cheap plasma table, will I be happy with it?

[dave_dj1]

The other thread got me to thinking, I can't spend 45K-60K for a water table plasma system, a 10K table is barely doable which brings me to the question "will I be happy with it for my intended purpose?"
Purpose: cut 3/8" plate max, a run of about 350# of steel every couple of weeks or a 100# weekly? I want to expand and experiment with some other options for the grapples as people have been asking for different configurations.
These are some of the parts I would be cutting:

 

[ThePanzerFuhrer]

I had about 10k into my table. It only took me like a year and a half to build it. It has probably got like 5000 hour in it by now lol.

Do you have a plasma cutter that you could put on a table? That is really the big purchase. After that if you put the work in you can easily build your own.

 

[CarterKraft]

Based on my research a working plasma table you don't like will easily pay for the next table to double your volume.

If you don't have a table fretting over the "best" table is not productive.

I can afford a Langmuir table and that will be (as long as it works) infinitely better than the table I don't have and a table I can't afford.

Now if the table is not workable, stays broken etc. then this logic won't work.

 

[dave_dj1]

I had about 10k into my table. It only took me like a year and a half to build it. It has probably got like 5000 hour in it by now lol.

Do you have a plasma cutter that you could put on a table? That is really the big purchase. After that if you put the work in you can easily build your own.

I do have a Hypertherm Powermax 900 with the new Duramax handheld torch but they do offer a machine torch for about $600 so yeah, I can get by with it I think.

 

[Pocahontas]

Langmuir Systems | CrossFire CNC Plasma Tables

Makers of the CrossFire: an affordable, personal, CNC Plasma Table.

www.langmuirsystems.com

From the research I've done these guys seem to have the 'best' bolt together plasma table as long as you are okay with a smaller size table. If the xr did 5x10s I would have ordered one already.

 

[Dethmachinefab]

It needs to be easy to run and troubleshoot. My torchmate was 100x better to use and make money with over a friend's baleigh junk.

Remember with a small table you need to have someone blank your steel down to size from say a standard 4x8.

 

[ThePanzerFuhrer]

It needs to be easy to run and troubleshoot. My torchmate was 100x better to use and make money with over a friend's baleigh junk.

Remember with a small table you need to have someone blank your steel down to size from say a standard 4x8.

This is why a 6x12 is the minimum . 5x10’s were cheaper than 4x8’s back when the price of steel wasn’t in clown mode.

 

[Dethmachinefab]

This is why a 6x12 is the minimum . 5x10’s were cheaper than 4x8’s back when the price of steel wasn’t in clown mode.

I wanted to build one 20'+ long by 6' wide so I could fab custom girders for buildings. Might still do it some day.

 

[ThePanzerFuhrer]

I wanted to build one 20'+ long by 6' wide so I could fab custom girders for buildings. Might still do it some day.

Got two guys in town that’s all they do. One makes custom structural steel for buildings, other makes bridge beams.

Gonna have to make yourself a track welder for those lol.

 

[[486]]

I wanted to build one 20'+ long by 6' wide so I could fab custom girders for buildings. Might still do it some day.

that'd be way cool
castellated and bellied beams are neat

can you save money by buying coil stock rather than sheared sheets, or is the price difference nearly nothing?

 

[Dethmachinefab]

that'd be way cool
castellated and bellied beams are neat

can you save money by buying coil stock rather than sheared sheets, or is the price difference nearly nothing?

Working from coils in that size needs alot of equipment. Uncoiler, leveler, etc to get it ready to build with.

But yea custom beams are super cool and most of my reason for wanting it.

I've never priced coils, but assume since your removing alot of steps there should be cost savings.

 

[dave_dj1]

I have a tractor with forks, I could swap back to the handheld torch to cut the pieces down or perhaps order them cut to rough dimension. One of my suppliers cuts my tube for me for free, I'm sure he could do sheet too.

 

[[486]]

Working from coils in that size needs alot of equipment. Uncoiler, leveler, etc to get it ready to build with.

Suppose you cut the banding and they'll fuck you up real fast while trying to uncoil on their own lol

 

[Dethmachinefab]

I have a tractor with forks, I could swap back to the handheld torch to cut the pieces down or perhaps order them cut to rough dimension. One of my suppliers cuts my tube for me for free, I'm sure he could do sheet too.

