, plasma cutter, air source for the plasma cutter, and some sort of ventilation system. They actually have a pre programmed cut path included in the software that cuts covers for the sides. You have to buy the steel and hardware, but its handy not to have to design them yourself.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:i have had one since last april. its a good machine, i have a hypertherm 1250 on it.  I have gotten good at the software, but dont believe their DVD.  they make it look like you can scan a picture and cut.  its not even close i usually free hand draw everything because when i scan stuff it takes to long to clean it up
Reply:Just a thought. I have a buddy who got one of these. dont know if yours has a safety stop on it or not. make sure if you have one or get one that  does. my buddy had programed a complicated design and was in the process of cuttting it when. a drop from the cut didnt fall completly out just twisted in its place, causing a protruding surfice. yup the torch cought on it and broke all kinds of things cost him about 4k to fix it. its a machine it is still going to make mistakes, so make sure that it has a way to detect if there is a problem so you dont end up in the same boat my buddy is in. not only does he talk to much and stink he is out 4k.
Reply:Rebeltait, I have heard of what you are talking about. I have also heard of the torch tip binding on the metal if the metal warps from the heat. This model of Plasma Cam has a digital height control for the Z axis that detects variations in the steels flatness, and it us supposed tp lift the torch to keep it from contacting the metal. If you read the manual that comes with the machine, they stress that you keep an eye on the thing while it is running, so that if something does happen, you can stop the machine before it breaks. I dont want to have to buy replacement parts anytime soon, so I will definitely have my finger ready to hit the stop button when Im rinning it. Thanks for the info, I would hate to break it the first day I use it.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:I don't have a Plasma Cam, but I think they are definately the way to go for small fabrication shops and hobbyists. I have an Amada Quattro laser cutter, and Plasma Cams are a steal compared to it. $10K is nothing for what a Plasma Cam is able to do. It will pay for itself in no time especially when your clients, friends, and neighbors see what you can do with it.  My Quattro can only cut up to 1/4" maybe 3/8" but realistically I don't need to cut any thicker than that. I recently got a brochure in the mail from Samson out in southern Colorado they make a plasma table also. You might want to check them out. http://www.samsoncnc.com/Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 Stick Linde HDA-300 MillerMatic DVI MIG Miller Dynasty 200DX Hypertherm Powermax 1000
Reply:I called on the samson, and its plasma cam company. Its a larger table, can cut 10ft long sheets without repositioning. Its a bit more than the plasma cam 15k for the table and software. Not a bad price for what you get, but its too big for my shop at this point.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Bad news guys. Got the new Plasma cam setup today, and was running the diagnostic checks and it died. I dont know what happened, it just shutoff, and wont turn back on. Read some posts on a plasma cam specific forum, and they say its a little fuse in the control box. Well, brand new, under warranty, cannot open it up no matter how bad I want to. I will call tech support tomorrow, and will probably be shipping off the controller for repair. Not a good sign, didnt even get to try it out.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Thats sucks a big one! I am telling ya, you got to be super carefull or them son of a bees will break on ya. I feel for ya Qucifer
Reply:Ugh, thats's bad, I was hoping you were able to cut some stuff up.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Not what I wanted to hear as I am considering buying one right now. The video does make it look incredible.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Well, an update on the plasma cam. I contacted them via email, and the tech support guy over there told me how to change the fuse without voiding the warranty, pretty cool of them I thought. So I changed it, and the machine powers up fine, passes all of the diagnostics tests, but when I initialize it, the z axis lifts the torch all the way up till it binds. The machine senses the problem, and goes back to idle and gives an error message on the computer saying that the torch hit the material. Weird, because it doesnt come close to the material, it goes the opposite way. I contacted Plasma Cam again today, and explained my problem, we disgused my setup, and which cutter I was using, and they gave me a part number for the proper tip for my plasma cutter. They dont sell it there, so they arent trying to sell my stuff that I dont need. This special tip has an ohmic sensor that is used by the Z-axis to sense the material. I will be ordering the part tomorrow if I cant find it locally. Hopefully this fixes the problem. I have heard a lot of people complain about the tech support at Plasma Cam, and I can see what they are talking about if you try and reach them by phone, but they respond to my emails really quickly, and I like the fact that they are helping me try and reach solutions on my end first before having me send off the control box to them. I am discouraged that my machine isnt working yet, but hopefully I can have it going soon. The software does seem really user friendly, and thats why I went with the PC, so I am happy about that.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Thats too bad that its not working yet. But keep in mind that it is still a fairly complex piece of equipment and it will probably take some tweaking to get it to operate correctly. Hang in there.Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 Stick Linde HDA-300 MillerMatic DVI MIG Miller Dynasty 200DX Hypertherm Powermax 1000
Reply:Well, I couldnt find my torch parts locally, so I will be ordering them online. In the meanwhile, I played with the Plasma cam Setup, and disabled the automatic Zaxis function, and was able to make my first test cuts. Here they are.Last edited by MicroZone; 06-20-2007 at 10:47 PM.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Dude... Did you seriously cut out a steak knife???For a first cut, not too bad.  You'll get it tweaked in with some experience, i'm certain.The best things in life all come on a stick!
