- Thread starter Hood
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Hood
I am obsessed.
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Yes, I will be using everything that is there now with the exception of the profile rail that is currently on the Y axis.
I do have reduction, I think the gearboxes are 4:1 but you have to remember I am using servo motors that top out at 6000rpm as opposed to steppers which would maybe be around 1000rpm.
I do have reduction, I think the gearboxes are 4:1 but you have to remember I am using servo motors that top out at 6000rpm as opposed to steppers which would maybe be around 1000rpm.
Hood
I am obsessed.
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- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
No physical progress but drawing/planning has made some advancement.
I was looking at water tanks to hold the water below the table but nothing really suitable. They are either too tall or too low and the price they are I thought I could almost make an aluminium one for. Material would be cheaper but a few hours time would make it more expensive but that would be outweighed by the fact that it would be right for me.
So tank is 1230 wide, 600 deep and 300 high (380 with legs) which should hold approx 220l which is just a bit more than the water table.
The good thing is it will all come out of a single 2500 x 1250 sheet.
I have also drawn up the energy chain for the side, it is hefty stuff, 180mm wide and 80mm deep.
I have found fusion is not great with so many rotary joints, there are 28 of them with angular limits and it takes a while for things to update as you try to move it.
Once applied to the main model it is almost impossible to simulate the motion as it takes so long but at least I know it should work and I should have enough length in the current wiring to reach the cabinet.
Room is still going to be the main issue due to the size of the container but at least with this table I won't have to be trying to get the sheet up the side and loaded from the side so it will make a big difference.
I was looking at water tanks to hold the water below the table but nothing really suitable. They are either too tall or too low and the price they are I thought I could almost make an aluminium one for. Material would be cheaper but a few hours time would make it more expensive but that would be outweighed by the fact that it would be right for me.
So tank is 1230 wide, 600 deep and 300 high (380 with legs) which should hold approx 220l which is just a bit more than the water table.
The good thing is it will all come out of a single 2500 x 1250 sheet.
I have also drawn up the energy chain for the side, it is hefty stuff, 180mm wide and 80mm deep.
I have found fusion is not great with so many rotary joints, there are 28 of them with angular limits and it takes a while for things to update as you try to move it.
Once applied to the main model it is almost impossible to simulate the motion as it takes so long but at least I know it should work and I should have enough length in the current wiring to reach the cabinet.
Room is still going to be the main issue due to the size of the container but at least with this table I won't have to be trying to get the sheet up the side and loaded from the side so it will make a big difference.
Hood
I am obsessed.
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- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
Great thing about doing 3D models is you can play about with things, I have just thought that the control angled in the corner may be a better idea as it will still allow my svelte 
body to pass and the plasma table itself will be closer to the door 
body to pass and the plasma table itself will be closer to the door
Hood
I am obsessed.
- Messages
- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
I think it depends on the joints you are talking about, if it is the kind I think then I don't think you will have a problem with fusion handling them as you will be very relaxed
Hood
I am obsessed.
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- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
Seriously though most joints in fusion I have done have been fine, I think it is just the amount in the chain that is causing the issues.
I have the X, Y and Z axes with slider motion and all 3 linked and it was painless, see vid below.
I have the X, Y and Z axes with slider motion and all 3 linked and it was painless, see vid below.
mtt.tr
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I think it depends on the joints you are talking about, if it is the kind I think then I don't think you will have a problem with fusion handling them as you will be very relaxed
This was habdful of linkage's.
Ive had success with other joints
Hood
I am obsessed.
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- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
Ordered the Alu yesterday afternoon and it arrived this morning, shoved it onto the plasma and chopped it ready to make the tank. Got it tacked up and then welded fully this afternoon, it was a bit breezy but not bad enough that I couldn't get on.
Still have the sump and lid to make and weld in place and then decide which position I will put the air feed and release valves.
Still have the sump and lid to make and weld in place and then decide which position I will put the air feed and release valves.
Hood
I am obsessed.
- Messages
- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
Got the sump, some diagonal supports to stop the Aluminium buckling under the 200 odd Kg weight of water and got the feet pads welded in today.
Took it round to the front of the workshop and started to fill it up.
Had it lipping the edge and after 6 hrs the level was still the same and no wetness on the ground so I am happy
I have decided to fit extra RHS along each side of the table with bolts so that I don't have to mess around with shims when fitting the profile rail, got the Alu today so hopefully I will get that done tomorrow but first I will weld on pads tapped out M10 to the bottom of the legs for the leveling feet to screw into.
Took it round to the front of the workshop and started to fill it up.
Had it lipping the edge and after 6 hrs the level was still the same and no wetness on the ground so I am happy
I have decided to fit extra RHS along each side of the table with bolts so that I don't have to mess around with shims when fitting the profile rail, got the Alu today so hopefully I will get that done tomorrow but first I will weld on pads tapped out M10 to the bottom of the legs for the leveling feet to screw into.
Hood
I am obsessed.
- Messages
- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
Today I threw a bit of 12mm aluminium on the plasma to make a plate for the cap screws of the lid to thread into.
Sadly I was an idiot and had forgotten to switch on the compressor and I only noticed when the inside cut was almost complete and I had wrecked a nozzle
Paused the cutting, switched the compressor on and continued with the outside which cut fine.
You can see the massive bevel on the inside but the outside was fine, just shows how well it goes when the idiot puts the air on
Thankfully it didn't really matter so I was able to bore and tap it for the cap screws, also bored the lid which is 6mm.
And in place.
I then got the 10mm pads for the feet bored and tapped.
