Cnc? laser cut shapes?

[plantlife]

Hi,

I'm curious of a rough cost of a job. Does anyone have a clue of a rough estimate? I literally no idea.

Ok, I've a plasma, grinder, etc So I could make them myself, not sure how long it would take or how the quality would stand up from one to the next....as I can't see a clear way of repeating small items with the plasma cutter :/
I've no problem with using the grinder but some times I can get pain in my hands and they cramp a bit.

Ideally 3mm stainless steel or 3mm mild steel, there maybe variations on the design if it makes no difference to cost i.e. Rabbit head etc
Quanity, there is quite a few I'd need but if it's cost effective for more or less... say 200?

Here's a picture
Cheers
Andy

 

[ukracer]

Hi,

I'm curious of a rough cost of a job. Does anyone have a clue of a rough estimate? I literally no idea.

Ok, I've a plasma, grinder, etc So I could make them myself, not sure how long it would take or how the quality would stand up from one to the next....as I can't see a clear way of repeating small items with the plasma cutter :/
I've no problem with using the grinder but some times I can get pain in my hands and they cramp a bit.

Ideally 3mm stainless steel or 3mm mild steel, there maybe variations on the design if it makes no difference to cost i.e. Rabbit head etc
Quanity, there is quite a few I'd need but if it's cost effective for more or less... say 200?

Here's a picture
Cheers
Andy

Air rifle targets?

My local plasma place would charge about 40 quid for that lot. But they would still

 

[plantlife]

[/QUOTE]

If you wanted to do it yourself then it wouldn't be a big challenge with such simple shapes to make a set of templates for the plasma.

Farming it out would definitely be the easier route for that quantity, though I have no idea of the costs. (See, I'm not anti automation )

I thought about a template, but I thought it wouldn't work due to the targets been narrow. The only template for plasma cutters are wood, thought the wood would flex

Air rifle targets?

My local plasma place would charge about 40 quid for that lot. But they would still

Yeah, air rifle targets.

 

[dannyp]

stuff seems to cost me the material + £50 if theres loads of really small items that take the machen ovr a set time or its very thick they charge more apparently

 

[8ob]

115 of these @ £1.08p each + the vodka and tonic and delivery . Thats out of one whole sheet of 3mm steel.

Bob

 

[Gareth0123]

Have you considered making and using a simple pantograph for your plasma cutter?

 

[plantlife]

[/QUOTE]

An external template...

Cutout say 15mm (or half tip size plus kerf) around the outside.

Like a sheet with a hole in, as opposed to a stick you travel around.
edit: quote thing broken, not me )[/QUOTE]


I hadn't thought of that, I'd only thought of the stick you travel around. That would make it a whole lot easier! Thank you.

Have you considered making and using a simple pantograph for your plasma cutter?
View attachment 97528

Hi,
No, I didn't know what they were. It looks like it might be an option, I'll do a bit of research

I quickly googled it, here's a brief description incase anyone encounters this thread in the future.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantograph

 

[Hitch]

Get them lasered. You wont need to hardly clean them up at all and tyeyll be all exactly the same.

Prices vary a lot from place to place, email the drawings and ask for a price from a few places.

 

[Gareth0123]

I had a "toy" pantograph when I was a kid in the 1960's

In 1999 my daughter and I bought a "scaling" pantograph from our local art shop for £17.40......... and paid with my tin of accumulated pennies and tuppences.

In the workshop I have a home-made steel pantograph which is adjustable from 1:1 to 1:2 and 2:1 that I made especial for plasma cutting, and apart from trying out and doing a bit of hobby work I have never used it on a paying job........ but I do get accurate copies from it.

 

[plantlife]

Thanks for that, it looks likes there's lots of adjustments you could make they are definitely on my list of things for the cutter. I'm getting excited

 

[Gareth0123]

Actually, I think that early next year I will make another steel Pantograph for plasma cutting.......... only this time I'll include all the scaling just as my art one has.

