Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

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getmca59@gmail.com
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Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by getmca59@gmail.com »

New operator?? Have search but no bananas!
Did not want to reinvent the wheel so looking to see if there is already a cut file for some?
Cutting thin sheet (14G)and seems to warp pretty bad!
Thanks GT
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by tinspark »

I bend 1" wide x 16 gauge strap in a C shape to hold mine down when needed, but height control makes up for a bunch of it

Here is what a few guys have done though....
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=15287&p=86653&hil ... mps#p86528
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

Is that 14 ga. steel or aluminum you are cutting? Perhaps show us a photo of what you are cutting so we can get a better idea. Which table do you have, and what software - Design Edge or 3.11? And what cutter are you using? For cutting 14 ga. steel on my DHC2 4x4 table using my Hypertherm 85, I use FineCut consumables at 190 ipm cut speed, 0.060" cut height, 0.150" pierce height, and 45 amp setting. I also set my corner acceleration to 0.03 to 0.05G so it slows down for the finer details, but runs at full speed on the straights. The FineCut consumables will produce a narrower kerf width and put less heat into the part to help to reduce/minimize warping. Let us know the details of your project and we will try to help you.
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by getmca59@gmail.com »

DHC2 4x4 , basic, design edge, no Height control. Steel, hypertherm 65 on 45 with 200 speed, .60 cut, .05 pierce, have no Idea on what you are saying on corner acceleration as have basic?? Have a idea for my clamps kinda close o what I'm seeing, thanks for the link above!! Merry Christmas! GT
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by tinspark »

getmca59@gmail.com wrote: Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:47 pm DHC2 4x4 , basic, design edge, no Height control. Steel, hypertherm 65 on 45 with 200 speed, .60 cut, .05 pierce, have no Idea on what you are saying on corner acceleration as have basic?? Have a idea for my clamps kinda close o what I'm seeing, thanks for the link above!! Merry Christmas! GT
I thought the DHC2 came with basic height control. Maybe I am wrong though.
If you have it but aren't using it, it is a game changer, and definitely worth the investment in time learning how to use it> And if you actually do not have it, it is worth every penny IMO.

I started out with a Gotorch a few years ago with no height control, and later bought it and sat on it for about a year and finally decided to learn how to use it. What a difference! No crashes since I figured it out. And the stress level is much less when running the Height control. I later built my Gotorch into a 4x4 (same as a DHC2) and couldn't imagine running it without Height control. I would either be dragging sheets around or raised twice as high as I should be so that my cut wasn't optimal, all in the same cut and based on the slag on my grates or other factors.. I still use basic height and love it. Runs like a champ for me.
Doug,
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by tinspark »

under "Height Control tab" in your "settings" if you can check and uncheck the box that says "Height Control" you have it..
That is a $1K feature (that I think is built into the DHC2 machines). The extra $1K is for "Advanced Height Control" ..
Doug,
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Height Control/Advanced DesignEdge
Hypertherm 45XP-
Logan Lathe + myriads of other shop toys
**CAUTION**- "Does Not Play Well With Others" :)
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

tinspark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:18 am under "Height Control tab" in your "settings" if you can check and uncheck the box that says "Height Control" you have it..
That is a $1K feature (that I think is built into the DHC2 machines). The extra $1K is for "Advanced Height Control" ..
There are 2 level of height control at $998 each. Advanced Machine Control is $998, and Advanced Design is $998. So $4k will get you the "Big Three".
Automatic Nesting, 3D Capability, Customizable Size, Pipe Cutting, and Metric Units are the other available upgrades. A stock DHC2 does not come with any height control (at least that was true when I purchased mine 5 years ago) - so basic height control and advanced height control are each separate optional upgrades.
David
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

Here is what the settings pages look like with the Advanced Design, Advanced Machine Control, Advanced Height Control, Nesting, 3D Capability, and Pipe Cutting.
Design.jpg
Offset-Convert.jpg
Machine Control.jpg
Height Control.jpg
System Setup.jpg
Configurations.jpg
Nesting.jpg
3D.jpg

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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by tinspark »

adbuch wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:28 am
tinspark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:18 am under "Height Control tab" in your "settings" if you can check and uncheck the box that says "Height Control" you have it..
That is a $1K feature (that I think is built into the DHC2 machines). The extra $1K is for "Advanced Height Control" ..
There are 2 level of height control at $998 each. Advanced Machine Control is $998, and Advanced Design is $998. So $4k will get you the "Big Three".
Automatic Nesting, 3D Capability, Customizable Size, Pipe Cutting, and Metric Units are the other available upgrades. A stock DHC2 does not come with any height control (at least that was true when I purchased mine 5 years ago) - so basic height control and advanced height control are each separate optional upgrades.
David
Aw ok. I thought that it did.. There was a lot of chatter about it in the Plasmacam forum a few years ago when it was more a more active site. Thanks for the clarification. That was one of my best investments. Maybe I am thinking of Basic design coming with the DHC2's. But without height control it is a pain in the rear to run from my experience. I couldn't imagine going back again...
Doug,
4x4 GoTorch- expanded
Height Control/Advanced DesignEdge
Hypertherm 45XP-
Logan Lathe + myriads of other shop toys
**CAUTION**- "Does Not Play Well With Others" :)
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

