A Word to the WISE - BUY NOW!

[Joe Jones]

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A word to the WISE.

I am strongly advising PlasmaCam owners who plan to keep their tables for any length of time to dig deep, and buy a GoTorch A.S.A.P.

https://gotorch.com/

Joe



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[abmetal]

Why? For parts?

Allen

[Joe Jones]

Why? For parts?

Allen

Yes.

Have you checked the prices for the various PlasmaCam table components lately?

PlasmaCam has 'YUGELY increased the prices on several of their main table components.

Carriage and gantry motors jumped $200.00 to $498.00 EACH.

510 gantry - complete jumped $400.00 to $1,695.00

The carriage assembly jumped $400.00 to $1,695.00

A grate set (10 slats) for the 510 table jumped $79.00 to $298.00 PER SET of 10
That makes a new full set of grates for a 510 table (4 sets) $1,192.00

A new 510 RAIL with the gear rack jumped $50.00 to $349.00 EACH

Their V-Groove wheels with bolts jumped $10.00 to $29.00 EACH

Even their little steel grate stops jumped from $3.00 to $5.00 EACH

Other components also went UP.

For example, purchasing a new carriage motor and gantry motor separately sets you back $996.00 plus shipping. You have just paid for 1/3 of a GoTorch which has BOTH motors, and a Z motor, and a carriage assembly, and a spare controller box!

Purchasing a new (or spare) carriage assemble is now $1,695.00 + shipping, and you have paid for 1/2 of a GoTorch which has the gantry motor and the controller box, and the various bearings and springs, etc.

Added bonus!

With a minimal amount of 'Redneck Engineering' you can configure that gantry tube and carriage assembly into a pipe cutter ACCESSORY simply by relocating the gantry motor and using a (P-292 OR P-293) belt or another means to rotate the cylinder being cut.

The GoTorch comes with its own hallowed Controller Box. That is $2,995.00 ALONE, purchased separately. This is a great SPARE BOX to have on hand. However, it is designed to run ONLY a 2x2 table (The GoTorch) So if you use this on your main 4x4 or 5x10 table, you MUST purchase the $998.00 (CSB) Customizable Size Upgrade from PlasmaCam in order to run a larger table with it. So even PlasmaCam WINS because they get to sell all of those (CSB) upgrades they KNOW you will buy with every GoTorch!

I am not sure WHY they increased their prices like this. I am only GUESSING that they already KNOW that people are buying the GoTorch machines for spare parts, (The carriage assembly, the gantry motor, a spare controller box, bearings, springs, gear racks, etc.)

I am only GUESSING that they aren't selling a lot of GoTorch machines AS CNC plasma cutting machines because the word is out in the CNC community that if you want your GoTorch to actually do much of ANYTHING, you must spend another $2,000.00 or more on software upgrades in order to have a machine that even hints at the capabilities of the magnificent feats of magic you see in their schnazzy DEMO DVD. I honestly do not know WHY they don't just include BASIC height control and BASIC design software with the GoTorch, and sell it for $4,998.00

A GoTorch only comes with BASIC machine control, NO height control, and NO design software. So you need to add at least BASIC height control ($998.00), and BASIC DesignEdge software ($998.00) unless you are going to create your designs in Corel Draw or some other program.

I am only GUESSING that the 'YUGE price increases for the individual parts are a deliberate effort on the part of PlasmaCam, to motivate people to buy a complete GoTorch FOR SPARE PARTS, instead of buying separate components. A GoTorch ships in two sealed boxes. That is a lot easier on them, than to pack and ship individual components.

WHO KNOWS! Maybe they have been cannibalizing GoTorch machines to sell parts, and they got tired of all of the GoTorch carcasses lying around

I admit that I could be wrong about everything.

I wish them well.

Crazy times!

Joe

[djreiswig]

Maybe inflation caused their costs to go up, and the GoTorch tables will see a price increase soon as well.

[Joe Jones]

Maybe inflation caused their costs to go up, and the GoTorch tables will see a price increase soon as well.

