Yes. The cut quality will suffer from the water (rougher edge, more dross) but the height control will maintain height just as it would above water. Dry cutting (no splash on the cut edge) is always the best cut edge quality and consumable life. Water is an easier fume control…so many limp along and use water tables for plasma fume control. You will only see downdraft in my shop for fumes! Jim Colt
Thats good to know about the water table. Maybe it’s best I dial mine in (meaning get my charts made) before I put the water table on. It’s not here yet anyway… I wonder if I could make a waterfall type wet collector for this? Are there any in use for plasma?
I am not aware of waterfall fume collectors. There typically are downdraft tables, water tables, and hybrid designs using both water and downdraft. Jim Colt
well jim congratulation on your retirement. I have watch your videos and always found them instructive, specially the one for bending sheet metal just brilliant.
I have finished the assembly of the Langmuir table with a downdraft system( don’t want to grow advance biological experiments). I bought their system just because they are a few miles from me and like to support small businesses.
I’m going to switch the existing controller to a MASSO control system which has a THC feature built in. Just need to design the Z axis. Would you have tips or “must have” things in the design of such Z axis. Your input would be appreciated.
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Do you know if the Masso controller needs it’s own post or can it run the Mach3 post? After seeing your response here, I was reading about the controller when i saw it quickly mentioned that a mach3 post was being used… I cant find confirmation of this anywhere so i figured i would ask
Nick, thanks for your inquiry. I mentioned the MASSO controller because of its simplicity and integrated configuration. I did not go further into which post it needs as I’m starting this all development of a THC add-on. This all thing was triggered by the fabricator’s video(https://youtu.be/umuEgK1_vWk) as I plan to cut thin( up to 1/8”) stainless and aluminum sheets that I know will deform under heat.
I’m finishing the downdraft setup right now. For the THC I’m thinking of using parts from Openbuild as they have everything to easily put a Z axis together. That’s where I’m at right now. Have you been using you plasma cutter for long? Can you share your experience?
I have just done a couple brackets and gussets so far (I purchased this table to make fabricating things for my hobbies easier). When i saw the Masso already had the THC integrated into it, i thought this would be a super easy way to add a THC if I found the need to add one. So i started to research it a little. I did see that Fusion 360 has a Masso Post for the 3 axis Mill, but i didn’t see one for plasma…
I have a c-beam from openbuild as my Z axis on my CNC router. They are pretty stiff and easy to assemble. I would be interested to see how the plastic wheels hold up in the spattery, abrasive environment that is a plasma table. With that said it might be the direction I go sometime down the road. If you add the z to your plasma table please share here so we all don’t have to reinvent the wheel!
Bruce
What did you end up getting for a down draft set up? Thanks!