I'll make it as a "How to" photo project, posting it in the relevant section on here, as I am absolutely certain other members would like to make their own.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I thought about a template, but I thought it wouldn't work due to the targets been narrow. The only template for plasma cutters are wood, thought the wood would flex



Yeah, air rifle targets.

An external template...

Cutout say 15mm (or half tip size plus kerf) around the outside.

Like a sheet with a hole in, as opposed to a stick you travel around.


(edit: quote thing broken, not me )[/QUOTE]
You don't get 90 degree corners though with a female template (sheet with the pattern cut out), you get radiused corners.

It was PDG who broke the quotes button, not me!

 

[Wendelspanswick]

If you have a female template of what the OP pictured (female as in a sheet with a hole of the item cut in it) you will end up with a radius where the the straight joins the circle!.

 

[HughF]

Microkerf come highly recommended by me, instant online quoting, bloody good value too.

 

[hotrodder]

As said prices can vary a lot so get a few quotes from whoever's localish. Find a good one and you soon end up getting as much stuff through them as you can because even if you put zero value on your time it's still better value than DIY... the part 80b posted for example, a single sheet of 2500 x 1250 x 3m CR4 steel is £103 + VAT from Parkersteel. Same deal with the guys i use (Fabcuts), just had a sheets worth of 1.2mm 304L cut into various shapes (some simple, others complicated) and it cost me about £10 - 15 more than the sheet alone would from the exact same stockholder that Fabcuts buy from. Difference is i buy a sheet or 2 here and there while they buy tonnes of metal a week...

It's worth working to sheet quantities (set drawing limits in CAD or draw a 2500 x 1250 box first etc or if every part is the same ask to be quoted for a sheets worth as well as X off) whenever possible for example i did a job the other year where someone wanted 100 of something, a full sheet yielded about 117 parts or whatever and the price for a sheets worth was exactly the same as the price for 100...

 

[bricol]

Most places will be able to create a suitable file for their system even if you only have a physical template - they'd charge for it of course. They'll nest whatever shapes you want so they get best useage of material too. Even the hole in the end. The thought of cutting a lot of those out by hand . . . aargghhh

Not laser cutting, but I recently had some 3mx2m plate, 50 and 75mm thick steel cut with plasma - and was impressed with the cut faces - straight, true and perpendicular. I've had stuff only 10mm thick be all over the place. Explained to me as setting up right, but mainly not using the same nozzle to do the initial burn through and another for the actual cut.

 

[hotrodder]

Obviously it'll vary and the price will be out of date as i've not done anything this way for years but FWIW Fabcuts used to charge £40+VAT to scan something, cut a sample from something cheap and thin and send you the DXF. While all the important dimensions and holes etc were spot on some of the curves and fillet radii needed tweaking because, back then at least, whatever dodad they used worked from reference points that needed joining up or something

Personally i'd call first to feel things out and ask if there's any particular way they'd prefer drawings laid out. Any of them should be able to cope with loads of different formats etc but the easier you can make things...
Typically this'd mean a dxf instead of a dwg etc, put any notes & dimensions (to save having to go between emails and drawings for quantities/material specs) in a different layer and colour so they can be switched off easily by a couple of different methods and most importantly make absolutely sure there's no overlaps/missed snaps/fragments of deleted lines/sloppy breaks etc in the drawing

 

[WorkshopChris]

The price will normally reduce for small parts if you can have a bunch joined with tabs if you are prepare to do a little final finishing.
That way they can lift off completed lumps off the table rather than messing about fishing out lots of little bits.
Always pays to ask about options, depends what machine they will use.

 

[plantlife]

Don't think I'm ignoring you, the questions you are putting up is helping me form how to approach a company.

Excellent suggestions, as I wouldn't have know any of this kind of stuff.

Thanks again

 

[ukracer]

Have you considered making and using a simple pantograph for your plasma cutter?
View attachment 97528

Does that do 1:1. It seems like 1:1 is hard to come by. Even Joe can't seem to make one.