Getting a CFPRO and would like to get a Floating plotter pen to try out the machine instead of wasting metal to start… Has anybody used one like this . Or what ones have you used with success ? And how do you set the depth on them with the THC ? Plotter Pen Bit for CNC Machines - Use Your CNC Machine as a Plotter, Draws in 4 Colors of Permanent Ink - WidgetWorks Unlimited
You could make a 3d printed adapter to make that fit in the torch holder. You would have to turn off the THC, since there will be no cutting voltage. I don’t know how well it would work with the IHS system. It might smash the end of the marker when touching the material.
You might have to post process your files with the cut height and pierce height set to zero and manually set the Z-zero with the marker touching the material. Just know that it will also mark on the rapid moves between cuts with this method. You could modify the G-code to raise the Z-axis after each cut loop and lower it back to zero before the next, but then you are starting to get into more work than its worth to draw on the metal instead of cutting it.
Add a spring loaded pen holder in the 3D printed adapter and save the tip from being destroyed???
I dont have a 3D printer ?
In the past I’ve used a retractable sharpie wrapped in electrical tape to the correct diameter to fit the torch holder.
THC off.
Now I just use the DRY RUN option in fire control if I am not confident with my set up.
Good idea.
I wonder if the retractable sharpie could be gut out and loaded with a spring? then use a standard sharpie cap to keep iit from drying out.
The plotter pen that @Allcutup mentioned above would work with an adapter. It already has a floating head and I’d assume it comes with a cap to keep it from drying out
I did see that.
Just throwing out another option.
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Something like this? The blue tip is a grease needle tip for a grease gun. I drilled it out to fit a ball point pen refill cartridge. The other one uses a sharpie and a 3/8 npt female to 1/4 female brass adapter. On top of the sharpie in the pipe is a really light weight spring and a piece of all thread to limit how far the sharpie goes up into it, when THC comes down to the metal. Works really good. The outside of the galvanized pipe is 7/8" and the locking collars around the 1/8" pipe are 7/8" OD.
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Thats cool !!!
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I added to of these collars to the outside of either one to fit my machine torch mount.
Unfortunately the collar description says they’re 1-3/8" outer diameter. They’re not, they are 1-1/2". I mounted them to the sharpie holder and rolled it on a belt sander to get down to 1-3/8".
Turn off plasma cutter and THC to use it.
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With the price of metal, especially stainless… It’s worth it!
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Why doesn’t someone who has a 3D printer make a holder for the pens and sell them to us?
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I have used pens and threw them out…you will spend more time playing with the pen and trying to get it to work than you will solving real problems…
the real problems are not from the table drawing out your pattern but the settings when you are cutting…
spwend the time learning the software for your design work…that is where you will see problems and solve them before cutting…
then any problems you have cutting will be minimized by doing clean patterns…
as for table settings with the torch…the pen will not show that…only real life cuts will show that.
so do not start with large projects…start with the bottle opener …do it until you get a clean cut in different metal gauges…
do it in different sizes to see what happens…
the pen is not mightier than the sword in this case…ahahahah
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Don’t think anyone suggested that it would show torch settings or cut quality. I use it for design and fitting of custom parts. Example: drawing out a custom bumper on cardboard. Then cut it out for a fitting mock up.
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Just like mechanic John said I need to make custom parts … And cut them out of cardboard to see the fit… And my grandkids like to see what they have designed before I cut them out of metal !!!
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