New newby

[Bombu]

Hi,

I’m John. I have access to a ArcLight Dynamics table with a Hypertherm PowerMax45 XP system. I haven’t cut anything on it yet but I have some experience with a laser cutter/engraver (and plotters) and writing native HPGL and PostScript programs and I’ve simulated my AutoCad output in Sheetcam TNG. Sheetcam seems like a very easy convenient program. I think I like it.

Our plasma table needs some more setting up; we need UV shielding, venting, and fire hazard reduction (it’s right next to a cloth covered bulletin board) but before that happens I’m going to try to get an EasyScribe. I think it would be fun to engrave decorative patterns on guitar, etc, pick guards.

I’ve found this site to be very helpful so thank you all.

[acourtjester]

Welcome aboard John, great place for a starter, questions answered freely and lots of neat project files posted for you to download and use. You can have a quick look using the search function in the upper right. Sometimes changing the wording will expand you search. An easy scribe will open another option for the table, easy to setup using SheetCam. Just figure a way to hold the items you wish to engrave on the table.

[adbuch]

Hi John - welcome to the forum! Another option for "practicing" with your table would be to attach a sharpie/pen holder to the torch mount and draw instead of cut. This is always a great way to get some experience with a new table without wasting metal. Here is a thread you might like discussing some various methods for constructing a sharpie/pen holder. I particularly like the ones that Tom 3D printed.
David

viewtopic.php?f=206&t=32986&p=202103#p202103

torch mounts for drawing pens.JPG (52.35 KiB) Viewed 918 times

[Bombu]

Hi guys, thanks. That’s a very good idea. I looked at the thread but I didn’t see any stl files or directions. Maybe I overlooked them. If I can find more detailed instructions that will be my next project.

[adbuch]

I don't know that Tom posted the stl files. Maybe send him a PM, or wait until he reads this tomorrow and he might post them here.
David

[Bombu]

Here’s one at thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5100604 but the pen tip is offset from the plasma tip location. Well, I guess it would have to be unless you replaced the tip like you do with the Easyscribe. I like the idea of 3D printing it; it would fit in well with the Makerspace. The one I found at thingiverse seems quite a bit simpler than the examples shown above. However the offset from the tip is 1.822 inches but I guess it doesn’t matter that it’s not as easy a distance to measure as it could be.

I won’t be able to start making one for a few day, though. I hope I find some other examples to choose from. If anybody has any more suggestions please weigh in.

John

[adbuch]

John - that is a nice simple design for a sharpie pen holder.

There is no particular reason that the tip of the pen needs to be aligned with the tip of the plasma torch. You can either zero to the tip of the pen, or use an x-y offset in the control software - depending on your table/controller. For my Plasmacam Design Edge software, I simply jog the torch to the location on the material where I wish to start cutting (or drawing), and then move my cut paths to the torch location showing on the screen.
David

locate to torch 2.jpg (32.15 KiB) Viewed 907 times

[acourtjester]

Good Morning John
As David said I will supply any member here with the STL file for the attachments I have developed. I store them on the Google drive so the file come from there. Here is another tool I have working on for a Plasma table, it is a longer tip drag knife for cutting thicker material. It is not 100 % some minor changes until it done.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

[Bombu]

Thank you, Tom, and the rest of you as well. I’m going to start with the simple 3D print version. I’ll do it Monday. The drag knife concept sounds very interesting as well, although I’m not sure what I would cut. Chances are the powers that be at the school where I work won’t have the plasma cutter set up to cut metal very soon so I’ll look into the drag knives after I get a pen working. I’ll post a picture of whatever I manage to scribble.

I’m happy I joined the plasmaspider community!

I guess I should make a sig with:
Trotec 80 watt CO2 Speedy 300
Haas MiniMill
Haas Lathe
Roland GS-24
Eva Lite scanner
Stratasys F170 3D printer
Fanuc robot welder
Fanuc robot… IDK, materials handler?
A couple more 3D printers and a water bath to dissolve support material
Hypertherm PowerMax45 XP
ArcLight Dynamics XY table

None of which is mine, but I can use it all as much as I know how - still much to learn.
And, last but not least, Dyna Mite 2400 CNC mill

[Bombu]

I guess I should start a new thread, maybe. Please let me know.

But, can the drag knife cut vinyl floor tiles? I can’t cut vinyl on the laser because of toxic gas production but I’d like to be able to cut the (about 1 foot square) vinyl tiles with a sticky back and make inlay or mosaic patterns, like marquetry. That would be really cool. A local grocery store had their logo in the vinyl floor as you entered and I’ve always wanted to do something like that.

John

[acourtjester]

As to the vinyl flooring I would say no, it is more on the line for cardboard or poster paper material. Some member were looking for a way to cut templates for projects from cardboard for a mock up. For doing floor vinyl I would look at a router setup with a 1/8" bit or smaller. You design would not have sharp corners, due to the radius of the bit used.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Pen torch holder 2 image.JPG (40.12 KiB) Viewed 892 times

[Bombu]

Too bad. With the laser and 1/8 inch wood I can cut the exact same design on two contrasting pieces of wood and then swap the inside and outside and have two finished pieces with no waste.

[Bombu]

Hello again,

It took longer than expected but I have made substantial progress. I found the Arclight Dynamics videos to be very very helpful, They cover both the SheetCam program which generates G-code and the Linux computer system that runs the plasma system.

Next I need to learn how to determine how to properly set parameters for a particular cut.

I had some trouble clearing the support material out of the screw on cap. I started looking around for some other cap I could use. Maybe it would be a good idea to design with that in mind and make the cap easily replaceable from a shampoo bottle or something. I also might glue the spring into the cap. Especially in the Makerspace environment there's a good chance of it getting lost, otherwise.

[adbuch]

I had some trouble clearing the support material out of the screw on cap. I started looking around for some other cap I could use. Maybe it would be a good idea to design with that in mind and make the cap easily replaceable from a shampoo bottle or something. I also might glue the spring into the cap. Especially in the Makerspace environment there's a good chance of it getting lost, otherwise.

Simply rotate the model for the cap 180 degrees before slicing - so that way the cap opening will be pointing up and no supports will be needed.
David

[adbuch]

I just finished printing up a bunch of these torch sharpie holders and they came out great! Will probably offer them on Ebay or to fellow Plasmaspider members for a nominal charge.
David

[acourtjester]

David's illustration how to set up a print with an opening, and also shows the base which it added in the setup also. there are 3 types of "bases to help smaller parts stay attached to the printers bed. They are called "Brim", Skirt" and "Raft" you can use one or all, they are easy to remove after the item is printed. The supports are normally used with items with a overhang, where there is no connecting sections of the item. They also break off easily after the print is complete. It is fascinating what they will print, Here are small containers I printed. The white cap is off a drink bottle the fits a printed part. If you can draw things, then move to a 3-D program, you can make all kinds of things. Or download them from sites to print.

[acourtjester]

3-D posting are at the bottom of the categories.
viewforum.php?f=122

[adbuch]

Those are so sweet looking parts Tom! It's lots of fun to be able to make anything you can draw up.
David