I have had my PlasmaCam for about two years, and it is still in the box due to a bunch of road blocks stemming from my move to Michigan. I cant wait to get itvset up and working!
if you take some 5/8" or 3/4" heater hose and split it down one side and put it around the cut lip of your half of a 55 gallon water barrel, you will reduce the chance of getting cut or rubbing holes in your hoses or cords and if you put a lid on it will make a great gasket! love the detail and great quality of your work!
I was looking at those perfect little steel plugs you cut and thought how many times I wanted a circle of steel and had to use 2 different sized of washers and braze in the hole to fix a part, they would be great for art, making mouse ears or eyes etc, need to keep a bucket (small one) of those as the would go great with art projects! little wheels - let your mind wander! love the sign to the little lady!
I taught myself AutoCad years ago and ended up as a CAD coordinator here in Las Vegas working on the big expansions since 9/11- and my last project was World Trade Center and City Center- every floor every deck, every beam that went into those buildings went through me and my CAD development process. AutoCAD is great, and it does take a few months to study and get going well. But, accurate and fast- well worth learning. And AutoCAd light is not overly expensive.
That machine is awesome... The College welding shop got one and I got a chance to learn how to run it... I've been running it for about 2 months now and I'm getting really good... Althought I had a person that ran that machine for 6 years teach me the short cuts and everything...
I'm impressed with the little that I've done with it so far. I felt it was worth getting, when I was dreaming of it six years ago, nothing has changed my since my ownership...Keith
The wire in reference, is just an added ground wire that I took, one end and held to the PC housing, with screw and ran it up to the controler and attached it to to out side clips that hold the parrallel cable to the controler, with an alagator clip. the table is grounded with a 28 foot lg. grounding rod, I needed to hit the water table because my earth soil is sand. do not bundle or even cross touch any of your wiring. My best tip is, not to short cut any electrical instructions by PlasmaCAM
Kieth, I watched another of your videos where you had trouble with the torch popping of. I wonder if you could put a switch on the torch mount that would stop the plasma cam if the torch popped out of the mount. Seems to me that would help eliminate damage to the work piece. Regards, Dale Gloer P. Really enjoy your videos
I had proper grounding somewhere between 18 and 20 FT. I just added the rest just because I had it, not like I was going to punch right through ground, mores better Right. LOL... Trained electricians can check proper grounding continuity as your driving the rod into the ground. I just happen to have a well about 100 foot away, so I new what the water table depth was...
As well as good grounds, we often use Ferrite cores and beads to control electrical noise. These create an effective bi-filar radio frequency choke when they surround an electrical cable. You often see small ones used on cables to computer monitors.
Hi Greg, well, if you’re going to be mostly doing thick stuff, I'd go with the Design edge software! Because the thicker materials don’t warp up as much as you’re cutting. If you’re going to be doing mostly thin materials you’re going to want the advanced height control, because the auto sensing with the advanced height control keeps up with the cut height as the higher speeds come in to play and still maintains the right height even though the material is moving around with the heat of the cut.
When I first saw your hydraulic press I was blown away. After watching this video of the plasma cam in operation I don't know what to say. Good job man and good luck.
The table and software package that I picked ran eleven and some change, figure in all the extras cutter,compure,console,water tray, venting and the electrical, double that!
Hi Keith, you video's are extremely interesting, I would love to able to buy a PlasmaCam, I don't know what they sell for in the US but here in Australia it is well out of my price range, so I have decided to build my own and most likley look at buying PlasmaCam software. Keep the video's comming
Well the video series in; PlasmaCAM the Assembly, shows all that info and more. I built it and created the videos as I went along, there is one missing but will be re plublishing it soon! ;{)----
Thanks for jumping in with the feed, that was the first time running about 17 months ago... LOL.. I have learned a lot since then, but never stop jumping in with a comment, I need them...
Were you asking for a hole diameter, I have had pretty true 1/2" hloes pierce and cut in 3/8" mild steel plate and during regular cutting path into a radius of any size, on inside or outside corners...
Nice.... I know what it took to get it up and running. running. Beats the hell out of a gas torch, center pivot. track, and a bit of hand work method of cutting metal. :) I did about the same getting my homemade, self made plans, CNC up and running. I generally work with Autocad Inventor for 2.5D pure mechanical stuff and flat stuff. For true 3d artsy stuff I use Blender. Then run the output from those through a G-code generator. For a lot simple stuff I just do the G-code by hand right on the controller. The CNC controller is Mach 3. Ive seen a number of plasma cutters running on that. Basically the only difference is I chew on wood with a router with a 6 inch Z and you chew on metal with a plasma cutter and a short Z. Been considering adding a healthy laser to it too. While I do wood these videos are a blast to watch. Keep them coming as they do give some very great insights on general shop procedures. It also makes very clear why the cost of getting many things done seems so high. At one time I did do a bit of metal fab myself. I think it would be be nice to see a video showing all that's involved in going from a scribble drawing on a yellow pad to the completed chunk of metal for those that dont know.
