Metal Fabrication

[93rx7]

@Ramathorn15 IIRC u has a cnc plasma table rite?

what u gots? im cross shopping the arc droid vs crossfire vs crossfire pro and i literally cannot decide

 

[Ramathorn15]

@Ramathorn15 IIRC u has a cnc plasma table rite?

what u gots? im cross shopping the arc droid vs crossfire vs crossfire pro and i literally cannot decide

I have the crossfire pro. It's great for a hobby level machine. You definitely want a water table. Also, get a hypertherm and avoid the headache that's the cheap china machines they option out with the tables.

 

[93rx7]

I have the crossfire pro. It's great for a hobby level machine. You definitely want a water table. Also, get a hypertherm and avoid the headache that's the cheap china machines they option out with the tables.

woops, already bought a PRIME WELD 60A plasma

do i have the right boxes checked?

 

[Ramathorn15]

woops, already bought a PRIME WELD 60A plasma

do i have the right boxes checked?

View attachment 309834

Looks good to me. Basically exactly what I have but I grabbed the laptop stand just to avoid having to make my own.

The primeweld will hopefully work well for you. Might a pain to get set up, but there's lots of good info on their forums.

 

[Ramathorn15]

You're also gonna want sheetcam for cam work. Fusion sucks donkey dick and is way, way overly complex. Sheetcam is super easy.

 

[Ramathorn15]

Also, what are your plans? The pro is a good size machine. It's really not necessary over the regular unless you're making some big shit.

 

[93rx7]

Looks good to me. Basically exactly what I have but I grabbed the laptop stand just to avoid having to make my own.

The primeweld will hopefully work well for you. Might a pain to get set up, but there's lots of good info on their forums.

i have a desktop PC out in the barn already so don't think i'll have a dedicated laptop for the cnc.. that might change but figure i can just cut one out if it comes to it

You're also gonna want sheetcam for cam work. Fusion sucks donkey dick and is way, way overly complex. Sheetcam is super easy.

Also, what are your plans? The pro is a good size machine. It's really not necessary over the regular unless you're making some big shit.

two things keep me coming back to arcdroid, software and footprint

i really like the "trace" feature arcdroid has out of the box

the reason i keep going back to the pro is once you option out the crossfire it's $2500 (vs $3200) and i'd like to be able to just rip a 4x8 sheet down a couple times to put it into the pro vs cutting it all up to get it into the regular crossfire

i have big dreams of making some side $ with it alongside my projects but the reality is it will probably do a lot of sitting and taking up space

 

[Ramathorn15]

i have a desktop PC out in the barn already so don't think i'll have a dedicated laptop for the cnc.. that might change but figure i can just cut one out if it comes to it





two things keep me coming back to arcdroid, software and footprint

i really like the "trace" feature arcdroid has out of the box

the reason i keep going back to the pro is once you option out the crossfire it's $2500 (vs $3200) and i'd like to be able to just rip a 4x8 sheet down a couple times to put it into the pro vs cutting it all up to get it into the regular crossfire

i have big dreams of making some side $ with it alongside my projects but the reality is it will probably do a lot of sitting and taking up space

Software will always be a battle no matter the machine you go with. The arcdroid also recommends using fusion for CAD and sheetcam for cam.

The arcdroid looks pretty cool though. The cut size is pretty tiny which would be a issue for me.

The nice thing about the regular crossfire, assuming it's cut size works for you, is you can put a full 4x8 on it using some roller supports to support the parts that are hanging off. It basically only has one side that can't have material hanging over.

The pro is similar that you can slide a 4x8 through it. I always start with 4x8 then support the 4' hanging off the front. Then when I finish cutting and need more, I feed it through, if that makes sense.

Also, you'll need to be pretty decent in 2d CAD as well as something like inkscape if you plan to do some more artistic stuff.

Also, also, plasma tables at this level kinda sucks for cut quality unless you spend a ton of time really dialing it in. I only use mine for artsy stuff where the beveled edges won't matter and for prototyping. All my functional pieces I sell are laser cut and shipped to me after confirming the fit using my table.

Also, also, also, you'll need a good compressor and likely a good bit of work to get it dry. Lots use the $$$ refrigerant air dryers. I use series of filters and desiccant but I'm still not dry enough.

These things are definitely a lot of work to set up and get working properly but once you do, it's pretty awesome.

 

[Sophbuster]

i have a desktop PC out in the barn already so don't think i'll have a dedicated laptop for the cnc.. that might change but figure i can just cut one out if it comes to it





two things keep me coming back to arcdroid, software and footprint

i really like the "trace" feature arcdroid has out of the box

the reason i keep going back to the pro is once you option out the crossfire it's $2500 (vs $3200) and i'd like to be able to just rip a 4x8 sheet down a couple times to put it into the pro vs cutting it all up to get it into the regular crossfire

i have big dreams of making some side $ with it alongside my projects but the reality is it will probably do a lot of sitting and taking up space

I dunno what kinda side stuff you're gonna do, but it better be very niche or you won't make any money. Most metal suppliers basically laser cut for free. It's just a service they offer to help sell their metal.

