Plasma cutter cnc machine torch

[BelgiqueB]

Quick question, on a mig welding machine all torches use the same connections. Is there also a universal torch connector that plasma machines use?

Am 'researching' all the parts for a diy cnc plasma cutter and found a dealer locally that offers a parweld plasma cutter at a good price, unfortunately a machine torch is not available, if all connectors are the same as is with mig welders, i could use a machine torch from a different brand.

Any other good plasma cutter brands that have a good price/quality balance?

 

[James1979]

Is the torch not available because he doesnt sell it, or because the machine wont take one? It needs to be a CNC machine and not all have that function as far as I can tell.

Which brand cutter questions is like asking Ford / Toyota, Snap -n / Mac, or Esab / Miller!! You'll always get guys who have a personal preference which is the best but I looked around a lot before I bought mine and I found the machine within my budget that had good reviews was made by R-Tech. I know the Hyperthem and Lincolns also get good reviews but they were well out of my price range, maybe something I could upgrade to in the future. So I guess my personal answer would be R-Tech but it kind of depends on your budget. I'd look at whats local to you as well. No good having a great machine at a good price if you then have to wait 3 weeks for a replacement to come from god knows where by courier.

Just my 2p but others will have experience of different machines and deals out there at the moment

 

[gerrymoore]

I used a Hypertherm XP30 on my home built CNC. All I did was take two wires from the torch switch and used a relay controlled by Mach3 to switch the torch on and off....worked perfectly...you don't need a 'CNC controlled' plasma.

 

[MattH]

No, there is no universal “euro” equivalent connector.
They all use their own proprietary connectors.

just buy a universal Chinese machine torch from Banggood and do as Gerrymoore says with a relay.

 

[James1979]

No, there is no universal “euro” equivalent connector.
They all use their own proprietary connectors.

just buy a universal Chinese machine torch from Banggood and do as Gerrymoore says with a relay.

Thats good to know, cheers. I was trying to find out if there was a standard when I bought mine and after ages of googling, I lost the will to live!!

 

[BelgiqueB]

Main reason for the parweld is that there is a dealer closeby, a colleague of mine has a parweld ac/dc tig and is happy with the quality he got for his money.

@gerrymoore, do you have a build thread somewhere, couldn't find one on this site? Still looking into the computer/controller part of it all.

 

[gerrymoore]

No build thread sorry....plenty of info around on home builds if you have a good search...it's not an 'easy' task but very satisfying when it all comes together and you design and cut your first pieces

 

[Dutch Welder]

Some machines do use a euro connector, and as an example Binzel do supply their plasma machine and hand torches with a euro connector.
In that case, mechanically you can do a straight swap, however you should carefully check the small pins that also are present in a Euro connector, as they can/probably will be differently pinned between torches.

I swapped the hand torch on my Cut70 for a Abiplas 70 machine torch, and only after considerable tinkering found out the now really iffy HF ignition was in fact a result of the fact that the HF from the plasma wasn't going to the correct pins on the machine torch.

 

[Hood]

The quick release connections on plasma are usually called a Central Adapter. As mentioned by @Dutch Welder above you have to make sure the surrounding pins are wired correctly as different brands seem to have different pin outs. I should have a picture somewhere with some of the different ones and will post if I can find it.

One other thing you have to consider is the ignition type of the machine so you can get a suitable torch, there are HF types, Pilot Arc types and Blow Back types and probably more.

If the plasma you are thinking of getting has a hand torch there is nothing stopping you from using it in a CNC build, a machine torch is nice but not a necessity.

 

[Hood]

If you download the Parweld Catalogue you can see from page 264 onwards all the different pinouts for different brands but also on page 285 you will see alternative configurations you can specify.
https://www.parweld.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018-2019-Catalogue-Book-Digital_LR-compressed.pdf

 

[BelgiqueB]

Thanks for all the replies, the more i look into it, the more it seems like an acheivable project! Will be continued!

 

[BelgiqueB]

No build thread sorry....plenty of info around on home builds if you have a good search...it's not an 'easy' task but very satisfying when it all comes together and you design and cut your first pieces

If you have time, could you write down a very quick list of computer program, controllers, stepper motor size/type, torch height control system,...? That way I have the correct words for a google/youtube search, I've already researched the mach3 system you mentioned in an earlier post and found a wealth of very usable info!

 

[Hood]

Components will all depend on how cheap you want to go, for example you could go with Mach3 and the parallel port and that would not require any other hardware (controller wise) other than a suitable computer and a breakout board. Problem with that however is you would need to use a 32bit operating system if using Mach3 as 64bit does not support the parallel port.

Personally I prefer using an external motion controller with Mach3, it allows 64bit OS and can have other advantages.