I bought this machine from PlasmaCAM, this is my own personal machine. they have web site you can see what they have to offer and should be able to buy from them. ;{)----
amazing job...high performance and high accuracy..i love this machine..but i want to know the mechanism of this machine...lead screw or pinion and rack or bearings
Thanks for the tip, I have been running it now for nearly two years now and as you watch more of my videos you get a chance to see my learning curve. ;{)---
I was just had the speed set to slow and a few other things, but I designed the water tray not to have splash of mist around the torch and carriage. ;{)-----
They have a very well put together video manual that not only helps with the assembly but covers the operations and drawing of you r projects. ;{)-----
@shrimp909 Have you payed a visit to the PlasmaCAM forum to seek your questions or read talks of simular problems as your having, most of my questions were answered by just reading and following instructions to the T. Most of all cutting and controling problems are ground and or stray currents between computer and controler. Don't short cut any of the electrical instructions, exspecialy the ground rod for the table to earth.
I just created it as I went and made it to fit my needs. I had to modify the lip but besides that it really works nice. I created more videos after this one showing the progress and changes. ;{)-----
@KEF791 . I love the setup you made for the machine. Can you tell me how you grounded everything. I heard you say you ran a wire from the computer housing to the plasmacam housing. did you use a grounding rod into the ground, or??. PLease explan your grounding system. thanks for the help. I've had my table for 3 years with nothing but trouble
Hi Keith, Man-o-man - you and I are in the same boat. I just ordered a Miller 875 and am nearly ready to order a Plasmacam, but I am still running convincing scenarios to my wife who has to approve the chunk of change that it will take to get it into my shop. I am trying to go as bare bones as possible at first and pull some upgrades a little later. I have wiggle for 1 upgrade upfront. What should it be. Height adjustment or the Advanced software? Awesome water table!!! Thanks
I read that it makes a difference which way (clockwise or counter-clockwise) you are cutting because of the air vortex coming from the plasma cutter. You should do some research on that!
pretty cool! I mess around on one of these at school and I am currently only one of 2 people who know how to operate it. Id recommend you to turn the cut speed up on it the thinner the metal. How many amps is your plasma cutter? and how many psi do you run? thanks. Brayden,
First, let me say "thank you" for posting your videos. I love them and have learned a lot of metal working and machining. Your efforts to take the time to film and edit and share your knowledge is a true unselfish gift. How did we ever learn things before youtube? I have a plasma cam that I bought in 2004 and never used it much. I am interested in your water table. Did you build it from a set of plans?
I love the plasma cutters but I don't like the distortion...Water jet is the way to go . But that's my opinion.. Least ways on thin stock...I've used both and there isn't much difference on 3/16 and above truthfully but under that the water jet is superior...More expensive too..LOL
I know of a company in Clearwater Florida that deals specifically with grounding systems in various soils. Considered to be a leading authority on earth grounding they have primarily worked with lightening dissipation. I learned of this company when researching grounding systems for high frequency radio antennas and station equipment, one of my interest as an Extra Class Amateur Radio License holder. If anyone is interested shoot me an E-Mail and I will try to again locate this company.
Hi Keith Wow what a nice machine. I have a question: Why does the plasma cutter need a Z axis? I would have thought you could manually set the distance from the work and let er go?
Jeremy Mcelroy Thank you Jeremy for the comment. So if I understand this correctly, if you were cutting the same gauge metal all the time, the auto height adjustment would not be necessary?
The Z axis controls the height to compensate for the plate sizes and the warpage going on while your cutting and also preciously keeps the cut height where it needs to be. There are other attachments that need the Z axis as well like the router, engraver. ;{)------
Keith, I have to say for the longest time, I thoight the name of your business was "Termite Machine Works". Then it dawned on me at the beginning of this video what the correct name was... I laughed at myself. What would it cost for you to cut a sign for our family name? I have PayPal. Just shoot me a PM. Thanks!
I put this on my list... we will see if I have been naughty or nice. I LIKED YOUR IDEA FOR YOUR HONEY...! GREAT JOB! I am contemplating a Downdraft Table.... did your machine come with the Water Table? I am a bit on the fence here... Jim Colt and Jody from Welding Tips and Tricks are favoring the Downdraft. Any thoughts?
