{"id":481,"date":"2016-06-24T21:24:03","date_gmt":"2016-06-25T04:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/?p=481"},"modified":"2017-05-07T21:57:56","modified_gmt":"2017-05-08T04:57:56","slug":"4x8-cnc-plasma-table-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/4x8-cnc-plasma-table-design\/","title":{"rendered":"4&#8217;x8&#8242; CNC Plasma Table &#8211; Design"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re working on a new CNC machine, a 4&#8217;x8&#8242; CNC plasma table. This post is more for our own personal use while we piece together our design, but it&#8217;s also here for anyone else to use as well. It will be updated as the project progresses.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>General research and information<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Drive:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rack and pinion for X and Y axis (ACME could be used, but is less favorable due to &#8220;screw-whip&#8221; issues at higher speeds, makes it impractical). <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cncrouterparts.com\/which-is-better-a-screw-or-rack-and-pinion-drive-p-99.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>4-axis system will be needed since Y-axis requires 2 motors (one per side). Belt drive with 3:1 reduction, increases torque, increases resolution, and with a 1&#8243; gear this keeps 2 teeth on rack at all times reducing backlash. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cncrouterparts.com\/why-do-your-rp-units-use-a-belt-why-not-direct-drive-p-213.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Z-axis will need ACME type system since R&amp;P can&#8217;t reasonably hold Z-axis from falling.<\/li>\n<li>V-Rail and\/or linear rail for guide.<\/li>\n<li>Travel: Z-axis 7&#8243; or so. Gantry 4&#8243; clearance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Electronics<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gecko G540 &#8211; contains 4 of their G250 driver boards, easy to use DB9 connectors for motors, parallel port for computer interface (can go Ethernet\/USB with a SmoothStepper board ~$200)<\/li>\n<li>Stepper motors: size will need to be calculated once gantry is designed and weight is determined (so we know how much mass that needs to be moved around).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Water Bath \/ Downdraft info<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Water level should be about 1\/2&#8243; below bottom of material being cut to capture 98% of the smoke and dust. Water levels are controlled by compressed air, not pumps. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.victoryplasma.com\/water-vs-downdraft\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Green liquid in water is not antifreeze, it&#8217;s Liquid Quench.<\/li>\n<li>Downdraft vs water table: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VdQW46NqZ7Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2 minute video featuring Jim Colt<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Good video showing downdraft in action: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XN_SYzBWM8c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Downdraft video<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Water table depth&#8230; water should be at least 2 1\/2&#8243; deep, with water level 0.5 to 1&#8243; below the top of the slats. Fully submerging the slats is done when cutting stainless (if the plasma can cut submerged).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Slats<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Serpentine the slats, or at minimum, give them an arc. Make slats at least 1&#8243; longer than the actual width. Thickness can range from 1\/8&#8243;, 10ga, 14ga, 18ga (that I&#8217;ve seen).<\/li>\n<li>Space 3&#8243; between slats. Slat size 3&#8243;x 1\/8&#8243;.<\/li>\n<li>Want at least 1\/2&#8243; gap between bottom of slats and water table to allow water to flow as it enters \/ exits the table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Components and Costs:<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rack and pinion:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/4x8-cnc-plasma-table-design\/rack2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-488\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-488 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/rack2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"rack2\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/rack2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/rack2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/rack2.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>$72.50 per 52&#8243; at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cncrouterparts.com\/pro-gear-rack-52-p-239.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CNCRouterParts.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We need: 5 sections<\/p>\n<p>Total cost: $362.50<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>V-Track (V-rail):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/4x8-cnc-plasma-table-design\/vrail-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-489\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-489 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/vrail-300x242.jpg\" alt=\"vrail\" width=\"300\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/vrail-300x242.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/vrail.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>$55 per 54-5\/8&#8243; from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cadcamcadcam.com\/v-track-54-inch.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We need: 5 sections<\/p>\n<p>Total cost: $275<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stepper Motors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/4x8-cnc-plasma-table-design\/steppermotor\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-501\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-501 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/steppermotor-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"steppermotor\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/steppermotor-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/steppermotor-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/steppermotor.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>~$39.99 each from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.automationtechnologiesinc.com\/products-page\/nema-23\/nema23-381ozin-3-5a-single-shaft-stepper-motor-kl23h2100-35-4a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AutomationTechnologiesInc.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>We need: 4<\/p>\n<p>Total cost: $159.96<\/p>\n<p>Exact stepper needed will be calculated once we have the gantry designed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Driver Board:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/4x8-cnc-plasma-table-design\/g540\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-505\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-505 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/g540-300x246.jpg\" alt=\"g540\" width=\"300\" height=\"246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/g540-300x246.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/g540.jpg 396w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gecko G540 4-axis<\/p>\n<p>$280 or thereabouts from multiple sites<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.automationtechnologiesinc.com\/products-page\/gecko-drivers\/g540-4-axis-digital-step-drive-current-version\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automationtechnologiesinc.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Power Supply:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/4x8-cnc-plasma-table-design\/powersupply\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-506\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-506 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/powersupply-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"powersupply\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/powersupply-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/powersupply.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>48v, 7.3A power supply<\/p>\n<p>$35<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re working on a new CNC machine, a 4&#8217;x8&#8242; CNC plasma table. This post is more for our own personal use while we piece together our design, but it&#8217;s also here for anyone else to use as well. It will be updated as the project progresses. &nbsp; General research and information &nbsp; Drive: Rack and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cool-stuff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":560,"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481\/revisions\/560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuclearprojects.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}