From other’s experience, what is the smallest hole the standard Crossfire Pro setup (w/ Razorweld 45) can do? Are there any tips/tricks for being able to cut smaller hole? (Example: remove lead in?, cutting a “point”?, etc)
My goal is to make locator holes which I can drill out later to a more exact size. I would like to make them small enough to drill out a through hole for a #6 machine screw but if that is to small I can change that to a #8.
You can make dimples. If your using sheet cam there is some utube videos on making drill marks. Basically the plasma cutter fires for a very short time just to make an arc point on the metal.
There is a few setup steps to do this in sheetcam and fusion so it doesn’t take into count the kerf width and reduces the arc time etc.
Search the forum for drill point, centre punch or dimple etc. I’ve seen it discussed a few times and may get you going in the right direction.
Matt, here’s a good link with info---->
Just a note on this “spot piercing” or “pilot holes”…
I just went through this in making taller stanchion plates for my PRO table… Worked great!! However, there must have been just enough carbon in the mild steel to harden a bit @ the spot pierces… Sure, I could carry on drilling and take my time etc. etc… NOPE!! Threw them all in the forge and annealed the entire batch… Afterwords… Cut like butter again!!
If it’s a few holes, a torch would work just fine as well…
The spring holes in this picture are 3mm. They cut pretty clean and I think a clearance hole for a #6 screw is a bit larger than that.
They look great! What method did you use to create such holes?
I designed the parts in FreeCAD and post processed through Sheetcam. Nothing special was done, except utilizing the “start at center of circles” option in Sheetcam and a path rule to slow down to 60% of program speed on holes.
First off…I know nothing.
For a small hole, could I simply put down a period from text at each location?
I guess that would really depend on what font you’re using?.. all jokes aside, use a single point circle tool. A font circle: Period, O,zero,is going to be very hard to line up with center and will unlikely not be a perfect circle.
If you’re using SheetCam use any effing sized hole you want, but use a drill operation. Define the drill ‘tool’ as a short burst of arc (150ms), keeping the torch at 0.093" height. SheetCam will ‘hit’ the exact center of the hole and just make a peck mark.
See Minimum hole size in 1/8" aluminum? - #3 by TomWS
Also, to @KX9M 's point, if you make a pierced hole, it will be hardened and be a nuisance to drill. The peck is hardened also, but just the surface of the metal.
I really wish Fusion 360 would put that feature in their manufacturing space, Hopefully soon
Yep. I’m dealing with Fusion so not an option for me. Is it out of the possibilities to do a manual test fire in a very short burst to achieve the same? I realize it wouldn’t be built into the program but for a one-off here and there, is it doable?
If it something you will make multiples of you could cut a stencil that has the same outer profile and the holes you want to drill.Then lay it on top of your work pieces and use a transfer punch to locate the holes to be drilled.
Speaking out of my ass here as I haven’t tried it and I’m a total noob, but couldn’t you just do the above but turn the amperage down so low it doesn’t pierce through?
I have a full set of cut speed tools all with a kerf width of .1 inches. This allowed me to “trick” the CF Pro to cut small diameter holes as small as 1/8 inch diameter. You also may have to minimize the pierce clearance to .01 and the lead-in lead-out to .05 or even 0.
@Michael.Frey Here is a past topic on the Autodesk forum where we were trying to figure out the smallest hole or mark using Fusion 360
Re: Fusion 360 CAM - Marking (plasma/laser) - Autodesk Community - Fusion 360
Maybe something here you can glean .
Thanks Tin.
Not that I have an immediate need for such an operation but simply knowing what the machine is capable of can help work flow in my “what if…” brain farts.
