Rods "Spaceship" Scratch built Plasma Cutter build

Rod,
Yes, I've already found that connection sheet and referred to it numerous times. I'm getting close to having enough time to actually start collecting parts and building the machine. Right now, I'm just trying to put it all on paper/CAD and wrap my head around how LinuxCNC works. Certainly, Phil's plasmac component is going to make this a lot simpler and more robust. I've also got the benefit of you, Grotius, and John as well as others who are very knowledgeable and incredibly patient and helpful on this forum. Thanks for all the input you have already provided!

I did look at the Ethercat information. While I'm sure it offers some advantages, I cannot see any reason I would need more than what the 7i76e offers for my hobby purposes.

Steven

@Steven,

For you it would be good to start with the Mesa board's.

If you want to go with less i/o and steppers, parport is perfect and cheap.
It has the same speed as a Mesa or Etercat in stepper speed output.
Linux time is the bastard. You will see no different on different systems when using all base thread on them. I tried it before.....
Don't think multicore has something to do with this. If you are at a time of 1ms, you are good.

Designing your machine i do in draftsight. I am old scool and do 3 sight's. Side, top and right view alway's. If you draw in Freecad you have some benefit's. Modern company's can do the job for you. They are based on this drawing input type for their production process from a to z. See www.mcdriessen.nl/
They do everything automated. Cutting, bending, all from one customer drawing. They even have a connection to order material automaticly. So this is future, but it's already here. Ftp connection's (file share) between company's all around the globe.

Grotius, That wasn't me. But its great to have such a prestigious client. You will be driving that Lamborgini in no time!
I have a nice car already. It's englisch and fast. It's not a Mclaren C12. It's the same as from the movie James Bond. Same age, same color inside and outside. Even the paraplu is available in the back. It has no rocket launchers at this moment, but that can be done when i need that option. I just go back to the factory for that option's. Did you know one AM is missing from the movie? It was stolen until today, never found back. A previous model of the Db9.

The Italian company Soitaab was out of luck this week (the windows plc embedded company). We have sold a GR_LINUXCNC machine, plasma 60i fully digital connected with linux, with rotary axis (in water) and a second hd torch axis sold to Belgium yesterday. Swiftcut was also out of luck with their windows 7 machine on Mach0. So within one week. Say yes to the dress. Linuxcnc defeat's them all. Linux GPL2 = Power to the max.

Just look at the Linux Torvalds GPL2 licence. No Huawai modem's with their own software. Trump has made a good statement, when it's not GPL2 we do not import it. Let the chinese surveillance state rock and roll with their own spy surveillance software.
They are collecting sensitive data on massive scale.

@Rod,

I was wondering if your z-axis probe speed has increased for touch off in the past day's?
And if the x and y touch off distance is selectable at the gui?

I'd love to have a play with an ethercat drive but really the 7i76e and THCAD board are a very powerful combination.
One off the thing's i would change to a ethercat setup is the old-scool wire plugin type to be done by a standard multipole add-on connector.
And i say too you. It's a wonderfull idea to 3d print some standard multipole add-on ethercat connectors. Beckhoff will copy that idea in no time !

Grotius wrote:

@Rod,

I was wondering if your z-axis probe speed has increased for touch off in the past day's?
And if the x and y touch off distance is selectable at the gui?

Yes, the probing speed is configurable in the Plasmac GUI. I did that THC test straight after I was checking the probe height so I had slowed it down for that and forgot to reset it. I have probed at 1000 mm/min quite OK.

And yes for X Y touchoff, it depends on the standard Gmocappy G54 touchoff buttons which are part of the GUI. I've been meaning to write some gcode that sets both X & Y offsets at the one time using a Gmocappy macro button.

Here is another video for Grotius with the probing time a lot faster. I still need to start fairly high upon this 2mm thick material as at the edge of the sheet can lift by as much as 30-40 mm due to warpage. Particularly if you bump the amperage control accidentally and cut at 120 amps instead of 40


But even cutting at 40 amps, the warpage was similar. A couple of times near the end of the run on the far edge I held the material down for it to probe and plasmac kept the torch cutting even when I let it go and let it spring up 30mm or so. So its very responsive to changes in material height.

I'm still learning about Sheetcam. It would be good if it cut an array of parts in the X axis direction and I think it would warp less.

tommylight wrote:

How does it feel to be able to turn the machine on and go grab a coffee or lunch or sleep and come back and find the parts ready?
Mentally, that is the best thing with Linuxcnc, it just works.
Nice work.

Nice. There are still some bugs in plasmac. I'm not sure if Phill has fixed them in later releases but its nothing you can't live with!

Phill, the biggest issue is endless Z axis loops on probing if the ohmic sensor is triggered before you get to probing height. This can happen due to warpage. Holding the material down flat allows it to probe correctly and continue.

An example where it occurred.


I think I have some video I'll send you.