Lol, sounds like our plasma cam. I guess we are not the only ones to have issues with it. 
Watch it be 100% functional.
So…would $1500 be worth it to OWN our table (with extend-a-rails)?
I notice it comes with NO PLASMA. I got pretty excited before I saw that. 
I know a comparable cutter these days can set you back about that…
I would only suggest that we consider purchasing this at Parts Value say $500 to $800. The seller doesn’t know if the system works and it is a DIY system. So the value on the market is incredibly low. Also, we do not own the system we have though we might as well based on how little action we have with the original member that loaned the tool.
The system is a mixed bag. Some have spent the time to figure out and used it off and on. But, we haven’t had extensive classes or much of a support structure around the tool, not taking a jab at you @TBJK. So we are not all that invested in our system. Staying at our current level of investment allows us the freedom to jump ship to another cutter without having to deal with much sunk cost.
So the question is do we want to sink more into the unit we have or stay at low investment and be willing to switch once we grow the interest in the metal shop committee?
Based on the functional issues I’ve heard Tim deal with I would suggest staying with our low investment and pushing for a nicer table when interest grows.
The original DHC model (like we have) was manufactured for a fairly short period of time. The DHC2 fixed many of the design issues and is much more reliable. I’d pass on this one. In general I’d pass on PlasmaCAM unless it’s a crazy good deal, or in our case, zero cost. There are simply too many other options out there that are much better in terms of machine design and software.
Just for those FYI, a good CNC plasma is about 20-25k. By good I mean one that has the support behind them & is not a "Saturday Night Special "
I got a quote from Torchmate/Lincoln for about 23k, several months ago.
I did kinda like this system because it was an educational package with unlimited student licenses for software and the training course already made up. In fact I believe they will allow a couple people to go to the training seminar/session.
Downfall is that we(the membership) need to decide which way we want to go with it. If we get a new one other than Plasmacam, that’s 2-300 members that will need to be retrained.
Go Big or Go Home! DMS should be in the growth and upgrade phase, within reason. Moving up the food chain is the only way to go. Getting a fixer-upper is not upgrading.
I would say a capital investment campaign plan for a professional machine 25k+ With $1500 as the first saving amount is a more prudent long term investment. It’s time to move up to an 8’ or 10’ table.
It’s important for DMS to look at long-term growth and success. BUT, before that is done, square footage expansion should be paramount. It would be tough to get that machine or a bigger one in the Metal Shop unless we blow out the walls and take over Laser. 
…jk
(Though this would be terrible for DMS to purchase, if someone could get it for about $500 for their garage and able to make it work, might be fun.)
Y’all talked, debated, and waited too long anyway…
We missed out on wasting $1500 on a broken machine with terrible software. Darn.
You ever wonder why the call it Ponder?
This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.
This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.
You think anything gets done in Ponder? Is it a requirement to sit around all day pondering?
Tim, would there be any significant additional capabilities of the one you got the quote for? Better software, larger bed, auto height adjustment, etc?
Got it all out of your system now? If not, feel free to hijack another thread with off topic bullshit.
Hardly off topic. It is an apples to apples comparison. Some members seem to find the tool a waste of money, and some members find it useful. Applies in both cases.
From personal observation, I would say the Plasma CAM gets as much (if not more) use as the Lasersaur. At the very least it is a worth while tool, and like the lasersaur the conversation was simply talking about purchasing spare parts to keep a useful machine operational.
Can @Team_Moderators please close this thread? The item for sale is no longer available and the discussion is no longer relevant to the metal shop.
I got a quote a few years ago from Torchmate
Though recently I always figured just going with another Multicam CNC Plasma Cutter. I got the price down considerably especially on ones where we do assembly but at this time last year we were having issues with solid teachers I feel that has been solved.
DalMkr4x4GS 57TKT.pdf (115.9 KB)
Wow that’s cheap Robert. Perhaps because it was a bolt together. I’d be willing to put it together for that price. I will take a day or two off work for it.