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Frequently
Asked Questions
Question -
I’ve seen many other CNC cut tables on the market, but have not
been impressed with the seeming complexity, yet apparent flimsiness of
their construction. Also, many of the drive system designs appear very
vulnerable to contamination and damage. They seemed to work ok during their
demonstration but I am very concerned about longevity, especially in a real
work environment.
How rugged and durable a design is your table and what
sets you apart?
Answer -
Our tables have been designed for heavy industrial use and will accommodate
the table sheet size specified up to 4” thick (for those using
oxy-fuel cutting systems). The side frames are made from 12 lb/ft 6”
I-beam, 4” x 1/8” wall sq. tubing and 3/16” steel plate.
Each of the main supports are 21 lbs/ft. 8” I-beam attached with four
¾” high grade bolts. An industrial powder coat finish completes the
main frames. The all up weight for a standard 4’ x 8’ table is
approx. 1500 lbs. The primary gantry rollers are a large 4”in
diameter with sealed, precision ball bearings and a stainless steel guide
system. The gantry secondary roller and guide system are also stainless
steel with precision sealed ball bearings. The gantry ‘X axis is
driven with dual opposing 1.8 degree high torque, stepper motors with an
additional 4/1 reduction cog belt driven drive units, also with a dual
precision bearing assembly. The end result is a very powerful and smooth,
high-resolution movement that literally emanates a musical sound when in
operation. Another very important consideration that has gone into the
design is the location of the drive rack and guide systems, which are
located in relatively protected areas to minimize the possibility of damage
under normal operating conditions.
Question –
How does the water tray work and what advantage does this feature
provide?
Answer - These trays are a single piece made from 10 gauge or
1/8” sheet steel. They are considerably larger than the actual
working cut area and 5” in depth with a 1” drain valve
installed at the accessible end. Strips of 4” x 4” angle iron
(consumables) are placed; open V down, in areas of the tray that will
provide reasonable and level support for the sheet material to be cut. An
elaborate grating for this purpose may be devised but is seldom necessary.
The material to be cut is then set on top of these angle supports and the
water tray filled with water to a level just below the material to be cut.
There is no magic to this. The water level could be an inch below or even
slightly covering the material to be cut. What this feature provides is
threefold. One, it creates a very clean working environment because
virtually all the dust and smoke created is absorbed into the water (no
more ‘health and safety board’ issues). Two, the material
being cut is kept cool which almost eliminates any distortion that would
normally be experienced. This low distortion is even more important and
noticeable on very complex, intricate cuts especially when cutting thinner
materials. And three, the cut slag normally produced, is often reduced and
in many cases when amperage settings and cut speeds have been optimized,
the slag can virtually be eliminated altogether. The tray will require
cleaning from time to time as what would normally be breathed in or swept
off the floor, accumulates at the bottom as well as leftovers from cut
operations. It’s just a matter of dredging with a scraper or draining
the water and then clean it out.
Question - What is the actual footprint or shop space required
for a given table size?
Answer - The actual size of a given table
‘cut size’ is roughly 24” longer and 18” wider. For
instance, the footprint of a standard 4’ X 8’ table would be 5
½’ X 10’ plus an additional 6” on either side, for the
gantry main drive units. On the manned side of the table, is located the
computer laptop which protrudes an additional 16” and moves with the
gantry, the length of the table. See technical data.
Question - What maintenance is required.
Answer – Because of the simplicity of the design, maintenance
is minimal. Where the mechanics of the table itself is concerned,
cleanliness is always a good thing. With the proper use of the water tray
system, our tables are inherently and relatively clean operating. However,
because they are generally located in less than clean environments, i.e.
welding shops, where contamination from a multitude of other sources are
present your greatest concern would be to wipe clean the rollers and guides
from time to time as required (typically on daily basis), to avoid a
buildup of dirt and grime that could interfere with smooth operation.