Well, I know steel prices are up. In a free market, a company will price its products at the level the customer is willing to pay for the product.

I have no doubt that the GoTorch machines will increase in price, and soon.

I have to laugh ... Their Gotorch machines were $2,995.00 for a long time. They advertised them as "Regular Price - $3,995.00 marked down to $2,995.00!" Then for a brief while, they raised the regular price of the GoTorch to $3,995.00, perhaps in an attempt to stop people from buying them for the spare parts savings. However, they advertised them as "Regular Price - $4,995.00 marked down to $3,995.00!" Anyone who follows their prices knew that this was just a lie.

Well, THAT didn't work for them, so they dropped the regular price to $2,995.00 again.

I was alerted by a friend, to the massive price increases for the individual components on the Owners Community Online Store. So I checked the GoTorch website, and HOLY COW! The GoTorch machines were STILL just $2,995.00 It arrives in two boxes.

We...he...hell! I'm not going to miss out on THIS deal!

Now I have enough spare parts to keep me going, probably until I CROAK!

Joe

THREE GOTORCH MACHINES BLURRED.jpg

[Joe Jones]

While we are on the subject of spare parts ...

Joe

[weldguy]

Glad I stumbled onto your video, love the idea and great job on the drawings and video. Looks awesome and look forward to seeing the finished setup!

[Joe Jones]

The pipe cutter in this video s actually easier than the one I am pulling together. I may build one of these too, just for proof of concept.

Joe



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[larrybrown77]

I would like info on your pipe cutter for a PlasmaCam DH2.
We would be using it to cut holes in a six inch diameter tube.
Thanks,
Larry Brown
215-766-8890 W
215-768-3669 C

[adbuch]

I would like info on your pipe cutter for a PlasmaCam DH2.
We would be using it to cut holes in a six inch diameter tube.
Thanks,
Larry Brown
215-766-8890 W
215-768-3669 C

Larry - nice chatting with you on the phone. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.
David

Business Card.jpg

[Joe Jones]

I would like info on your pipe cutter for a PlasmaCam DH2.
We would be using it to cut holes in a six inch diameter tube.
Thanks,
Larry Brown
215-766-8890 W
215-768-3669 C

Hi Larry,

I am out of town at the moment. I will return to Kentucky in a couple of days. I can give you a call then, or you can contact me via a number I will send to you in a private message. I don’t post my phone number on public forums. It is never a good idea.

As I have spent almost the entire day today helping a friend use his “official” PlasmaCam pipe cutting attachment for the first time, I am doubling down on my efforts to bring my design to PlasmaCam owners ASAP. That contraption they built is a nightmare!

I was going to sell it, but I decided instead, to give away the design, the cut files and the instructions to make your own pipe cutter on your own table. There are a few components that I MAY sell as a kit, only because I sourced them, and I bought them in quantities that make them more affordable. Other parts must be purchased from PlasmaCam (sorry) and still others, you can make or modify on your own. My design can be mounted to the table, or it can be a stand alone cutter on wheels.

I wanted to make this EASY to use, and without any need to partially disassemble your table in order to cut pipe. I know that PlasmaCam is raising the prices of their parts, and I have no control over that.

Joe



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[Joe Jones]

On March 16, 2022, I posted my strong advice to buy a GoTorch for $2,995.00 ASAP. Did you take my advice?

They did it. They raised the price of the GoTorch by $1,000.00 to $3,995.00 now.

I had a nice conversation with the owner of PlasmaCam tonight. He really is a great guy. He explained the reasons for the price increases. I told him he should really think about selling the GoTorch as a start-up CNC plasma system, and INCLUDE Basic Design software, Basic Height Control and Basic Machine Control, in a single purchase.

He explained the reasoning behind selling the GoTorch with ONLY Basic Machine Control and NO design software. The thought was that people would use other existing software such as CorelDraw or AutoCAD to draw the cut files, and then use the GoTorch to produce the parts. So by selling the GoTorch machine as a barebones cutting system, the buyer would not have to purchase design software when they already HAVE software to draw and export DXF files to the GoTorch machine for cutting. I did not agree with that logic, but that is the way they chose to go.