On my build I used a CSMIO IP/S controller, mainly because I already had one on a small lathe I no longer used but for a plasma it is likely overkill.
I would however recommend looking at the CSMIO/IP-M for a plasma, it is fairly reasonably priced and can actually work out cheaper as there is no need for breakout boards and as it is 24v I/O it is much more industrial regards immunity to noise.
The CSMIO products support analogue Torch Height Control natively but I have never used it, I use a Russian THC which I rate very highly. It is the mini-THC https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...s?ie=UTF8&condition=all&qid=1579801356&sr=8-3

Another THC that seems very nice is the PriceCNC THC https://www.pricecnc.com/product-page but I have no experience of it but it seems to be well used by manufacturers of plasma tables.

I use servo motors, mainly because I already had them but personally I prefer servos than steppers just for the speed/response/torque advantage they have.

 

[Hood]

This is a thread regarding my plasma build journey, it has a lot of useless ramblings in it and is very long so may not be worth looking at but...
https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=31620.0

 

[henry Kadzielski]

I also built my own table 1500mm by 3000mm currently and about to be expanded. I use a Hypertherm plasma which has as you requested a 'quick connect'. I have a machine torch on my cnc table, but you can use a hand torch as well without any difficulty. The machine torch just takes up less room. I am using Mach3 to drive the machine and am using servo motors on all the drives. I built my machine with the thought of routing and 'flat bed milling' which I have done both very successfully. My electronics package came from the USA as a kit, (motors, controller, and software), all I had to do is build the machine from scratch. No drawings, just started with the 'Z' drive and progressed through till I ended up with something that would possibly work. For those that have built one will know, it is VERY REWARDING to construct something that works, however unless you have some experience doing these things it is VERY FRUSTRATING.
Construction of the machine was the easy part for me, understanding and intergrating the software not so. I nearly poured petrol on mine several times. It has been over 5 years since I built mine and as time has gone on, with jobs being completed on the table, I am now much wiser. Trouble is the more you learn the more you realise that you don't know. Most of my works comes in as 'dxf ' drawings, which i import into 'sheetcam' where the material, material thickness and other operations are set. I have a penumatic scribe on my 'Z' drive along the plasma head and as such can scribe bend lines, positioning lines and scribe text on the jobs eg drawing or part numbers. This feature has been worth it's weight in gold. It is up to you what ultimately you would like to achieve and the way you would like to achieve it. Good luck and happy cncing

 

[BelgiqueB]

Decided to invest a bit more and went with a Hypertherm powermax 65 instead of the parweld, gonna go with a handheld torch for the moment and might upgrade to a machine torch later on. The parweld was 1250€ and the hypertherm was 2250€, which is nearly double the price but according to many posts on different forums it's well worth the extra money.

Thanks for all the info and links, I'm reading up on all of it! Next hurdle is the mechanical side, I'm leaning towards rack and pinion as it seems like a simple and straightforward method and Igus linear rails, any experience, advice or tips for this?

 

[Hood]

That is cheap for the Hypertherm 65 unless you are not including VAT? but even if you are not it still sounds a good price.

Rack and pinion is the only way really assuming it is going to be a reasonable sized table which would be too big for ball screws to be practical. Definitely don't go down the belt method as per 3d printers etc.

Plasma doesn't have to have the rigidity of say a VMC or CNC lathe so linear rail would work fine although not certain the exact type you mean.

I have massive 35mm high precision square rail on mine and it is way overkill but they were free so it is what I used. The Y axis trucks are knackered now so I am about to replace with generic Chinese round supported rail which should be more than adequate.

 

[BelgiqueB]

That is cheap for the Hypertherm 65 unless you are not including VAT? but even if you are not it still sounds a good price.

Rack and pinion is the only way really assuming it is going to be a reasonable sized table which would be too big for ball screws to be practical. Definitely don't go down the belt method as per 3d printers etc.

Plasma doesn't have to have the rigidity of say a VMC or CNC lathe so linear rail would work fine although not certain the exact type you mean.

I have massive 35mm high precision square rail on mine and it is way overkill but they were free so it is what I used. The Y axis trucks are knackered now so I am about to replace with generic Chinese round supported rail which should be more than adequate.

It was indeed cheap, I've researched the site before buying and they seem to be legit and getting positive reviews on local forums, maybe it's an older model? https://www.cjays.nl/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1589&search=hypertherm

This is the IGUS system, we use it at work for some applications, seemed to be ideal for cnc stuff. Use friction bearings instead of ball bearings.

 

[Hood]

I have seen it here for around £2300 plus VAT so it is indeed a decent price you are getting.

Yes that Igus stuff looks the business, I was considering getting it but ended up going the round rail.

 

[Dutch Welder]

This is a secondhand machine though, but Cjays is a reputable company, so the machine will show up.
They are not conmerchants.