This site has been getting a lot of visitors from the search engines due to my previous posts about the PlasmaCAM CNC Plasma Cutting Machine.
These visits have translated into quiet a few questions coming in via my contact form. Several people considering the purchase of a PlasmaCAM have received the DVD from them and have been asking me how much of it is true. After all, Stan makes it sound so easy to start creating anything you can imagine from metal with this machine. ;-)
As a result, I’m going to walk you through the video step-by-step and provide analysis to help separate fiction from fact.
MAJOR EDIT
As of January 2018, PlasmaCAM forced YouTube to take down the video this step by step review was based on. The reason is clear – PlasmaCAM hasn’t changed their product, or marketing practices in over a decade. I do NOT RECOMMEND anyone purchase their product.
I have since upgraded to a the TrackerCNC and find it vastly superior in many ways, ranging from support to the way the product is engineered. Especially as it relates to handling the vast quantities of nasty dust these machines generate. Feel free to contact Tracker and you can always tell them you heard about them from me. I won’t get anything from it, but they know me and they’ll treat you right.
Continuing On…
If you’d like to print this out to keep handy while you are watching the video use the Print this Post feature (also at the bottom of the article) to format it a little better for that purpose.
For convenience I’ve embedded an excerpt of the video from the DVD.
=======>> VIDEO REMOVED <<=======
At this point you’ll have to obtain the DVD from PlasmaCAM – because yeah, they still send out DVDS! I don’t know about you, but I don’t even own a DVD player any more. Then again, their machine also uses a Serial Interface, and good luck finding a computer that will hook up to it…
Let’s Get Started!
Below you’ll find the time marker in minutes and seconds, followed by my opinion on the issue presented at that time.
0:00 – 1:00: The DVD starts off with some shots of a wide range of parts and completed projects all cut by the PlasmaCAM.
Yes, it did cut all that stuff, though the pieces you are seeing have also been welded, finished and powder coated.
1:15: We first hear Stan Ferris’ voice asking:
“Wouldn’t it be nice if you could make these kinds of products with only a small amount of effort?”
Well, yes Stan, that would be nice! But frankly you can’t. Most of the projects shown required a considerable amount of artistic creation, which translates into hours and hours of digitizing followed by a considerable amount of cutting, welding, grinding and powder coating.
Metal fabrication is a dirty, sweaty, hot, dangerous, capital intensive business and should only be attempted by people who have adequate training.
Personally I’m a trained welder, blacksmith, bladesmith and power hammer operator. I had over a years worth of experience operating a plasma torch before I ever purchased a PlasmaCAM, and without it I’d have had major problems getting this machine to operate at times. I’ve also taken college level AutoCAD courses and am an expert with CorelDraw for graphic illustration.
1:51: Stan introduces himself as a:
“…nuts and bolts kind of guy…” who “…under normal circumstances I would not have tried to operate a computer controlled machine….”
Well, here are a couple of comments to get us started:
If you are not computer savvy, do NOT purchase a PlasmaCAM. There is very little instruction regarding the use of the actual software, and the info provided comes in the form of a written manual.There is a small amount of video instruction, but PlasmaCAM desperately needs to create video tutorials on how to use the features of this product. There is simply nowhere near the amount of training material available that I think there should be.
- I highly recommend experience using AutoCAD if you are going to do parts production, or CorelDraw (or another vector editing software package) if you are going to create artwork.
You are not going to want to use the PlasmaCAM software to create designs unless you absolutely have to. Think of it just as a clean-up and cutting package.
2:57:
“The robotic cutting table plugs into your computer just like a printer.”
Not true anymore.
100% of the printers sold today plug into your computer using either a USB, Ethernet, or Wireless connection. The PlasmaCAM plugs in using the old style parallel port connection, and when I was setting my machine up this was the greatest source of issues. I had to call and get support from George (who is awesome!) to get mine working.
This is a bigger problem than you might think… Since the machine requires a parallel port you have to use a computer that has a parallel port built in. This will exclude many of the PCs available today and all of the laptops.
You cannot use a USB to Parallel port converter as it won’t work. If you purchase a PC without a parallel port then you’ll have to order an add in card, and these are almost impossible to find now days as well.
Make sure you have this covered before you purchase a PlasmaCAM!
Commentary:
PlasmaCAM is well behind the curve in the connectivity arena. Not only should the machine offer USB connectivity, it should really have a wireless NIC installed that allows us to control the machine over 802.11x.