I initiated a conversation with him earlier today when Plasmacam told me that there was "an issue" with me moving three of my Full Monty seats to new laptops. I have ten seats for my main DesignEdge license, but when I asked to move three of those seats to new laptops sporting bright, shiny 17" screens, PlasmaCam told me, "You only have FIVE seats..." He suggested that the other additional seats I purchased were assigned to different tables I own or have owned in the past, tables WITHOUT the Full Monty of upgrades, and they are not transferrable.

BUZZ!!! Wrong answer!

I understand clerical errors, but I am not giving up my ten Full Monty seats because of some policy change that happened after the fact. Apparently, the NEW AND IMPROVED DesignEdge additional seat policy is that you can only have a maximum of FIVE seats, unless you are classified as a "teacher."

I didn't even KNOW I was classified as a "teacher" but without telling me, PlasmaCam REMOVED me from the "teacher" class a couple of years ago when I got so pissed off at PlasmaCam, that I sold three of my machines (a 510 table and two Gotorch machines) and stated that I was going to purge my life of "Everything PlasmaCam!"

I went on a motorcycle tour that summer, and calmed down a bit, returning to the two remaining machines I still owned, my 510 with the Full Monty of software and ten seats, and my 4x4 machine with only a few upgrades and only one seat.

I have since purchased four more GoTorch machines, and all four of them are still in the original boxes I am not sure what will become of them. I REALLY wanted to set up a Bed-and-Breakfast weekend DesignEdge and PlasmaCam seminar here at my home. I was going to invest $150,000.00 into this effort, and I had purchased four Samson 510 tables from PlasmaCam for the project. They pulled the rug out from under me, so I canceled my four-table order and moved on to other things.

I am still thinking about holding the seminars though. I just need to work out the details, and get PlasmaCam ONBOARD with the idea. This will happen right after I discover that sunken ship that was hauling 8,000 Tons of Unobtanium.

Apparently, Robert and I are THE ONLY TWO PEOPLE designated as "teachers" based on the number of DesignEdge seats we have purchased. I do believe Robert has more seats than I do! I presume this does not include public and private schools who buy tables for their metal shop classes, and maybe 15 to 30 seats per school. Maybe I can work out a class at WKU, using their facility. I would jump in with both feet, but I would need PlasmaCam to back me up on this! No more bull____ about seats, and licenses, and "authorized users" of the software, etc. etc. In a classroom setting, the students USE the software that is licensed to the school. The students run the tables that are owned by the school. Are you reading this, Plasmacam?!?

The owner and I talked about many things, and the conversation ended on a friendly note.

Joe



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[DieselFumes]

Geeez Joe, so much drama and wasted time. I would have washed my hands of that real fast. Plasmacam is not required to cut metal parts and apparently they really suck. Ditch it and move to something more open source and drama free, don't think their equipment and strategies work for you. Your obviously intelligent and multi talented, why keep wasting your valuable time!

[Joe Jones]

Geeez Joe, so much drama and wasted time. I would have washed my hands of that real fast. Plasmacam is not required to cut metal parts and apparently they really suck. Ditch it and move to something more open source and drama free, don't think their equipment and strategies work for you. Your obviously intelligent and multi talented, why keep wasting your valuable time!

I know about the other options. None of them can match what a person can do with DesignEdge software. I know ... use this program to draw it, and that program to convert it, and the other program to cut it ... and all the while, I see tables built with clusters of wires and printed circuit boards that look like something that was made in a high school electronics class.

I have hinted at some friendly competition in the past. Most people just ignore it, but the fact is that DesignEdge is BETTER ENOUGH to stick with the software, if only for that reason.

The drama is simply about Plasmacam not changing horses in the middle of the stream. They tend to make policy changes that are not in the best interest of the customers they serve. I do not own the company, so I have no control over what they choose to do, or NOT DO for their customers on any given day.