 

[PleaseEatSomeShit]

What’s wrong with the cheaper plasma machines and cnc equipment? Is it the high frequency start that fucks with it?

 

[Ramathorn15]

What’s wrong with the cheaper plasma machines and cnc equipment? Is it the high frequency start that fucks with it?

Cut quality. They're much more sensitive to z offset and impurities in the air. Damn near impossible to not get horrible beveling on the edges.

 

[Ramathorn15]

High frequency start doesn't with with most cnc tables FYI. I'm honestly not sure if they work with any of them. So you definitely can't use the really cheap machines.

 

[Ramathorn15]

Hypertherm with machine torch is the only way to get clean enough cuts for selling things imo. Unless they're artsy where imperfections dont matter as much.

 

[Ramathorn15]

I dunno what kinda side stuff you're gonna do, but it better be very niche or you won't make any money. Most metal suppliers basically laser cut for free. It's just a service they offer to help sell their metal.

This. When ordering in any quantity, my laser cutter can get parts cut, bent, and shipped to me for cheaper than I can do it without paying myself anything for the time. These tables are really only good for making sure the design is right before ordering a bunch and for one off makes.

 

[93rx7]

I dunno what kinda side stuff you're gonna do, but it better be very niche or you won't make any money. Most metal suppliers basically laser cut for free. It's just a service they offer to help sell their metal.

it's not the primary reason i want one. i just like new toys and i dabble in #fablife nawmsayin

etsy is what it is, few dollars here and there would be cool (or not)

also have some local people and businesses that could possibly need stuff

 

[93rx7]

Software will always be a battle no matter the machine you go with. The arcdroid also recommends using fusion for CAD and sheetcam for cam.

The arcdroid looks pretty cool though. The cut size is pretty tiny which would be a issue for me.

The nice thing about the regular crossfire, assuming it's cut size works for you, is you can put a full 4x8 on it using some roller supports to support the parts that are hanging off. It basically only has one side that can't have material hanging over.

The pro is similar that you can slide a 4x8 through it. I always start with 4x8 then support the 4' hanging off the front. Then when I finish cutting and need more, I feed it through, if that makes sense.

Also, you'll need to be pretty decent in 2d CAD as well as something like inkscape if you plan to do some more artistic stuff.

Also, also, plasma tables at this level kinda sucks for cut quality unless you spend a ton of time really dialing it in. I only use mine for artsy stuff where the beveled edges won't matter and for prototyping. All my functional pieces I sell are laser cut and shipped to me after confirming the fit using my table.

Also, also, also, you'll need a good compressor and likely a good bit of work to get it dry. Lots use the $$$ refrigerant air dryers. I use series of filters and desiccant but I'm still not dry enough.

These things are definitely a lot of work to set up and get working properly but once you do, it's pretty awesome.

ok i kinda like what you're saying about the basic crossfire. i even have roller supports laying around for some reason.

i'm ok at drawing; and i have a handful of coworkers that can draw for me if i get stuck

i still have to get air and power back to the barn fuuuuu - been running off two extension cords for like a year now. plasma cutter has been sitting on the bench for like a month at least, finally tried it out yesterday

 

[PleaseEatSomeShit]

i still have to get air and power back to the barn fuuuuu - been running off two extension cords for like a year now.

Only half the shit in my pole barn works because I have an extension cord of 110 running to one half of the panel.

 

[93rx7]

Only half the shit in my pole barn works because I have an extension cord of 110 running to one half of the panel.

run another extension cord from an outlet on the other leg of your panel in the house to the other leg of your panel in the barn

 

[Ramathorn15]

@93rx7

You should buy the wazer water jet. Would be way cleaner/better cut. I want one but the cut area is too small for me.

 

[93rx7]

@93rx7

You should buy the wazer water jet. Would be way cleaner/better cut. I want one but the cut area is too small for me.

12k would be a nice writeoff but im struggling with buyers remorse on a 4k purchase that i havent bought yet

 

[93rx7]

what/how are you drying your air? i see HF has a dryer.. lol

 

[Ramathorn15]

what/how are you drying your air? i see HF has a dryer.. lol

I have a motor guard filter and a desiccant filter. Isn't enough though. The HF dryer is nice and lots of people use it. But it requires more power and garage space. It isn't small. I luckily live in 10-20% humidity which I think helps a lot, but still.

 

[93rx7]

I have a motor guard filter and a desiccant filter. Isn't enough though. The HF dryer is nice and lots of people use it. But it requires more power and garage space. It isn't small. I luckily live in 10-20% humidity which I think helps a lot, but still.

i'm sure i'll try the desiccant route first cuz im cheap af

 

[Ramathorn15]

i'm sure i'll try the desiccant route first cuz im cheap af

The motorgaurd filter probably helps the most. Its only like $40 iirc

 

[93rx7]

damn idk what i plan on cutting but that babby sized bed on the reg crossfire just tells me im not thinking big enough