--- In mach1mach2cnc@..., "jacoby01" <BobJacoby@B...>
wrote:
Just jumping into this thread because it very topical - can anyone
recommend a msximum speed for my plasma cutting table - I'm in the
midst of assembling the electronics and designing the table.
By the "book" 16 gauge steel should be cut at 330 ipm (verse 3/8"
at
35 ipm) and 1/16" aluminum at 550 ipm - this sounds extremely fast -
I was initially going to design for a max speed of 200 ipm - now
I've moved it up to 300 - 350 ipm.
I'm anxious to hear others' experiences - any suggestions.
Bob Jacoby
Florida
There are a lot of factors that determine cutting speed. For long
straight lines perhaps the numbers from a table are appropriate but
most of my cuts are complex shapes and lots of short, quick cuts. I
doubt my table would hold together long with rapids of 300 to 500 IPM
and hundreds of abrupt stops and starts. While I can only relate to
14GA and thicker material (the thin stuff tends to curl when you do a
lot of close cuts) I find the 200IPM max my table will do quite
exciting enough. My table is a dual purpose router/torch design that
has the size, ridigity and strength to cut oak with a full sized
router so a 100lb gantry moving at 350 IPM is pretty scary
If your torch has an adjustable current setting you might consider
turning it down for thinner material and cutting slower.
I can tell you from experience that building a machine that will
sustain 350 IPM and not over torque something without spending big
$$$ will be a real challenge. If this is your first self-built CNC
project I recommend you scale back on the speed for this design.
There is not much room/time for error on a 48" wide machine when the
axis is moving at 5 in/sec. In the 2 secs it can take for you to
relize there is a problem and then hitting the e-stop button, your
machine has gone 10".
