Building my CNC Plasma Table

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I started building my plasma table. I researched buying one and quite frankly, I couldn't afford it. Not when I can build my own 3 times as big for half the cost. I will admit there is a lot to learn but I feel like I am on the downhill slide.Here are a few pics I have now. This table will be a little over 5' x 10'.CandCNC electronics with DTHCHypertherm Pmax 1000 Attached Images
Reply:I don't know why the pic above is rolled on its side...Here are a few more pics Attached Images
Reply:I will post more pics of the water table hopefully tomorrow.
Reply:I've been thinking about building a table too. Maybe we can share some ideas.Good luck Paul
Reply:Originally Posted by lik2waterskiThis table will be a little over 5' x 10'.CandCNC electronics with DTHC
Reply:Buggyman.. I would be happy to share any thoughts. I'll send you a pm with my email you can contact me anytime.Forhire.. I will let you know, it seems to be very well built. I did have an initial problem with the DTHC card. I sent it back and a couple of days later the new one was here.  I always enjoy looking at your projects, and can see how your plasma table makes them even better.I'll update as soon as I can.
Reply:For my water table, I broke one end on the other 3 sides I broke some 90* legs to weld to the sides. My brake is only 8' so I have to weld 2 pieces together down the y sides. Here is a pic before welding the water pan.
Reply:here are the pics Attached Images
Reply:Well I have managed to cut some of my first parts today..I dont even have my water table finished, but I couldn't take any longer. I had to see this in action. The plate is 3/8". My cad software for some reason didn't draw a "round" circle.It made the circle with approx 1" straight line segments.(I'll have to work on that"I cut these parts with a Hypertherm powermax 1000. Attached Images
Reply:another pic Attached Images
Reply:another view Attached Images
Reply:Sounds like your cad program thinks its a paint program rather than a draw program, difference being  with draw you have equations defining entities and with paint  progs its all bit mapped . Autocad uses the regen command to recalc and draw entities after the user zooms it looks to me like the problem is in the driver for your table ( I am assuming you are running autocad, ) I have always had it in the back of my mind to obtain a fair sized used pen plotter and gut it. Use the parts to place on a flat plain to facilitate using plotter driver as cnc plasma table . Instead of pulling the paper back and forth x steps you have the trigger signal move the carriage accordingly in the x and y planes. When the pen would normally drop the signal activates the plasma gun and the cut commences. I just thought about this being the cheap easay way to use existing tech to my own ends.A competitors awning company hjad a huge fabric cutting table. 16' x 20' . It was built like a large air hocky table with a couple steppers and tracks. The shop vac underneath was sucking the fabric down to the table top through the grid work of holes and it had A RAZOR BLADE instead of a print head. The pc and software and the table set them back $ 80k. They went under wen the economy tanked a half a year later.I feel so lucky, I went out of business without having the excitement of an 60k bad idea and a pissed of wife (she owned controlling interest in the company, he handled , past tense, the tech and tool aquisitions) I'll bet he is still sleeping on the couch. MikeI do ramble on , dont I?
Reply:Originally Posted by lik2waterski My cad software for some reason didn't draw a "round" circle.It made the circle with approx 1" straight line segments.(I'll have to work on that".
Reply:Mike Pandinus hit the nail on the head. As soon as that happened I started reading up on sketchup and figured it out. Thanks guys for the input. Travis
Reply:Ideally you want to export arcs as G02/G03 moves rather than line segments. What did you use to produce your gcode?Last edited by forhire; 03-13-2012 at 08:36 PM.
Reply:Randy, I use Sheetcam and currently mp1000thc prosessor.
Reply:Originally Posted by lik2waterskiRandy, I use Sheetcam and currently mp1000thc prosessor.