Robert Johnson has an excellent Youtube video at his Learn Plasmacam channel explaining what is included in the various upgrades, as well as another video explaining all the settings for the various upgrade levels.
David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rcm0DdDPfo
Settings Explained.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7CJirK0kKA
Design Edge Levels - What do you get.jpg

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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

tinspark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:47 am
adbuch wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:28 am
tinspark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:18 am under "Height Control tab" in your "settings" if you can check and uncheck the box that says "Height Control" you have it..
That is a $1K feature (that I think is built into the DHC2 machines). The extra $1K is for "Advanced Height Control" ..
There are 2 level of height control at $998 each. Advanced Machine Control is $998, and Advanced Design is $998. So $4k will get you the "Big Three".
Automatic Nesting, 3D Capability, Customizable Size, Pipe Cutting, and Metric Units are the other available upgrades. A stock DHC2 does not come with any height control (at least that was true when I purchased mine 5 years ago) - so basic height control and advanced height control are each separate optional upgrades.
David
Aw ok. I thought that it did.. There was a lot of chatter about it in the Plasmacam forum a few years ago when it was more a more active site. Thanks for the clarification. That was one of my best investments. Maybe I am thinking of Basic design coming with the DHC2's. But without height control it is a pain in the rear to run from my experience. I couldn't imagine going back again...
Yes Doug - the DHC2 comes stock with Basic Design and no Height Control. I had read about it on various forums before I purchased my first DHC2, so I knew that I wanted and needed the "Big Three" to have really usable table. I later bought the 3D and Nesting upgrades, and the Pipe Cutting upgrade software came with the purchase of the Piper Cutter. I bought the Customizable Size upgrade back when I was considering adding John Derby's rail lift kit - which I never got around to doing. My most recent upgrade was the Nesting. The only one I don't have (and really don't need) is the Metric.
David
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by tinspark »

adbuch wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:58 am
tinspark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:47 am
adbuch wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:28 am

There are 2 level of height control at $998 each. Advanced Machine Control is $998, and Advanced Design is $998. So $4k will get you the "Big Three".
Automatic Nesting, 3D Capability, Customizable Size, Pipe Cutting, and Metric Units are the other available upgrades. A stock DHC2 does not come with any height control (at least that was true when I purchased mine 5 years ago) - so basic height control and advanced height control are each separate optional upgrades.
David
Aw ok. I thought that it did.. There was a lot of chatter about it in the Plasmacam forum a few years ago when it was more a more active site. Thanks for the clarification. That was one of my best investments. Maybe I am thinking of Basic design coming with the DHC2's. But without height control it is a pain in the rear to run from my experience. I couldn't imagine going back again...
Yes Doug - the DHC2 comes stock with Basic Design and no Height Control. I had read about it on various forums before I purchased my first DHC2, so I knew that I wanted and needed the "Big Three" to have really usable table. I later bought the 3D and Nesting upgrades, and the Pipe Cutting upgrade software came with the purchase of the Piper Cutter. I bought the Customizable Size upgrade back when I was considering adding John Derby's rail lift kit - which I never got around to doing. My most recent upgrade was the Nesting. The only one I don't have (and really don't need) is the Metric.
David
Thats one thing that I miss about the Gotorch. I was able to raise the small table and set it on blocks and cut square tubing without issue. It would only cut 2-D but that was a cool feature that I cannot do now since I expanded to a 4x4. I think that I can still do that if I beef up my corners to keep mine square when I unbolt it from my exhaust box and grates. I could manually raise it on blocks then cut under the rails. Maybe some day I can still do that but honestly, I have never needed it yet. But still a cool option.
also, I would like to apologize to the OP for taking his thread in another direction. LOL!!

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Hypertherm 45XP-
Logan Lathe + myriads of other shop toys
**CAUTION**- "Does Not Play Well With Others" :)
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

getmca59@gmail.com wrote: Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:47 pm DHC2 4x4 , basic, design edge, no Height control. Steel, hypertherm 65 on 45 with 200 speed, .60 cut, .05 pierce, have no Idea on what you are saying on corner acceleration as have basic?? Have a idea for my clamps kinda close o what I'm seeing, thanks for the link above!! Merry Christmas! GT
The adjustable corner acceleration is not offered with the basic software package. But I have cut plenty of 14 ga. steel using the default corner acceleration setting of 0.2g and it still worked pretty well. Unless that is a typo - change your pierce height to 0.150" and your consumables will last much longer. I took a look at the link Doug referenced above and there were plenty of great ideas for clamps and hold downs. I have never really had a problem with warping, but I do have a design for some fixturing to hold flat strap to the grates for cutting. I will try to find the pictures and post them here.
David
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

