Cheap thc for diy table

[Carld]

I'm looking for a cheap thc controler for my diy table using mach3 and my new powermax 45 .
What is your feedback for thc ?

Thanks

[Nacs Fab]

I am using the LCTHC from CandCNC and it works quite well. I believe they sold that product line to another manufacturer so you would need to look on their website.

[Nacs Fab]

It really depends on what type of controller you have for your motors. I use a Gecko G540 so they made an interface card for their LCTHC and G540.

[Carld]

I'm talking more about proma thc , thc3t or minithc
Its a cheap build

[Carld]

Lcthc is only 255$
Is compatible with standart breaker board ?
What is your feedback whit this module ?

[acourtjester]

eBay has a few for under $300 like this one for hypertherm.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MiniTHC-torch-h ... SwBahU56lm
they have another one for other plasma units.
same price

[Nacs Fab]

Lcthc is only 255$
Is compatible with standart breaker board ?
What is your feedback whit this module ?

I am not sure what that board is - do you have a link to it? I have used my LCTHC for 3 years now and I will venture to say it is every bit as good in cut quality as any other cuts I've seen here with much more expensive systems.

[plain ol Bill]

Cheap and good are far apart.

[Greolt]

Cheap and good are far apart.

Yes that's true, but sometimes cheap and adequate can coincide.

Some users and their tables don't have the same requirements and range of cutting needs as others.

I am using a THC3T-01 and it is doing the job for my requirements. It is as cheap as I have seen.

Are there better THCs out there? Of course there are. But I will keep using this one as long as it meets my needs.

[jamveino]

Take it from a first time table builder here...I went through a Proma150, the THC3T and a lot of "I'm going to scrap this PC of crap" before I went and talked to Andrew from http://neuroncnc.com/ The one on one support is worth the extra I spent for his product!!!! I would have sold the table by now if it was not for his help!

[acourtjester]

And what did you pay for this setup??

[jamveino]

I bought the Simplicity It was in the ball park of $700Can shipped from door to door.

[Ribbedgiraffe]

Digging up an old thread here..
I purchased the MiniTHC for my table a few months back after having several conversations with the manufacturer. This thing sat on my desk for 3 months before I got around to adding it to my table. I emailed the Manufacturer and he has answered EVERY question very quickly. I had an issue with a loader because of an issue with my program, I sent him the file and he rewrote the file for me within 2 hours. I have contacted him at all hours, day or night, and always had an almost immediate response. I literally find his customer service to be as good as Jim Colt's and anyone who owns a Hypertherm knows how good this is..
So - If you say you are paying a higher price for better service, I doubt it.

I will update as I get more info.

[Ribbedgiraffe]

Well, I'm officially back to cutting, Now with a Torch Height control.

I may not know much - but from a Basic understanding I would recommend the MiniThC from minithc.com. Denis is amazing and always gets back almost immediately and was able to help with another issue I was having with my table.

Installation was simple, Literally its almost plug and play. I've got some more fine tuning to do, but I no longer need to remove all my slats and re-level my table.

[jimcolt]

THC, Torch height control. This function on a cnc plasma machine is one of the three most important cut quality controlling functions (excellent motion control, good quality plasma cutter and excellent height control are the three). The torch height control must:
-accurately find the surface of the material
-accurately retract to the specified pierce height
-After the pierce time is complete...index rapidly down to the cut height
-Once the cnc signals to the THC that it has achieved at least 80% of programmed cut speed....the arc voltage feedback activates
-Arc voltage feedback must maintain the specified torch to work distance within plus or minus about .005" (roughly 1 to 2 arc volts)
-The cnc and THC must work together to freeze height whenever the cnc slows down (below 80% of programmed speed) for cornering, holes, fine features, etc......this to eliminate THC diving
-The THC must retract at the end of each cut cycle adequately to minimize collisions with tipped up parts while traversing.

A good THC must also have a good tight z axis motorized slide (often called a "lifter") that is tuned to the electronics in order to eliminate oscillation.....yet be fast enough to react and maintain the correct torch to work distance.

Some THC's require very little operator expertise or input...others require a lot of settings. the best require no arc voltage setting....just set a physical height and that height is maintained.

Bottom line.....I do not recommend the price of the THC should be the primary purchase criteria, also keep in mind that the cost of a good lifter is part of the price of the THC system. Wasted consumables and wasted metal from scrapped parts will quickly offset the cost of a better THC. The best are generally integrated (operate as another axis) into the cnc control.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

[Ribbedgiraffe]

Jim - I enjoy your enthusiasm and have always appreciated your excellent customer service, From reading your past posts and this recent one there is one thing you almost always seem to overlook, and I assume this is because most often you deal in industrial professional applications so I will not hold it against you, and I assume others do not either.

I, like many others pursue this as a Hobby (An expensive one) possibly with a bit of side work to support the hobby (Just like welding, or general machining), I have a full time job that is 100% unrelated to fabrication.
Since I have two children at home I must emphasize this, Everything I do comes down to cost first and what functions I can afford.

This THC is in the same price range as the Proma THC that seems to be fairly popular, and offers more options and is very easy to use. I can Personally say, for now, this THC functions as I need it. My cuts are far improved, my speeds are up to spec, with time I know I will see consumable life improvement and I do not have to change/re-level my slats (After shuffling around a 400lb piece of steel), and using this THC and some guidance from another member of this forum I was able to add an "Ohmic" Sensing device with a backup limit switch to more accurately find the surface of the material.

Now, I'm sure there are better options out there, but they aren't worth another thousand dollar investment to me, at this time.. In a perfect world we would all buy factory built tables with every option imaginable..

Don't discourage the little guy who is trying to be frugal and resourceful.. without him a lot of these forums and information wouldn't exist for others to learn with.. We also wouldn't be able to highly recommend Hypertherm products to our friends .