Obviously the laptop computer should be kept as clean and dry as possible
and covered or closed, when not in use. The electrical drive control box
has a built in cooling fan system that draws air in one side and exits the
other. It comes with a foam filter that should be blown clean from time to
time so that the flow of cooling is maintained. If the shop environment is
exceptionally dirty, we recommend that the customer provide additional
protection and/or filtration be considered.
Over time, as guides, belts and rollers, etc. break in and wear normally;
you may from time to time find some sloppiness begin to occur, effecting
cut tolerances and overall performance. To correct this situation we have
built in areas of adjustment where necessary (see technical section on this
site).
Question - Can I cut stainless? How about aluminum?
Answer - Absolutely. Plasma sees little
difference between carbon steel and stainless. Lasers cut systems often
have difficulty because of the reflectivity of stainless metals but not so
with plasma.
Plasma cuts aluminum very nicely as well. However, you
will notice that the amperage and cut speed required will be roughly the
equivalent of twice the thickness in steel. For example, if you were
cutting ¼” aluminum, you would need to adjust your settings as if you
were cutting ½” steel.
Question –
What brand of Plasma cutting equipment is normally supplied with your
tables?’
Answer -
We are a dealer for ‘Hypertherm’ but not exclusively. You may
request a specific type as there are several on the
market
Question - How thick a sheet of steel will plasma cut?
Answer – The series of plasma units we offer
have four different thickness cutting capabilities. In our experience, the
‘600’ is great for thin 24 ga. to 5/16” but we have on
occasion, cut as thick as 1/2” plate at a low cut speed. Technique is
paramount when it comes to penetration when pushing the thickness limits and
you can expect to change out tips more frequently. The ‘1000’
will do 1/8” up to 3/8” all day but again, it is possible if
need be to cut 5/8”. The ‘1250’ would be recommended for
½” but can cut ¾” satisfactorily on a lower production scale.
The 1650 is the largest in this category and brand of equipment and unless
you get into the very high end, expensive plasma units, ¾” to
1” is pretty much the maximum thickness that’s feasible. Beyond
that, oxy-fuel cutting systems take the lead; which are an optional installation,
addition or retrofit on our tables.
Question -
Can I upgrade later?
Answer - Because these tables are modular in construction, they
inherently provide options for future upgrades. Addition length and/or
width to the cutting area as well as an upgrade or change of the Plasma
unit itself is made possible. However, depending on what changes would be
required, may or may not be make this approach as cost effective as
upgrading to a different unit altogether. Trader-ins are always welcome.
Please contact our sales staff.
Question – How costly are Plasma machines to
operate?
Answer – ‘Consumables’ is
a term used for parts that are consumed or break down during the course of
normal operation. They are items that you would normally stock a supply of
and expect to change out at intervals of operation. Like tires on a
vehicle, or oil in your engine. In the case of Plasma, the torch tips and
electrodes experience the wear and are made for easy replacement. The life
of these consumables varies greatly but the cost is miniscule in comparison
to the work they perform. On an average day of normal operation you may
spend $20.00. The only other major factor is the electricity used.
Depending on the current you are drawing, say between 40 – 60 amps,
no more than a small welding machine and the cost to run your compressor.
Note: As mentioned, the life of a torch tip involves a great
many variables but particular, the amount of moisture in the air passing
thought it and the number of times it has to penetrate a surface during a
cut sequence. If you are cutting a line that is uninterrupted for 10’
verses a series of 10, 1” circles, the tip will last longer cutting
the 10’ line unless there is a lot of moisture present in the air
supply in which case the opposite might be true. Shops that are cold and
damp can expect to have a greater moisture content from condensation than
warm dry shops and therefore more care should be taken to ensure drains are
installed at low points and used often. For that reason, we also recommend
installing air dryer and air filtration equipment.
Question - Can I use an Oxy-Fuel cutting system on your table?
Answer -
Absolutely you can. We even provide the option of installing the torch
mount, plumbing and solenoid valves for a built in Oxy-fuel system, or if
you primarily want to use Plasma but would like to be able to switch easily
to Oxy-fuel as a secondary cut system, we’ll provide that as well.