Either of these would bring the machine into the modern age, but wireless would be vastly preferable.
3:00:
“The machine uses your ordinary plasma torch to do the cutting. It’s easy to remove in case you need to cut by hand.”
Well, kind of. If by “easy” you mean “possible”. But it involves disconnecting cables, cutting plastic tie downs, plugging in adapters, remounting and calibrating things… You’re not going to really want to remove the torch unless you absolutely have to.
3:32: What Stan is demonstrating is not something you’re ever going to see happen in the real world. He’s taken a perfectly printed photo of a single leaf, on a completely white background and scanned it. He is then converting all of the colors except the white background to black, essentially creating a single filled in shape.
Let’s look at a more realistic example. Here is a little key shaped bottle opener that I designed by sketching it on drawing paper with a pencil.
After scanning it on my Canon MP830 I saved it as a bitmap and imported it into the PlasmaCAM software. At this stage I had to select all of the different shades of white on the right side of the screen to use as the background color – in other words, things not to recognize as completely black.- Next, you select the size of “holes” for the software to try to fill in, and the size of random “speckles” for it to delete.
- Next you choose the resolution and smoothing for the image, which in this case won’t make a bit of a difference.
- Finally you have the imported image which, in this case – and most others, is going to require a LOT of editing before it is even close to ready to cut. We’re talking about hours of editing.
This whole process can be completed in 1/10th the time using CorelDraw. So if you don’t know how to use it go find a graphic art course at your local community college and learn Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw.
3:55: Scaling, rotation, cut path creation, copying and moving the image are actually as easy as they say. That is not to say they couldn’t use some improvement…
Commentary
One of my biggest disappointments is that there hasn’t been a single software update since I purchased the machine, despite the fact that there are a number of areas that could be improved.
This fact, combined with the lack of USB or wireless connectivity support leads me to believe that software development at PlasmaCAM has ceased.
And this is one of my greatest sources of concern for the longevity of this product. All of PlasmaCAM’s competitors release frequent updates and improvements to their installed user base.
5:10: Frankly I do not believe that they were able to cut that entire sheet of leaves out automatically and unattended.
- Small or intricate parts tend to fall partially through the grates, but not completely. This leaves them sticking up and in the way of the torch head which in turn rams into it bending the part, knocking the torch out of alignment and often damaging the cutting tip.
- This happens constantly with my little Plasmites (hand cut prototypes here) if I don’t baby-sit the machine. The only way I’ve found to avoid this is to cut the parts and remove them one, or a few, at a time. This is probably why we don’t see the machine cutting more than 2-3 leaves.
5:17: Interestingly, I can’t find Cash Metals on the Internet anywhere. I must have Googled for 15 minutes with no luck. I even paused the video on the pages of their catalog and searched for product names, but nothing turns up.
Despite that, I believe that everything John Cash stated was accurate.
6:35: It’s really a shame that they don’t have a video library that shows how to use all the features they are demonstrating here. It would have made learning how to use the software so much easier…
9:05: Ok, this is important to note. Between the times the machine cut the sign out and Stan picked it up, it was obviously moved from a production area machine to the machine in the video.
The plasma cutting process spits out dust and smoke in copious quantities! The floor beneath the machine would be burned and filthy, and there is no ventilation system present. Finally, without gloves, Stan would not be able to pick up that metal seconds after the machine finished cutting.
Commentary
You need to be aware that any plasma cutting process, including the PlasmaCAM, puts out a ton of airborne particulate matter that requires adequate ventilation.
When I went to the PlasmaCAM headquarters outside of Denver and got a demonstration of the machine they had it in a really cool little room that had ducting which vented the machine to the outside of the building.
If you are going to get a plasma cutting machine you need to plan to put it in an area where you can blow all of the smoke and dust either outside or through an expensive air filtration system.
9:10: Here’s a link to find more info about Dan Romano. He’s a metal artist and the things he makes are close to what I do. I agree with everything he said.
11:22: This is the best example in the video of what I was talking about when I said that small or unusually shaped parts would not quite fall through the grates. Notice that the piece which was just finished tilts up and is sticking up above the surface of the original material.
If the machine attempts to move over that area, which it might well do on its way to cutting something else, it will collide and screw everything up royally.
