NEW TO THIS. LOOKING FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS

[Cumminz_03]

Hi my name is colt. I've recently decided to enter the plasma table world. I have zero experience so you may have to treat my like a toddler. I decided to go with a plasmacam 5x10 table with advanced height control and advanced software. I hope it was a good decision. I found this site a little late. Any way, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestion or hints they would share. I am considering a hypertherm 45. Would this be wise or should I consider another model. I'm looking to do a lot of wall art and signs. I would like something that will be precise (what setup including expendables would you use). Also any recommendations for a compressor and computer. And what gauge would you recommend using (I considered 14 or 16). Any pros or cons. Sorry for so many questions but I want to get the best setup. Thanks in advance. Also I've heard Jimcolt is the hypertherm guru, so if you don't mind to throw your two cents in too I would appreciate it.

[abmagrum]

you will like it here you will learn a lot.
the hypertherm 45 will work . if you can afford it get the 65 .
I would get a two stage 80 gallon . but if money is tight 5 hp 60 gallon will work. use 3/8 fittings for better air flow
you will need a air dryer filter system.
a lot of people use dell with serial ports . I don't know if plasma cam uses serial ports or not.
you can ask any questions usually someone will try to help
click on cnc plasma table discussion forum click on plasma cam you can find some answers there.
plenty of free dxf's to go through. new ones every day

[Cumminz_03]

Thanks for the reply. Can you please explain why you recommend the 65. I've read on here to cut with the smallest settings needed for the best results and ill mainly be cutting wall art. But if it will produce better work I will consider it. I just thought the curf would be larger with the 65,cutting into my precision. But like I stated I don't know much about this.

[Metriccar]

The first question is do you EVER anticipate needing to cut something thicker, like 1/4", 3/8" or more. If you aren't going to cut anything thicker than the gauges, there's no need to spend $$$ on a higher amp plasma cutter. The Powermax 45, 65, and 85 all take the same consumables and I know you can go down to 35 amps and use the fine cut consumables on the 65, not sure how low the 45 or 85 go.

But yeah, if you don't need a 65 or 85, you're better off spending that $$$ on something else.

[jimcolt]

Hi Colt, my name is Colt as well, my last name anyway..

Precision with plasma cutting has to be defined by what your cut quality requirements are. It is a function of the type of plasma cutter, thye capability of the cnc machine you have it mounted on, and the quality of the part drawings you will be cutting. Height control and good software is necessary as well. The Powermax plasma cutters all cut very well, however there are better plasma cutters and cnc machines that will set you back in the $100k range that will cut faster, cleaner and with better quality....they are called high definition class plasma and generally live in the industriel high production side of the metal fabricating world.

So it is difficult to accurately answer your requirements for cutting with high precision. Typically an air plasma on a decent machine will hold tolerances withing .020", but it is plasma and you have to draw your artistic designs in ways that will work with the plasma to achieve the best results.

The Powermax 45 is a great plasma and will do a good job on thin materials. The Powermax65 is newer technology and has the availability of the FineCut consumables that work best on thin materials and can use the ohmic plate sensing function that is a key ingrediant on plasma cam machines for best performance. The Powermax45 has a set of lower amp (30 amp) consymables....but they do not allow the use of the ohmic. For that reason, and because you are looking for best precision on 14 and 16 gauge I would recommend the Powermax65 over the 45.....better results on thin materials. You don't mention the thickest materials you need to cut.

Jim Colt

Hi my name is colt. I've recently decided to enter the plasma table world. I have zero experience so you may have to treat my like a toddler. I decided to go with a plasmacam 5x10 table with advanced height control and advanced software. I hope it was a good decision. I found this site a little late. Any way, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestion or hints they would share. I am considering a hypertherm 45. Would this be wise or should I consider another model. I'm looking to do a lot of wall art and signs. I would like something that will be precise (what setup including expendables would you use). Also any recommendations for a compressor and computer. And what gauge would you recommend using (I considered 14 or 16). Any pros or cons. Sorry for so many questions but I want to get the best setup. Thanks in advance. Also I've heard Jimcolt is the hypertherm guru, so if you don't mind to throw your two cents in too I would appreciate it.

[KeeYaw]

Alos, (Jim, correct me if I'm wrong) but I think the 45 does not have auto air adjustment and the 65 does. Not to mention the consumables last longer on the 65 than 45. ???