The magnetic field is dangerous? I mean about the noise of the camera, it´s caused by the electromagnetic field. I bought a TIG welder and on the instruction manual said that it cause sterility, thats because i sold it inmidiatly.
I have had my PlasmaCam for about two years, and it is still in the box due to a bunch of road blocks stemming from my move to Michigan. I cant wait to get itvset up and working!
if you take some 5/8" or 3/4" heater hose and split it down one side and put it around the cut lip of your half of a 55 gallon water barrel, you will reduce the chance of getting cut or rubbing holes in your hoses or cords and if you put a lid on it will make a great gasket! love the detail and great quality of your work!
I was looking at those perfect little steel plugs you cut and thought how many times I wanted a circle of steel and had to use 2 different sized of washers and braze in the hole to fix a part, they would be great for art, making mouse ears or eyes etc, need to keep a bucket (small one) of those as the would go great with art projects! little wheels - let your mind wander! love the sign to the little lady!
I taught myself AutoCad years ago and ended up as a CAD coordinator here in Las Vegas working on the big expansions since 9/11- and my last project was World Trade Center and City Center- every floor every deck, every beam that went into those buildings went through me and my CAD development process. AutoCAD is great, and it does take a few months to study and get going well. But, accurate and fast- well worth learning. And AutoCAd light is not overly expensive.
I personally wouldn’t want to be without either, because I switch from thick to thin plating all the time...
That machine is awesome... The College welding shop got one and I got a chance to learn how to run it... I've been running it for about 2 months now and I'm getting really good... Althought I had a person that ran that machine for 6 years teach me the short cuts and everything...
I'm impressed with the little that I've done with it so far. I felt it was worth getting, when I was dreaming of it six years ago, nothing has changed my since my ownership...Keith
Always Enjoy watching your videos, always pretty educational & informative :) Huge thanks!
The wire in reference, is just an added ground wire that I took, one end and held to the PC housing, with screw and ran it up to the controler and attached it to to out side clips that hold the parrallel cable to the controler, with an alagator clip. the table is grounded with a 28 foot lg. grounding rod, I needed to hit the water table because my earth soil is sand. do not bundle or even cross touch any of your wiring. My best tip is, not to short cut any electrical instructions by PlasmaCAM
very very nice machine Keith, you have inspired me
a cnc plasma,a lathe,a milling machine,a welding machine: sometimes i wonder what the limit is for this awesome 4 superheros of construction.
Great looking setup.
Kieth, I watched another of your videos where you had trouble with the torch popping of. I wonder if you could put a switch on the torch mount that would stop the plasma cam if the torch popped out of the mount. Seems to me that would help eliminate damage to the work piece.
Regards, Dale Gloer
P. Really enjoy your videos
I had proper grounding somewhere between 18 and 20 FT. I just added the rest just because I had it, not like I was going to punch right through ground, mores better Right. LOL... Trained electricians can check proper grounding continuity as your driving the rod into the ground. I just happen to have a well about 100 foot away, so I new what the water table depth was...
As well as good grounds, we often use Ferrite cores and beads to control electrical noise. These create an effective bi-filar radio frequency choke when they surround an electrical cable. You often see small ones used on cables to computer monitors.
Nice worshop and set-up. I'm full of envy!
Hi Greg, well, if you’re going to be mostly doing thick stuff, I'd go with the Design edge software! Because the thicker materials don’t warp up as much as you’re cutting. If you’re going to be doing mostly thin materials you’re going to want the advanced height control, because the auto sensing with the advanced height control keeps up with the cut height as the higher speeds come in to play and still maintains the right height even though the material is moving around with the heat of the cut.
When I first saw your hydraulic press I was blown away. After watching this video of the plasma cam in operation I don't know what to say. Good job man and good luck.
The table and software package that I picked ran eleven and some change, figure in all the extras cutter,compure,console,water tray, venting and the electrical, double that!
Hi Keith, you video's are extremely interesting, I would love to able to buy a PlasmaCam, I don't know what they sell for in the US but here in Australia it is well out of my price range, so I have decided to build my own and most likley look at buying PlasmaCam software. Keep the video's comming
amazing work on the machine, love it
Great title, and the setup.
Its is for controlling the heat and keeping it uniform! Its an option you can choose in the software when setting up your cut paths...
Keith plays the best tunes in his shop.
You know they do make straight plasma torches for these machines.
