Plasma Cutter

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Hard Coating Source

Postby bdring » Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:18 pm

I used http://www.automaticanodizing.com/

I don't have anyone to compare them to, but they were very responsive and turned the job around quickly. They are pretty close to me, but it was easier at the time to just use UPS.
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Re: Plasma Cutter

Postby Digitalmagic » Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 pm

This supplier is very interesting, they talk about" Type II" and "Type III" hard-coating (what's that?), with great explanation: http://www.fortwayneanodizing.com/hardcoat/properties.htm

I exchanged with Zach to study a possible option of hard coated Makerslide and metal V-wheel on Inventables.
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Re: Plasma Cutter

Postby bdring » Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:40 pm

Zach talked to me about that. We are looking into it.

There is the issue of cutting. It pretty much wrecks a carbide blade after one or two cuts. It might be best to start with a reference design and have the material pre-cut to that length. You could always just buy a cheap $8-$10 blade and scrap it after using it for the project.
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Re: Plasma Cutter

Postby Digitalmagic » Sat Sep 01, 2012 7:19 am

Several ideas come in mind about the cutting process for these hard coated rails.

Some DIY buyers will follow exactly what you said about carbide blades, wasting them frequently, or using cheap one.

But in the Inventables shop concept:

- Carbide blades could be sold at a good price, having been validated, suitable for cutting these.
- As an extra, a cutting service at desired length could be offered.

If a kit using these hardened rails could be proposed, I think the most obvious would be a "Black ShapeOko", hardened, perhaps a little bigger, perhaps reinforced like you did on your plasma cutter rail assembly. This would offer increased cut load, and would open new horizons.
Of course, metal V-wheels, perhaps a T-slot bed, etc...
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Re: Plasma Cutter

Postby bdring » Sat Sep 01, 2012 1:00 pm

As I understand it hardcoating is a super hard aluminum oxide. I think that is basically what they make grinding wheels to sharpen carbide teeth with. I don't think you will find an effective blade that will last. You might find that certain orientations of the cut do less damage to the blade.

I suggest we break this off as a new topic if there is another post.
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Re: Plasma Cutter

Postby macona » Sun Sep 02, 2012 2:47 am

Hardcoating is just a thicker anodized layer, as you said, aluminum oxide, also known as sapphire.

It will help against wear but it is not going to do much to help if you use metal wheels. The layer will eventually crush down since the aluminum under is still soft.

Where hard coating would really shine is in a slider system where you would use something like UHMW instead of wheels. More friction than wheels but more rigid.

Cutting would be best on a cold saw and get through the layer quickly so you are not rubbing on the layer. A good blade should last quite a while.
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Re: Plasma Cutter

Postby Digitalmagic » Sun Sep 02, 2012 2:13 pm

bdring wrote:I suggest we break this off as a new topic if there is another post.

Here we go: http://www.buildlog.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1511

macona wrote:...It will help against wear but it is not going to do much to help if you use metal wheels. The layer will eventually crush down since the aluminum under is still soft.

Usage limits are everywhere. I wonder how it compare with vanilla Makerslide/Delrin wheel.
If this extend its life, this is already a good point, even for light applications.
Choosing the optimal metal V-wheel is perhaps a factor.
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Re: Frame Completed

Postby evokanivo » Tue Sep 04, 2012 11:48 pm

bdring wrote:This detail shows how the MakerSlide is bolted to the 20x80 Misumi piece. These "sister" brackets are mounted above and below. They do not bother the wheels. The Makerslide is plenty strong at this length, but I plan to make it a lot longer and I like the way the 20x80 will shield the Makerslide from slag.


Would you mind sharing a source for those brackets, assuming you didn't make them? All the ones I've found so far get in the way of the v-rail.
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Sister Brackets

Postby bdring » Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:50 pm

The brackets were custom made by a friend. I only had a handful made. Attached is the preliminary drawing.
Attachments
plasma_ms_angle_brkt.pdf
(34.01 KiB) Downloaded 1388 times
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First Full CNC Cuts

Postby bdring » Sun Sep 16, 2012 8:42 pm

I finally cut my first full CNC control plasma part.

The major hurdle was my air compressor. It was horribly underrated and could only cut for about 20 seconds before the pressure dropped. I was lurking on CraigsList for a while, but then the local home center put a decent one on sale. I did not want a diaphragm type because they are so loud. I bought this one for a little over $300. It is rated for 5.5 CFM at 90PSI.

sandborn_ac.jpg


This is a 2.0 inch square cut on the line out of 16Ga steel. It was hand written G-code and I just guessed at a bunch of values like pierce delay, pierce height, tip voltage, current etc. I need to read the plasma manual and write a post processor.

The piece is very square and the X and Y dimensions are within 0.002" of each other. The cut was "on the line" so the kerf was not compensated for. The kerf is about 0.070", but I should be able to improve that using by using all the right values.

It was quite fun to watch with sparks and smoke all over the place. I don't know if it is safe to film with my good camera.

first_cut.jpg
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