The ten Full Monty seats are important to me, because I may use them in the near future to once again pursue a simple bed-and-breakfast weekend seminar scenario, and this cannot be done without incurring a large COST if those seats are lost.

I had a nice conversation with the owner, and he told me he restorred my "classification" to that of a "school." This supposedly restores my 10-seat DesignEdge license. I am going to try to load DesignEdge onto the three DELL Laptops right now, to see if the problem has truly been resolved. I sure hope I can move forward now, and put this behind me.

Joe


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[DieselFumes]

Oh I totally understand Joe, I'm just the kind of guy that would drop them for being such aholes. I would put in the extra effort with another product just to spite them regardless of whether it damaged their bottom line or not. But that's just me. Good news though they gave you all your seats back, that's mighty white of them.

[Joe Jones]

They did give me the ten seats.

One thing I advise EVERYONE to do, is to take the time to open EACH of their folders of proprietary .pcm files and EXPORT them as .dxf files under the same names. Then when those files are to be used by another program, they CAN be imported. .pcm files will ONLY open in DesignEdge software.

People who drew files using the student version of SHEETCAM and saved them in the proprietary format now find that they cannot import them into another program because they did not take the time to export them as .dxf files while they had the chance.

Joe



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[djreiswig]

Umm. I don't think SheetCam has a student version. And you can't really draw anything in SheetCam, since it's pretty much a CAM program, not a CAD program. Perhaps you mean a different program?

[Joe Jones]

Maybe. My memory is practically non-existent anymore. What is the TorchMate software that saves everything in some proprietary format? It saves everything in the .EDU format. There is another thread here on PlasmaSpider that deals with converting .EDU files to .DXF files.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

I'm just the kind of guy that would drop them for being such aholes.

I came $%^&*& close to doing exactly that a few years ago. I had two 510 tables, a 4x4 and two Go torch machines. I sold one of the 510 tables to a man in Texas, and I also sold both Go Torch machines, before I put the rest on hold while I took a motorcycle tour around 'Merica. I was so ready to buy a KERN LASER table and tell PlasmaCam to take a hike! I have since calmed down though.

I really do enjoy teaching DesignEdge, and (eventually) making things again in my shops, using the tables and software. I dare say that a fair number of PlasmaCam table owners have a LOVE/HATE relationship with PlasmaCam. Gotta go along to get along, right?

The pipe cutter project is back on track for quick completion, now that the weather is "shop inhabitable" again. I have to build my powder coat oven, and I hope to build at least ONE giant wind driven art sculpture before I croak.

I wish I could find a strong young adult or a mature teen with a BRAIN who is willing to hang out and help out, perhaps in exchange for something other than cold, hard cash. Maybe we could produce a line of products he (or she?) would sell at vendor booths, or ???? I have a thousand unfinished projects to do here, and no RELIABLE HELP to get them done. If money were no object, I could literally keep a crew of 50 people busy here for about three months, just to complete them all.

Joe



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[adbuch]

Umm. I don't think SheetCam has a student version. And you can't really draw anything in SheetCam, since it's pretty much a CAM program, not a CAD program. Perhaps you mean a different program?

Very much agree! I didn't read his original post, but it looks like Joe is confused. I do remember somebody with a Torchmate or something similar wanting some files converted and Joe showed one he said he had converted, but we never saw the original file to see what he started with - so it's hard to say what was really going on there.
David

[Joe Jones]

What is going on here DAVID is that I converted EDU files to DXF files.

Joe



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[bubbagsj]

Be careful making wind driven items "I heard" they cause cancer!!!!

[Joe Jones]

Be careful making wind driven items "I heard" they cause cancer!!!!

I have some images in my mind of a very large, wind driven sculpture that would become iconic in the town. All stainless steel, although current metal prices may put the kibosh on that. I want it to be 'YUGE! I would already be working on it, except that I have no help here. Anyone worth hiring already has a job, and the others ... nothing left but meth heads, and oxycodone addicts, and alcoholics ... and "street people."

So many things I wanted to accomplish, but it is looking like many of them will never see the light of day.

Joe



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