Well the video series in; PlasmaCAM the Assembly, shows all that info and more. I built it and created the videos as I went along, there is one missing but will be re plublishing it soon! ;{)----
Thanks for jumping in with the feed, that was the first time running about 17 months ago... LOL.. I have learned a lot since then, but never stop jumping in with a comment, I need them...
Were you asking for a hole diameter, I have had pretty true 1/2" hloes pierce and cut in 3/8" mild steel plate and during regular cutting path into a radius of any size, on inside or outside corners...
Thanks for the comment! I have changed the drum out to a plastic one now and all is better with edge rust and water level. ;{)-----
Nice.... I know what it took to get it up and running. running. Beats the hell out of a gas torch, center pivot. track, and a bit of hand work method of cutting metal. :) I did about the same getting my homemade, self made plans, CNC up and running. I generally work with Autocad Inventor for 2.5D pure mechanical stuff and flat stuff. For true 3d artsy stuff I use Blender. Then run the output from those through a G-code generator. For a lot simple stuff I just do the G-code by hand right on the controller. The CNC controller is Mach 3. Ive seen a number of plasma cutters running on that. Basically the only difference is I chew on wood with a router with a 6 inch Z and you chew on metal with a plasma cutter and a short Z. Been considering adding a healthy laser to it too. While I do wood these videos are a blast to watch. Keep them coming as they do give some very great insights on general shop procedures. It also makes very clear why the cost of getting many things done seems so high. At one time I did do a bit of metal fab myself. I think it would be be nice to see a video showing all that's involved in going from a scribble drawing on a yellow pad to the completed chunk of metal for those that dont know.
I bought this machine from PlasmaCAM, this is my own personal machine. they have web site you can see what they have to offer and should be able to buy from them. ;{)----
amazing job...high performance and high accuracy..i love this machine..but i want to know the mechanism of this machine...lead screw or pinion and rack or bearings
Thanks for the tip, I have been running it now for nearly two years now and as you watch more of my videos you get a chance to see my learning curve.
;{)---
I was just had the speed set to slow and a few other things, but I designed the water tray not to have splash of mist around the torch and carriage. ;{)-----
They have a very well put together video manual that not only helps with the assembly but covers the operations and drawing of you r projects. ;{)-----
@shrimp909 Have you payed a visit to the PlasmaCAM forum to seek your questions or read talks of simular problems as your having, most of my questions were answered by just reading and following instructions to the T. Most of all cutting and controling problems are ground and or stray currents between computer and controler. Don't short cut any of the electrical instructions, exspecialy the ground rod for the table to earth.
for thin sheeting i wonder what would happen if your were able to put the bottom side of the sheet down on the water to suck away all of the heat.
I just created it as I went and made it to fit my needs. I had to modify the lip but besides that it really works nice. I created more videos after this one showing the progress and changes. ;{)-----
Awesome video, thanks for sharing. Any dislikes about the machine?
@KEF791 . I love the setup you made for the machine. Can you tell me how you grounded everything. I heard you say you ran a wire from the computer housing to the plasmacam housing. did you use a grounding rod into the ground, or??. PLease explan your grounding system. thanks for the help. I've had my table for 3 years with nothing but trouble
Hi Keith, Man-o-man - you and I are in the same boat. I just ordered a Miller 875 and am nearly ready to order a Plasmacam, but I am still running convincing scenarios to my wife who has to approve the chunk of change that it will take to get it into my shop. I am trying to go as bare bones as possible at first and pull some upgrades a little later. I have wiggle for 1 upgrade upfront. What should it be. Height adjustment or the Advanced software? Awesome water table!!! Thanks
Thats the best toy ever ! I want one.
Thanks, that was the first time ever running it over two years ago, LOL I caught on! ;{)-----
I read that it makes a difference which way (clockwise or counter-clockwise) you are cutting because of the air vortex coming from the plasma cutter. You should do some research on that!
Thanks for the Kudo's from everyone!
Many different shops, keep watching the rest of my videos and find out all that I have done with mine. ;{)-----
pretty cool! I mess around on one of these at school and I am currently only one of 2 people who know how to operate it. Id recommend you to turn the cut speed up on it the thinner the metal. How many amps is your plasma cutter? and how many psi do you run? thanks. Brayden,
First, let me say "thank you" for posting your videos. I love them and have learned a lot of metal working and machining. Your efforts to take the time to film and edit and share your knowledge is a true unselfish gift. How did we ever learn things before youtube? I have a plasma cam that I bought in 2004 and never used it much. I am interested in your water table. Did you build it from a set of plans?
OUTSTANDING!