[abmagrum]

Thanks for the reply. Can you please explain why you recommend the 65. I've read on here to cut with the smallest settings needed for the best results and ill mainly be cutting wall art. But if it will produce better work I will consider it. I just thought the curf would be larger with the 65,cutting into my precision. But like I stated I don't know much about this.

first the 65 takes fine cut consumables so it will cut thin metal better.
its cheaper to buy bigger first time
you will have the opportunity to cut thicker metal
the dealers always tell you to buy smallest you need. if its something you are going to use a lot you always buy 1 -2 sizes bigger. so you are not working the machine. it will last 4x longer because you are stressing it out

I learned from experience. I have bought a couple $100,000.00 of equipment over the years . if you cheap out you pay down the road.
on the other hand if you don't plan on using it much . then you can cheap out . because it wont get the wear and tare

[Cumminz_03]

Thanks again for all the info. So I guess the 65 will be the one I go with. Do i need to purchase anything special for the 65 to work best with my plasma cam. As for the metal thickness, would you recommend a certain gauge metal for wall art. I was thinking 14 gauge.

[BrianMick]

I use a variety of thicknesses for wall art...14g is kind of my standard.
Brian

[Cumminz_03]

Ok. I priced some today. It was 16 gauge i think delivered for $49 each 4x8 sheet if i bought 20 pieces. Is that good. Seems they have a cold and hot coated also. What's the difference and does one work better for my application. I will check on 14 gauge tomorrow.

[abmagrum]

cold rolled is bare metal rust quicker
hot rolled has a coating to slow rust down

cold rolled is usually more money . why ?? idk

hot rolled you have to clean the black stuff off cant think what its called. but its usually cheaper
if you use acid it is very simple
you just find a plastic container the size you need . add the acid and a little water drop the metal in . in a couple hours to overnight . you have clean metal and no dross if left long enough.
you do this outside and you need a gas mask rubber gloves .
some people use vinegar just takes longer

http://plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f ... ath#p42801
type in acid bath. in search. for more results

[Zephrant]

Might want to post your location in your profile- If you were within driving distance of me, I'd invite you over for a chat/demo on my table, before I send it back to the school.

Online is great, but there is nothing like talking to a crusty old.. err.. operator... to learn things you didn't even know to ask.

[cindy carlisle]

Go with the biggest Plasma you can afford, you can always turn a Bigger one down, but you can't turn the smaller plasma up

[Gamelord]

The difference between cold rolled and hot rolled is the precision in which the metal comes out at and the overall strength of the steel sheets. Cold rolled is sheets that are rolled from cold blanks or ingots? *(sp?) The mill uses one of these large blocks of steel (appx. 1 ft thick, 20 inches wide and 30ft long) and then roll it over and over until it comes out to the thickness they want, 12ga, 10ga, 16 ga etc... One ingot can produce quite a few dozen sheets depending on the thickness. The ingots are cold so whey they roll them out they don't have the cooling or warpage issues that comes with hot rolled sheets. This allows for a more precise and flat sheet of steel. It also takes more work and time to roll a cold ingot over a hot one. Because the ingot is already cold, you don't have all the oils/impurities/coating (aka mill scale) that forms on the outside of the sheet when it is rolled.

Hot rolled uses a very similar process, but the ingots are bright orange hot when they roll them out. This allows for the steel to stretch and form easier making it much less expensive to roll. Because the metal is hot, impurities such as "lube" from the rollers and slag will form on the sheets as they are rolled and cool, when the sheet cools this becomes mill scale that you need to remove to get to the bare metal beneath. Because the sheets are hot when they are rolled, the will stretch/shrink ever so slightly when they cool, giving small discrepancies across the overall thickness of the sheet. Most of the time these discrepancies are under fractions of a millimeter and are not ever noticeable.

Because hot rolled sheets can be made in less space an time, they cost less to purchase over cold rolled which can take up to 4 times a long to make.

At least that is what was told to me by my steel supplier. Please correct me if I have been told wrongly.

Here is a video on steel making. It is very long and somewhat interesting (45 minutes long) but to get what you need, start the video around 13 minute and it goes till around 20 minutes. The rest is not relevant to this discussion.
http://youtu.be/9AMbKpeJRoU