When using an oxy-fuel torch, the water level should be reduced because
oxy-fuel cutting requires the material to be hot. However, the fact that
water is still present below the cutting job, reduces the dust and smoke
considerably as well as cools the slag for an overall better work
environment.
Question - Can I have more than one Plasma torch cutting at the
same time?
Answer -
For high production of generally, smaller parts, you may have as many
torches on the go as you like. Keep in mind that each torch requires a
complete, separate Plasma unit (power source) and depending on the amperage
being used, could exceed the total available current service to your shop.
As well, you will be using a greater volume of air.
Question - I have my own plasma unit. Can I purchase your table
and use my Plasma machine?
Answer – Absolutely but there are a
few considerations when going that route. The first consideration is that
the cable chain that routes the cable from the power supply to the gantry
head requires a 25’ minimum length cable and up to 50’ or
longer for larger tables. The second, is that the factory installed torch
mount is made to fit the ‘machine torch’ type head. A hand held
type torch installation would likely be less than satisfactory to our
standards and awkward for you in production situations. Thirdly, does your
plasma power source have provision for a remote source to ignite the torch
automatically during a cut sequence?
Question - How are cut files created and what type of file does
your system read?
Answer – With our own KAM software, cut files can be created
in any drawing program from Windows ‘Paint’ and saved as bitmap,
to high end Autocad programs producing dxf vector files. Even scanned
images with clearly defined lines and edges are literally seconds away from
being ready to cut complete with lead-ins and cut sequencing automatically
provided. .dxf, .plt, .bmp, .ps, are examples of file types that can be
used.
Question -
What features does your KAM software include?
Answer –
KAM software offers a great many features for drawing and cut operation.
The following are the features most often used for set-up and operation:
- Auto instant file preview.
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Auto cut sequencing.
- Auto polyline ….automatically
joins lines.
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Travel and Cut speed
ramping and can be adjusted on the fly.
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Automatic tool cut offset
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Group nesting and
array
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Cost analysis and
calculation
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Optimized material
support locations
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Pre-selected database
of cut operation parameters
- Unlimited font selections for
creating text cuts
For manipulation of a drawing file,
KAM allows you to
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Copy, paste, rotate, mirror, scale, etc.
A complete and comprehensive operator’s manual
is included with your copy of software.
Question – How difficult is it to learn to learn to operate
your table.
Answer – We have recognized that with an often high turnover
of employees, it important to be able to train and retrain another on short
notice. Therefore we have designed our program in two separate modules. One
for simply creating the cut files and the other for operating the table
itself, thereby keeping the learning curve to a minimum. Almost anyone can
become proficient with the operating portion in under two hours.
Question -
How soon after ordering would it be shipped?
Answer -
The minimum time frame for delivery is typically 2 weeks. Because there are
several optional ratings for the Plasma power source units, we maintain a
limited stock of these expensive units, which can sometimes take up to four
weeks for your shipment to arrive. The maximum time frame could be upwards
of six weeks and in the case of a custom order, possibly eight weeks. We
manufacture in batch volumes of the table sizes based on previous sales and
the projected customer/market requirements. Generally, if you are ordering
a standard size table with standard equipment, you will be cutting your own
parts on your own table within the month.
Question -
What Warranty do you provide?
Answer -
We include in every ‘KickAss’ manufactured table, a limited
lifetime warranty. That is to say that under normal operating conditions,
we warranty the manufactured portion of our table all the way. The laptop
computer we supply, we warranty against defects and will repair or replace
up to one year of purchase. Because of the typical ‘shop’
environment and a greater potential for malfunction or failure due to
contamination, etc. these units are normally provided as
‘remanufactured’ units and are purchased and/or repaired
inexpensively. This savings is of course is reflected in the original table
purchase price and generally makes future repair or trade-in for repair, a
non-issue. Other electrical devises such as the torch height controller,
drives and drive controller and associated wiring, is one year parts and
materials. Shipping is paid for one way only.
Manufacturer warranties apply for the plasma power
unit and torch
For more technical information on Plasma Cutting, check out Hypertherm
located in the links section.
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