@abds1000 It has servo motors driving rack and pinions, you can log on their web sight for all info, Plasmacam . com... :)
Also, can you elaborate on the grounding you did between the control box and the PC. Does that tie into the ground rod of the table somehow?
Yes, that part of why I named the title of this video as I did!
Cool, that is what I had thought it was for, wasn't sure though. Is it just water or is there an additive?
You have good taste in music.
I do keep a pail under the table to toss drops of choice into it! ;{)-----
Nice job on your water table Keith, may i ask what gauge is the trim and the water pan.
What do you do to keep the warping of the material down? Turn down the heat, move faster on the head, or raise the water level?
Sweet video! Getting me interested.
Does anyone else think it looks like he's drawing a bunch of phallic symbols at 13:30?
Hi
Whats the minimum radius the set up can cut in say 3/8 mild? I can see a real use for the set up you have.
Cheers kevin
What do you think of the PlasmaCam since you have been using it for a while?
Nice Dire Straits behind !! :-)
So did it live up to all the hype? Is it worth getting?
You got a great wife, take care of her.
I love the plasma cutters but I don't like the distortion...Water jet is the way to go . But that's my opinion.. Least ways on thin stock...I've used both and there isn't much difference on 3/16 and above truthfully but under that the water jet is superior...More expensive too..LOL
A simple lettered sign like that, somewhere between $60 & $80 including materials, alum. or steel. ;{)-----
I know of a company in Clearwater Florida that deals specifically with grounding systems in various soils. Considered to be a leading authority on earth grounding they have primarily worked with lightening dissipation. I learned of this company when researching grounding systems for high frequency radio antennas and station equipment, one of my interest as an Extra Class Amateur Radio License holder. If anyone is interested shoot me an E-Mail and I will try to again locate this company.
You do and I don't. As you know, "It's cheeper to keep her.", so continue to treat her nice.
sir, what is the model of height controller?
Yea to slow, my first time ever using a CNC machine, hence the title. ;{)---
sultans of plasma...
wow great video
You may want to shorten up the pierce time if yo can, your consumables will last a little longer. pretty cool though!
the right music is so important i believe...i am no good when i listen to the angry channel....i think seton hall a college station just angry music
Hi Keith
Wow what a nice machine. I have a question: Why does the plasma cutter need a Z axis? I would have thought you could manually set the distance from the work and let er go?
Easier to set up vice manual, plus you can add auto torch height control for height compensation while cutting.
Jeremy Mcelroy Thank you Jeremy for the comment. So if I understand this correctly, if you were cutting the same gauge metal all the time, the auto height adjustment would not be necessary?
The Z axis controls the height to compensate for the plate sizes and the warpage going on while your cutting and also preciously keeps the cut height where it needs to be. There are other attachments that need the Z axis as well like the router, engraver. ;{)------
Keith Fenner Very good info Keith. I'm learning :O)
How long did it take you to put it all together? What parts did you have to make?
how much would a system like that cost me? if you dont mind me asking.
is this a 4x4 configuration for your gotorch ??? thank you
Wow. Awesome.
Keith, I have to say for the longest time, I thoight the name of your business was "Termite Machine Works". Then it dawned on me at the beginning of this video what the correct name was... I laughed at myself.
What would it cost for you to cut a sign for our family name? I have PayPal. Just shoot me a PM. Thanks!
What a wife.
What is the point of having water under the metal?
You need to watch my stop arc switch video! LOL! it was the very next item I created... ;{)---
Is this machine the first time you have ever used a CNC machine; you seem to know what you are doing?
I put this on my list... we will see if I have been naughty or nice. I LIKED YOUR IDEA FOR YOUR HONEY...! GREAT JOB!
I am contemplating a Downdraft Table.... did your machine come with the Water Table? I am a bit on the fence here... Jim Colt and Jody from Welding Tips and Tricks are favoring the Downdraft. Any thoughts?
What business uses these machines?
just water!
ws the price in thad plasma ?
How much does this one cost??
magical
liked because of dire straits
reduce your pierce delay to improve consumable life
The magnetic field is dangerous? I mean about the noise of the camera, it´s caused by the electromagnetic field. I bought a TIG welder and on the instruction manual said that it cause sterility, thats because i sold it inmidiatly.
at 7:06 it is es ear to ask for fogginess then permission lol
I Kieth. Realy enjoy the stuff your working on.
But it together robs metal shop. com
fico bão não
What the hell's with all the sexual innuendos thats just not cool don't ruin your channel anymore
Haha just read the comment about the guy whining about the sexual innuendos what a weinie I think it's hilarious