Reply:The knife was the first thing that came to mind after cutting the rectangle. I drew it up in the plasma cam software in about 30 seconds. Its mild steel, so its only for show. Not gonna even try cutting steak with it.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Congrats on the new toy!!! A friend of mine has a plasma cam with a 4' x 8' bed, the first thing he did was build a tray for under the bed that he puts about an inch of water in, just to keep the hot slag from flying everywhere in the new addition of his shop. Just a thought in case you're looking for an easy mod you can do to it.-Cory
Reply:That's an excellent idea for him Cory. I did the same thing on my regular plasma cut table sans water. It catches all the dust, slag and crap in a neat little box. Works great!John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Thanks for the idears guys. I did a little more playing around with it today, and I really like the software, but I think for designing intricate parts a basic  2d cad program would be nice. Something that I can build the parts to dimension in, and import to the plasma cam software. All in all, im satisfied so far. Like everything else, I have a lot to learn, but just watching it work is all you need to realize its capability. If im not making money with this thing in the next couple of months I will be surprised.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2The software that comes with some of these things leaves a lot to be desired. I hate the AP100 software that the Amada came with. I use AutoCAD to design all of my parts then export the .dxf.Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 Stick Linde HDA-300 MillerMatic DVI MIG Miller Dynasty 200DX Hypertherm Powermax 1000
Reply:Hey everybody. I did a little more playing around with the Plasma Cam software, and I think I spoke too soon when I said that a seperate CAD program was needed. A little practice with it, and I was able to figure out some of its useful features. I was able to design and cut this generic weldment in about 5 minutes. That is draw to scale, position and cut. There is a pretty noticeable angle on the kerf, but I think its more to do with my Plasma Cutter settings. I will be working on that part today. Attached ImagesMiller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Alright, I think I figured out the machine. I made this sign for work, came out pretty nice, with very little dross. Its made to hang above a doorway. Attached ImagesMiller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Looks great, the precision of a CNC is awesome. Is it supposed to be " 5 Mr's." or "5 Mrs." ?John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:It is 5 MRS. Stands for the Fifth Manpower Requirements Squadron. Day Job = US Air Force.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Ah, roger that. Keep up the good work and more pictures of the p-cam.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Looking good Q. Keep us up to date with your progress. I am still looking to get one of these and your input is going to help me a lot. I can't wait to see how you make out when you get the digital hieght control working.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:Another practice run, made a sign. Learned something new today that I never had to worry about in Arizona, if you plan on using an air compressor with your plasma cutter, you better get a refrigerated air dryer. First few cuts were nice, but the dross got worse and worse as it went on. Was pretty disapointed, never had a humidity problem in Arizona, but here in Oklahoma, its a different story. Took a look at my water seperator after I pulled the piece off of the P/C, and saw exactly why it went to shizzle. Drained the compressor, and about a cup of water came out. Attached ImagesMiller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:looks very cool i too have been thinking about one of those setups now ya gone and got me exited 350P 30A spool gun cut master 51  syncro 250 other stuff " take a dog off the street and make him prosper and he will not bite you sad the same cannot be said for man" i didnt use punctuation just to piss you off