PlasmaCam Grates

Metal Shop
#1

Hello Everyone,

I have been cutting on the plasmacam for a while now and was wondering if anyone else is having issues with metal laying uneven on the grates? I am seeing almost .5-.8inch height difference when my pieces are laying “flat.”

I have gotten by with shimming up my pieces with scrap, but it is time consuming and I am wondering if there is a better way. Without getting automatic Z height control, can we replace the grates (I don’t know how long they are supposed to last)? Or maybe have new ones cut? Or could we even flip or rotate the ones we have now and get better results than what we have?

Just trying to get some feedback if this is an issue or I am just missing something else. And if others are having similar issues what can we do about it that won’t cost DMS a lot of $$$

1 Like
#2

A new set is like $400 from the manufacturer if I recall correctly. Given the utilization this is probably worthwhile.

#3

If anyone wants to CAD a set, that’s the cheaper way to go (how hard can it be?)
Here’s a pretty decent “discussion” to try to hock a $12.00 set of plans (.pcm file, so “ready to cut”).


There are numerous others around, too, though I haven’t yet found a freebie…

Here’s a discussion on plasmaspider where they share a .dxf version as well as a .pcm. Unfortunately, one must “pay up” ($20.00) before one can download from that site…

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Willing to bet I just haven’t hit the right site/search terms yet to find free (or just jolly well CAD one meself…) But $20.00 isn’t much for plans.
Looks like the metal’d run ~ $100.00 or so. Probably cheaper if you know where to shop…

3 Likes
#5

I was thinking we were already on side b. Note to self: pay more attention!

#6

One problem with the current set is that they are warped along the z axis. It was my understanding that we flipped them when the last major cleaning was performed. Metal has not set flush since. I don’t think that these can be accurately cut either. They need to be stamped otherwise the heat of cutting them will cause deformations that will result in an uneven bed. We really should just purchase a new set.

#8

The issue with the slats is that the slag has built up on them causing the center ones to not be able to sit down, I solved this problem for the table for a while by tapping debris off the corners and tapping the slats down with a fine tuning hammer.

I don’t know why this happened and forced the center slats upwards but the hammer helped.

You can see along the front of the bed/ vertical slat corners that the center slats don’t sit on the bed by about 1/4 inch

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#9

Thanks for the links @jast! I registered as a user and was able to download all the files at no cost. I placed them on the Committees drive under the following directory: \metalworking\Plasma Cutter\Plasmacam\PlasmaCAM Files\

Here are the filenames:
plasma table replacement pieces.pcm
Grates4x4DXF.dxf
Grates4x4 horizontal extra points.dxf

Noticed there was a file named “replacement%20grating[1].pcm” dated from 2006.

Do we want to attempt to cut ourselves, clean the current ones, or follow @lukeiamyourfather’s advice and purchase?

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#10

I’ll leave that to @TBJK as advisor, and @dallasmagna as committee chair when it comes to expending DMS $$…
If someone (me? who knows…) wants to step up and donate the metal and/or time, I don’t think anyone will stand in their way…

#11

Might it be time to consider a charge like the laser? At $400 for a replacement set, a very minimal charge could easily pay for the replacements and maybe even some new consumables? It would be interesting to do a little guesswork math, but the same $1 for 5 minutes of cutting would be a starting place, and really really cheap for most projects.

2 Likes
#13

I am actually in need of a set of my own fairly quickly, but use them so infrequently that If I do purchase some, I’ll probably sell off the other parts in sets. A package of 5 would be a ‘lifetime’ supply for me at this rate.

Or is there someone in the same boat as me that has sets of consumables that they would want to sell?

#14

I have a nozzle and electrode set to sell. I purchased the “Long Life Electrode - #220777”, which is a little more expensive ($11.40). Let me know if you wish to purchase and I can meet you at the space.

#15

Hey now there’s a great idea. If we charge enough we could save up to buy another table where the z height control works.

2 Likes
#16

IIRC - The existing table is technically on loan. I do like the idea of working toward funding a new, better working table, but I think maintaining this one is a good, short-term goal.

#17

It is.
Metal shop appears to be in command of ~$10k. Not a bad start on getting a new table, if desired. Just need to talk with Chuck about making it happen…
https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Board_of_Directors_Meeting_20171020

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#18

I’ve talked to Chuck about the monies before, he doesn’t think we have that much. He thinks some items haven’t come out of our fund. In the previous meetings we have had we discussed getting the water blaster first.

The JD2 table is about 15k, Torchmate 22k, Baileigh 15k, Forest Scientific 20k. I haven’t looked at the details of the cad/cam packages on them. The Torchmate comes with unlimited student licenses and 1 master license, that’s is for the machine itself. I do kinda like the JD2 attachments they have. An air scribe, laser pointer, spot for a sharpie.

Kinda sucky thing that we just missed a 15% off sale at Baileigh.

I do intend at some point & time of calling around the CNC plasma cutters looking for places we can see demos of working machines. Also talk about the pros & cons of each machine.

3 Likes
#19

Ultimately this does boil down to being a maintenance issue. I’ve used the plasma cam twice I think and spent literally hours hammering at the slag. This last time I removed maybe 15 - 20 lbs of *stuff from under the grates. I have a pneumatic needle scaler that I’ve owned for years but have never found a good use for - keep meaning to bring it in to see if it would make short work of de- slagging the grates. I think routinely knocking the slag off before it gets this built up will extend the life of the grates substantially. Also i can’t help but think that if that anti splatter paste for torch tips comes in some kind of spray form would help with preventing build up and making the removal of it easier

1 Like
#20

I think there’s a scaler in the Welding tool box, too. Feel free to try that out.
It seems worth an experiment, to me…

#21

Can’t we just take off a table segment, lay it flat, plasma off the uneven tips, and reinstall it? Then repeat for each segment?

We wouldn’t even have to touch the original metal – just take off the bits of dross that stick up.

Better yet, we could make a jig and then either plasma off the bad bits . . . or stick it in the Haas and slide the excess off with a cutter tool.

Can’t see why that wouldn’t work, assuming someone cared enough to go to the trouble.

#22

FYI - after owning that needle scaler for 10 years or so I have finally figured its purpose for being a thing that exists. It destroyed the slag on the grates last night. They look brand new (in a very old and used way)! Additionally, the grates are once again “grates” instead of 1 huge grate so sheet should lay more evenly now. There are a fair number of destroyed tips - it might be worth it to check the bottom side again to see if any of the grates would be better off flipped back over to original side - or if someone wants something to practice on their tig welding skills and just make replacements… To the powers that be, with a new set of grates priced at $400 I accept 50Cent on the dollar [holla] and payment in the form of my next 4 months of membership :grimacing: :wink:

5 Likes
#23

Hey so what is the current status of this situation…i understand that a scaler will remove the slag from the grates but with all the destroyed stanchions will that help? Nothing really sits flat right now. Could a new set be made with say 1/4 inch plate…it would be more expensive and labor intensive to make but would most likely degrade significantly slower. Or are we just waiting to flip the grate.