If they have a shear probably. My local guy would send it up the road and it was like $40 to chop a 1/2" plate into 4x4s. Not bad but annoying to be relying on others.

 

[Dethmachinefab]

Suppose you cut the banding and they'll fuck you up real fast while trying to uncoil on their own lol

I see them do it in 3rd world country's with minimal stuff on dirt in sandals. A leveler is just a bunch of big rollers to straighten it out from coil shape. But someone else can fuck with all that stuff for a few cents a pound. I can order plate in whatever fits on a truck. Biggest I got was a 20' long 3/4" plate once.

 

[ThePanzerFuhrer]

that'd be way cool
castellated and bellied beams are neat

can you save money by buying coil stock rather than sheared sheets, or is the price difference nearly nothing?

Bridge builders don’t even use coils they get it all in flat on rail cars. Those sheets have to be 50-60 feet long.

 

[Opiebennett]

I'm happy with my langmuir, it's the single arm smaller unit. I liked that I put it together and it just worked. No diagnosing a missed units conversion or fighting specifying the right number of motor turns per inch into a custom post.

I use it for small runs, and custom brackets. Not sure I'd want this 'homeowner' unit if I was pounding plate through it.

For the bigger pieces and thicker plate youre working with, I'd look hard at their 2x4 pro platform.

Another thought to consider, if the parts are the same over and over, might be to get a quote from Lasernut or a local high volume cutter. They buy way more plate and get a better deal on the raw materials. Your parts might be able to be cut and delivered to you for the cost you can buy just the plate.

 

[Duc]

Another thought to consider, if the parts are the same over and over, might be to get a quote from Lasernut or a local high volume cutter. They buy way more plate and get a better deal on the raw materials. Your parts might be able to be cut and delivered to you for the cost you can buy just the plate.

This is probably the best bet. You might be able to buy parts from a laser place finished for the price you can buy raw plates for. Plus they will come dross free and bolt holes on size versus you tuning the plasma to get the holes close versus -/+ .005 from the laser.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Tons or duplicates, yeah, best to farm it out. Custom and one off stuff, or small batches, my Langmuir pro has been amazing. Very reliable.

 

[dave_dj1]

I'm happy with my langmuir, it's the single arm smaller unit. I liked that I put it together and it just worked. No diagnosing a missed units conversion or fighting specifying the right number of motor turns per inch into a custom post.

I use it for small runs, and custom brackets. Not sure I'd want this 'homeowner' unit if I was pounding plate through it.

For the bigger pieces and thicker plate youre working with, I'd look hard at their 2x4 pro platform.

Another thought to consider, if the parts are the same over and over, might be to get a quote from Lasernut or a local high volume cutter. They buy way more plate and get a better deal on the raw materials. Your parts might be able to be cut and delivered to you for the cost you can buy just the plate.

I'm getting them cut on a laser now at a place in Troy. They do fantastic work and have been great to work with. I usually order enough parts for two 48" and two 60". I'm going to start offering a full lid model so more parts. They don't deliver so it's a half day to go pick them up but it works. I just thought if I had my own table I could cut enough for one at a time as needed.
ETA: yes it's very nice not having dross to deal with and the holes and pieces fit like a glove.

 

[PAToyota]

I wanted to build one 20'+ long by 6' wide so I could fab custom girders for buildings. Might still do it some day.

Local place...

Splice weld, joining the web to the flange, parts coming out of the powder coating oven (they do whole beams too), components out in the yard.

 

[Talon2006]

if your budget is 10k take a look at star labs.

I built my own table, but that is about the only table I wokld buy.

I have a friend in Michigan that might be selling his cnc plasma soon. It is a home built system running Linux.

Def try to find a Linux based controller if you can. Heck in 3-6 months I might be selling mine to get a larger one.

 

[AlxJ64]

It needs to be easy to run and troubleshoot. My torchmate was 100x better to use and make money with over a friend's baleigh junk.

Remember with a small table you need to have someone blank your steel down to size from say a standard 4x8.

