More information on CNC cutting systems

Additional Information

	The Torchmate II Windows based CNC gantry kit is pictured in the thumbnail image to the left. Click on the photo to see a large photo. The gantry itself is approximately 95% finished with only a couple of minor fabrication steps remaining. You build the rail system from locally purchased steel. It is a simple project that can be completed over the course of a weekend. We provide full instructions.
	The Y axis uses a super-precision linear motion cassette with eight 1" diameter needle bearing rollers riding on hardened and ground rails. Load capacity is an amazing 4,518 pounds. The carriage is fitted with replaceable felt wipers at both ends. Hardened cap screws secure the rail assembly every 3" to the machine's heavy extruded aluminum frame. It is possible for a man of normal weight to stand on the roller cassette and have the machine carry him on both axes.
	The machine rides on a three point support system comprised of 1" hardened and sealed needle bearing cam followers with a dynamic load rating of 2,225 lbs. each. It is guided laterally by identical cam followers. The rails are 1/2" x 4" cold roll flat bar. Cold roll bar is quite precise--usually under a thousandth of an inch in tolerance. By using mild steel rails, the cam follower surfaces will never wear. Should the rails wear slightly over the years, they can be replaced quickly and economically.
	Completed 49" x 49" kit. Steel was fabricated from 3" square x 1/4" wall tubing. The owner-supplied diagonal leg bracing, painted silver, can be partially sen here. The rugged construction of the unit is quite evident in the large photo. Please allow this photo a few seconds to load.
	The Torchmate II and Torchmate III are designed to permit you to do multiple operations on the same piece of material. Here, the machine has been set up to first drill a hole pattern in 3/16" aluminum, cut a slot, and then cut out the finished piece. First the file containing the holes to be drilled was run, followed by the file with the shapes to be plasma-cut.
	Mount a mig gun on your machine, and you can weld any kind of pattern. You can accurately place spot welds virtually anywhere on your work, or do continuous welds, as was done here.
	To see a super-simple method of supporting your material, click on the image at left.
All kits include driver software module. Our optional CAD software module has all the features of a typical CAD program, plus automatic parts nesting, automatic kerf compensation, automatic insertion of lead-ins/outs, and much more. Those on a budget can start off purchasing CorelDraw to draw their shapes, and then upgrade to the CAD Module. Electronics come with 5/8" spur gears, & use a 3.4 to 1 reduction via timing pulleys/belts. This provides an accuracy level of approximately .0015" (one and one half thousandths of an inch). Torchmate CNC Kits include electronic components, driver software, necessary cabling, steel parts and brackets, hardware, hardened needle bearing guide rollers, rack and pinion gearing, and illustrated instruction manuals. You purchase the necessary square tubing and cold roll steel locally to save shipping $$$. Total cost of the steel you need to finish the machine and rail system is approximately $300. By purchasing these materials locally, you can make the support structure far sturdier than would be possible with light bolt-together parts that are convenient and cost effective to ship. Clear illustrated instructions are included, along with a digital 3-D model of a completed machine that you can view from any angle, rotate, and zoom in to see the finest detail. Time necessary to complete the Torchmate II gantry kit, including the rail system, averages about 16 hours. For our Windows based systems, we have a proprietary machine interface available that will control virtually any plasma cutter trigger circuit. A solenoid valve can be purchased from welding supply houses that can automate cutting oxygen control in oxy-fuel work. With all our systems, it is necessary that you use a plasma cutter that DOES NOT HAVE a high frequency starting circuit. This causes electrical interference that can cause your computer to lock up, your mouse to stop working, the motors to run erratically, etc. A high frequency starting circuit is like a spark plug in a car. To initiate the arc, a high frequency voltage jumps the gap between the torch tip and the work. The desirable alternative is a pilot arc. This is a miniature version of a high frequency start. A lesser voltage jumps the gap between the electrode and the nozzle. This super-heats the air flowing from the torch, ionizing it and making it electrically conductive. The ionized air is called plasma. It surrounds the metal beneath the torch and the arc uses that medium to transfer to the work surface. While a number of manufacturers produce plasma cutters that use a satisfactory pilot arc ignition system, we can not guarantee any of them to be fully compatible with our systems except for the Hypertherm Powermax series, which we have fully tested. Our Standard Torchmate CNC Kits include electronic components, driver software (the software that runs the machine), necessary cabling, steel parts and brackets, hardware, hardened needle bearing guide rollers, rack and pinion gearing, and illustrated instruction manuals. You purchase the necessary square tubing and cold roll steel locally to save shipping $$$. Total cost of the steel you need to finish the machine and rail system is approximately $300. Everything has been done to keep your cost down, i.e., Internet marketing, no dealers, no unnecessary shipping costs, light but rigid construction permitting the use of stepper-based electronics, selling unit in kit form, etc. Time necessary to complete the Standard Torchmate gantry kit and fabricate your rail system is approximately 40 man-hours, as opposed to 16 hours for the Torchmate II kit described elsewhere in this web site. Draw the desired shape on your computer monitor using a drawing program that is capable of exporting dxf files. If you do not already have a drawing program, we can supply CorelDraw OEM version 8 at modest cost, or you can opt for our Torchmate CAD software module. Duplicate the shapes, rotate them, and nest them to save materials. Corel automatically inserts the commands that turn your plasma torch or oxy-fuel torch on and off. With our Windows based driver software (the software that runs the machine), you export your shapes from your drawing program as dxf files. The driver software then automatically generates the G code to run your machine. For customers with an existing plasma cutter, we have an optional proprietary machine interface available that will control virtually any plasma cutter trigger circuit. A solenoid valve can be purchased from welding supply houses that can automate cutting oxygen control in oxy-fuel work.