I then got them welded to the bottom of the legs and had enough time to get one of the side rails bolted on.
I have cut off the slat holders as you can see lower right of the picture above. I have decided to weld small bits of angle up the table and I will bolt the slat holders to them, that will allow me to level things accurately.
Sadly I was an idiot and had forgotten to switch on the compressor and I only noticed when the inside cut was almost complete and I had wrecked a nozzle
Paused the cutting, switched the compressor on and continued with the outside which cut fine.
You can see the massive bevel on the inside but the outside was fine, just shows how well it goes when the idiot puts the air on
Thankfully it didn't really matter so I was able to bore and tap it for the cap screws, also bored the lid which is 6mm.
And in place.
I then got the 10mm pads for the feet bored and tapped.
I then got them welded to the bottom of the legs and had enough time to get one of the side rails bolted on.
I have cut off the slat holders as you can see lower right of the picture above. I have decided to weld small bits of angle up the table and I will bolt the slat holders to them, that will allow me to level things accurately.
Hood
I am obsessed.
- Messages
- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
It is handy but I didn't for the first build so...That's handy to have a plasma table to build a plasma table, following with great intrest!
Hood
I am obsessed.
- Messages
- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
Not done much to the table due to a few different things, one being I can't afford to dismantle the current table as I have a bit of work coming up that will require the CNC Plasma.
I have however got a Jasic Plasma on the way.
My Current TecArc has an issue which I discovered a while back and after some toing and froing via email with TecArc I decided to take a chance and purchase a new PCB, sadly that didn't cure the problem so that was £200 wasted
The TecArc still works but what happens is the current starts at 65Amps but drops down to 50Amps or so as the cut progresses, quite fast at first but slows down later. I have not done enough testing to see if it continues to drop but it does seem as if it settles around the 50Amps.
I will almost certainly send the TecArc in for repair but that will depend on whether I can get a rough estimate of how much it will cost and whether I deem it worthwhile as I imagine pallet delivery won't be too cheap
So after that long speil the progress I have made is to make up plate to mount the interface card for my THC to and have it wired ready to plug into the Jasic. The current card I have is actually inside my TecArc as it didn't have the voltage divider and Arc Ok signals so I used those parts of the interface board to get them, it is a voltage divider and also allows the connection of a hall sensor board.
Here they are in the the TecArc.
Because the Jasic has the divider and hall sensors inbuilt and also a remote for torch on/off then all I need to do is run a cable from the front connections to my control cabinet where I will have the interface board mounted alongside the head unit for the THC.
So that is all the progress I have to report sadly and it is looking unlikely that I will have time to do much more for the time being.
I have however got a Jasic Plasma on the way.
My Current TecArc has an issue which I discovered a while back and after some toing and froing via email with TecArc I decided to take a chance and purchase a new PCB, sadly that didn't cure the problem so that was £200 wasted
The TecArc still works but what happens is the current starts at 65Amps but drops down to 50Amps or so as the cut progresses, quite fast at first but slows down later. I have not done enough testing to see if it continues to drop but it does seem as if it settles around the 50Amps.
I will almost certainly send the TecArc in for repair but that will depend on whether I can get a rough estimate of how much it will cost and whether I deem it worthwhile as I imagine pallet delivery won't be too cheap
So after that long speil the progress I have made is to make up plate to mount the interface card for my THC to and have it wired ready to plug into the Jasic. The current card I have is actually inside my TecArc as it didn't have the voltage divider and Arc Ok signals so I used those parts of the interface board to get them, it is a voltage divider and also allows the connection of a hall sensor board.
Here they are in the the TecArc.
Because the Jasic has the divider and hall sensors inbuilt and also a remote for torch on/off then all I need to do is run a cable from the front connections to my control cabinet where I will have the interface board mounted alongside the head unit for the THC.
So that is all the progress I have to report sadly and it is looking unlikely that I will have time to do much more for the time being.
Hood
I am obsessed.
- Messages
- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
It is just the last 3 or 4 years that I have had a pulse Mig, have been welding Aluminium on boats for 35years or more and at first it was just a standard Mig and torch, then got one with a separate wire feed unit, upgraded later to a spool gun and then as said it was just 3 or 4 years ago I got the EWM Phoenix. The pulse Mig makes positional welding a breeze but standard Mig in flat positions is easy and positional just requires technique but certainly not as easy or nice as with pulse..
Hood
I am obsessed.
- Messages
- 17,308
- Location
- Carnoustie, Scotland
I am hoping I may get a chance over Christmas to get the plasma table done so today I looked out the bits and pieces of rack I have but sadly I am not really going to have enough without resorting to patching 5 short bits together.
I decided to get a ballscrew for the gantry axis instead so I ordered that up today.
I am thinking of having the ballscrew fixed and the nut rotating as that will allow me to have the screw in tension and thus no chance of flex over the length.
I looked about to see what bearings I had and I found some from the Chirons spindle and they are perfect and way more precise than a plasma table would ever need.
This evening I have been drawing up a model for the housing and components for the rotating ballnut, now I just need to order some 4" x 2.1/2" aluminum bar.
Few pics of what I have come up with.
I decided to get a ballscrew for the gantry axis instead so I ordered that up today.
I am thinking of having the ballscrew fixed and the nut rotating as that will allow me to have the screw in tension and thus no chance of flex over the length.
I looked about to see what bearings I had and I found some from the Chirons spindle and they are perfect and way more precise than a plasma table would ever need.
This evening I have been drawing up a model for the housing and components for the rotating ballnut, now I just need to order some 4" x 2.1/2" aluminum bar.
Few pics of what I have come up with.