^ This, as much as a despise Lincoln's take over of Torchmate, I am glad I got one at the end of the original company's era (Dan's days) since it was a pretty easy turnkey machine with lots of support.

I have a tractor with forks, I could swap back to the handheld torch to cut the pieces down or perhaps order them cut to rough dimension. One of my suppliers cuts my tube for me for free, I'm sure he could do sheet too.

I used to do the handheld method when my shop space was smaller and I didn't have a means to lift it as I started out in my tiny detached 1.5 car garage, now that I have more room and a machine to lift with (compact track loader) I built a fixture to feed the sheets through my smaller table and rip them down. This is ripping 3/8". I've also used this method to index a large 4x4 part. I set up hard points on the table and then flipped the sheet 180 and fed it back in and then mirrored the drawing and kept cutting. Took some creativity with overlapping tool paths and sequence of cut, but it worked great. The frame under neath just hooks onto the edge of the water table and I have rollers (surplus insert bearings that I had for cheap and machined little hubs) that are bolted to it. I looked but don't have a picture of just the extension frame complete without material on it. It is easy to take on and off and breaks down for storage in single sticks.

 

[dave_dj1]

^ This, as much as a despise Lincoln's take over of Torchmate, I am glad I got one at the end of the original company's era (Dan's days) since it was a pretty easy turnkey machine with lots of support.



I used to do the handheld method when my shop space was smaller and I didn't have a means to lift it as I started out in my tiny detached 1.5 car garage, now that I have more room and a machine to lift with (compact track loader) I built a fixture to feed the sheets through my smaller table and rip them down. This is ripping 3/8". I've also used this method to index a large 4x4 part. I set up hard points on the table and then flipped the sheet 180 and fed it back in and then mirrored the drawing and kept cutting. Took some creativity with overlapping tool paths and sequence of cut, but it worked great. The frame under neath just hooks onto the edge of the water table and I have rollers (surplus insert bearings that I had for cheap and machined little hubs) that are bolted to it. I looked but don't have a picture of just the extension frame complete without material on it. It is easy to take on and off and breaks down for storage in single sticks.

clever idea, I like it!

 

[[486]]

cheapass in me says to avoid cutting the sheets down, just cut out the parts you can fit, then cut off what's useless and leave the odd bits on the end of the sheet to nest more shit into on the next pass

 

[AlxJ64]

cheapass in me says to avoid cutting the sheets down, just cut out the parts you can fit, then cut off what's useless and leave the odd bits on the end of the sheet to nest more shit into on the next pass

The downside to keeping sheets whole, is handling a whole sheet. A piece of 3/8" or 1/2" stays pretty rigid but 3/16" gets awkward and 1/8" and down become squirmy bendy sharp but heavy bastards. I do wish I had a 4x4 table vs a 2x2, but being able to load a piece of 3/8" by hand, without having to fire up a machine is somewhat nice.

 

[Tinstar]

We just got a Langmuir Crossfire XR up and running. Its pretty straight forward and easy to use. Its big enough to do custom stuff for us. We have a hardtail vice cut out and are waiting on some parts. We have done a couple of these stoves. The front and rear of these stoves are out of 3/8" drop.

This plasma table is part of why I want a jib crane.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Suppose you cut the banding and they'll fuck you up real fast while trying to uncoil on their own lol

He has 20 acres. Surely he can just pick a spot surrounded by trees for the initial un-coiling operation.

 

[arse_sidewards]

As someone who already has a chinese plasma cutter the smallest Langmuir with the option for extended travel and water table seems really attractive. Under $2k to never have to have the "I could make this brakcet/tab but it would come out nicer if I just bought one" internal debate again seems pretty reasonable. Making brackets in the bridgeport kinda sucks.

 

[speed bump]

I see them do it in 3rd world country's with minimal stuff on dirt in sandals. A leveler is just a bunch of big rollers to straighten it out from coil shape. But someone else can fuck with all that stuff for a few cents a pound. I can order plate in whatever fits on a truck. Biggest I got was a 20' long 3/4" plate once.

In 2020 I had a project that needed 40 lineal ft of 3/4 and my steel yard was all set to sell me it in one piece of out of a 5x40 sheet they had. I wanted to buy it so bad but it was just too big to handle for the project we had.