tinspark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:37 pm
adbuch wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:58 am
tinspark wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:47 am
Aw ok. I thought that it did.. There was a lot of chatter about it in the Plasmacam forum a few years ago when it was more a more active site. Thanks for the clarification. That was one of my best investments. Maybe I am thinking of Basic design coming with the DHC2's. But without height control it is a pain in the rear to run from my experience. I couldn't imagine going back again...
Yes Doug - the DHC2 comes stock with Basic Design and no Height Control. I had read about it on various forums before I purchased my first DHC2, so I knew that I wanted and needed the "Big Three" to have really usable table. I later bought the 3D and Nesting upgrades, and the Pipe Cutting upgrade software came with the purchase of the Piper Cutter. I bought the Customizable Size upgrade back when I was considering adding John Derby's rail lift kit - which I never got around to doing. My most recent upgrade was the Nesting. The only one I don't have (and really don't need) is the Metric.
David
Thats one thing that I miss about the Gotorch. I was able to raise the small table and set it on blocks and cut square tubing without issue. It would only cut 2-D but that was a cool feature that I cannot do now since I expanded to a 4x4. I think that I can still do that if I beef up my corners to keep mine square when I unbolt it from my exhaust box and grates. I could manually raise it on blocks then cut under the rails. Maybe some day I can still do that but honestly, I have never needed it yet. But still a cool option.
also, I would like to apologize to the OP for taking his thread in another direction. LOL!!
Doug - you've got me thinking that having a separate GoTorch could come in pretty handy at times, for the reasons you mentioned. Once in a while I will see a used one at a pretty cheap price - so perhaps it would be worth having around for specific tasks. On my DHC2 table that I use for cutting - I tack welded the factory grates together so I can lift them out as an assembly. Then I built a fixture with adjustable height that mounts to my water tray which allows me to cut larger square tubing and other taller parts, as long as they are shorter than about 4 ft. so they will drop down between the rails on the table. I will have to find some pictures and post them here when I get a chance. I had also envisioned using a long machine torch for ease of moving the torch up or down in the torch holder - but I never got that far and am still using the hand torch for my Powermax 85, which works well for me.
David
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

adbuch wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:15 am
getmca59@gmail.com wrote: Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:47 pm DHC2 4x4 , basic, design edge, no Height control. Steel, hypertherm 65 on 45 with 200 speed, .60 cut, .05 pierce, have no Idea on what you are saying on corner acceleration as have basic?? Have a idea for my clamps kinda close o what I'm seeing, thanks for the link above!! Merry Christmas! GT
The adjustable corner acceleration is not offered with the basic software package. But I have cut plenty of 14 ga. steel using the default corner acceleration setting of 0.2g and it still worked pretty well. Unless that is a typo - change your pierce height to 0.150" and your consumables will last much longer. I took a look at the link Doug referenced above and there were plenty of great ideas for clamps and hold downs. I have never really had a problem with warping, but I do have a design for some fixturing to hold flat strap to the grates for cutting. I will try to find the pictures and post them here.
David
Here are some photos of my custom fixturing for holding flat strap for cnc plasma cutting. For cutting larger widths, the dowel pins are used to keep the edge of the material parallel to the x axis of the table.
David
20190316_145037.jpg
20190316_145049.jpg
20190316_145104.jpg
20190316_145112.jpg
20190316_145118.jpg
20190316_145129.jpg
20190316_145257.jpg

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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by plasmanewbie »

Here is a previous topic that may help viewtopic.php?f=45&t=4485
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

plasmanewbie wrote: Mon Dec 27, 2021 1:02 pm Here is a previous topic that may help viewtopic.php?f=45&t=4485
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by Joe Jones »

You are getting a lot of warpage with 14 gauge? It sounds like you are putting too much heat into the material. Lower your cutting amperage, increase your cutting speed, and if you are cutting a lot of intricate cuts close together, pause for a moment between every couple of cuts, to allow the heat in the metal to dissipate.

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Last edited by Joe Jones on Mon Mar 21, 2022 4:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by weldguy »

Joe Jones wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 1:21 pm You are getting a lot of warpage with 14 gauge? It sounds like you are putting too much heat intot he material. Lower your cutting amperage, increase your cutting speed, and if you are cutting a lot of intricate cuts close together, pause for a moment between every couple of cuts, to allow the heat in the metal to dissipate.

Joe
Great ideas. Another thing you can do is reorder your cut sequence so you spread the heat out more evenly throughout the sheet.
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by TJS »

Dave,
I just saw this post. I might copy your hold downs. I am wondering if it will work for me as my slats are curved. Don't see why they would not. I have quite a few feet of 1" flat stock in stock. Thanks.
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

TJS wrote: Mon Mar 21, 2022 12:10 pm Dave,
I just saw this post. I might copy your hold downs. I am wondering if it will work for me as my slats are curved. Don't see why they would not. I have quite a few feet of 1" flat stock in stock. Thanks.
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Re: Plazamacam hold down clamps for thin material?

Post by adbuch »

TJS wrote: Mon Mar 21, 2022 12:10 pm Dave,
I just saw this post. I might copy your hold downs. I am wondering if it will work for me as my slats are curved. Don't see why they would not. I have quite a few feet of 1" flat stock in stock. Thanks.
I think it will work just fine with your curved slats as long as you keep the legs on the fixtures narrow. My feeling is that your 1" wide flat stock should work fine.
David
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