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General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie In Need Of Help On Where To Start
« on: April 30, 2018, 10:58:36 AM »What is the plasma source - I use Hypertherm which is widely regarded as one of the best plasma generators out there.
I also use SheetCam for my CAM and various apps for the design, anything which can output a DXF file is good - InkScape, Illustrator, most CAD packages, and plenty of others.
You will need spare consumables for the torch - you WILL need these as they can be damaged by something as simple as a low pierce, pierce height - the point at which the torch sits the moment before starting a cut IS VITAL, get that right and repeatable before even plugging in the plasma source and it will save you $$$$$$
You WILL need a lot of scrap or other steel to practice on - don't go too thin, if you intend cutting say 3mm then practice on 3mm from the off - different thicknesses and types of steel WILL affect all of your settings.
There are a million and one other things to learn - it's taken me about 4 years and i'm still learning but can now churn out saleable parts in no time
Have you got a water table or downdraught table - different ways of dealing with terrible and dangerous fumes plasma tables can make, stainlesss steel in particular is bad, also aluminium, steel will just give you a sore throat and coat the workshop in black grime in no time at all
DaveK,
We are still looking into plasma sources, hypertherm caught our eye the most so we are likely to go with them.
What type of spare consumables would for the torch would be recommended to stock up on in the beginning?
You seem like you have a good grasp on these things, is there any tutorials or places online that have helped you when you were in the process of learning your table?
Thanks for the information!