A collision of this sort will bend the piece that is sticking up, knock the torch head out of alignment, move the base material -making it difficult to line back up and restart cutting, and potentially even ruin the torch tip ($15 wasted instantly). I’ve also had the entire torch head assembly pop off the unit during one collision with thick material.
Bottom line, this is not good… the only way I can think of to solve this issue is to have a tighter mesh of grates to hold the material, but neither PlasmaCAM nor anyone else I’m aware of have yet solved this problem.
11:39: I’ve not yet tested the indexing of parts longer than 4 feet yet, mainly because I’m scared of ruining a large, expensive piece of steel. Whenever I do test it, I’ll post about it, but if anyone else has tried please provide some comments below.
Remember, you can cut things longer than 4′ but not wider than 4′! So, a 3.5’x7′ sign would work, but a 4’2″x 5′ would not. The table is a square 4’x4′.
13:21: Stan claims,
“This part is being drawn to exact dimensions in only 14 seconds.”
There is something strange with the video here, because Stan claims it’s just 14 seconds, but when I play it back it’s more like 11 seconds. This makes it seem as if the video has been time compressed.
Additionally, they would have to be typing in lengths – while creating the part – in order to make it “exact”, so I just don’t see anyone being able to go that fast.
11:15: Some people have asked about the thickness capability of the PlasmaCAM. Here we see it cutting 3/8″ thick material. Later you’ll see 1″. The thickness of cut is going to be determined by your selection of plasma torch, not the PlasmaCAM.
I use a Hypertherm 1000 which will cut at least 1″ thick material. But keep in mind that the thicker the material, the more it weighs. And you have to be able to load the sheet on the machine…
14:02: Jim LaTour from Turbo Engineering Corp provides good examples of what the machine can do. For his type of business the machine is perfect.
Conclusion
There is far more content on the DVD that I’m not going to go through. But if you are interested in seeing it, by all means contact PlasmaCAM and order the DVD. They’ll be happy to send it to you.
Now, I know this review comes across as being fairly harsh on the PlasmaCAM video, but please keep a few things in mind:
- I own one of these machines. I love it. You can take it from me when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.
- As a former VP of sales for a major multi-national company I think this is a fantastic marketing video. They have done a great job of emphasizing all of the strengths of this little machine.
- Since the video is so well done I worry that people with no welding, fabrication or plasma cutting experience will be lulled into a false sense that they could actually operate this machine. Trust me… you can’t!
- The PlasmaCAM is a serious hobbyist level machine that will perform admirably for people who are comfortable with computers, know how to use graphic design programs or AutoCAD, and have general fabrication experience.
Frankly, there is a short list that will let you know if a PlasmaCAM is right for you:
- Do you have space restrictions? If so, this is one of the smallest machines you can get.
- Do you have a forklift handy? If not, this machine is one of the only ones you can actually unload, build and move yourself (~300 lbs.)
- Do you need something reliable and simple to operate? With a little practice the PlasmaCAM becomes second nature.
- Do you want to wait 2-3 months to get a machine? My PlasmaCAM shipped one day after ordering. Other machines I was considering would have taken months to deliver after I paid for them.
I hope that this information was useful. If so, please drop me a comment below to let me know. :-)
I have been looking at different machines, and seemed to be hooked on the servo motors but Plasma cam seems to be the only machine that uses the servo motors, similar to larger industrial units. are they that much better than stepper motors on these smaller machines.
when cutting my plasma cam moves over and pierces and starts to cut but does not cut all the way through the piece. I have pulled my torch off the machine and cut manually and it cuts fine but will not cut through the piece when connected to the plasma cam can anyone help?
Travel speed is too fast
Years ago after seeing PlasmaCam ad in a magazine, I thought what a great machine. I sent for the intro package including video and it looked so easy. Well, I saved for three years to purchase this machine.
Like you have said. The delivery and setup was fast and simple.
Now here’s where I wish I had seen your blog. I have absolutely no CNC experience and not really an expert on the computer. I have been working with the tutorials for a week and not getting much out of it.
If I spend a lot of time I can get through their test samples but would not be able to remember all to design my own projects.
The video that they sent made it look so simple.
I’m 73 yrs old and my memory isnt worth a dime. My question is, can I make this machine work for me? My learning ability at this age is not so good. Going to school to learn CNC would not be an option.
If I purchase one of their already made software programs would that be a ready to cut option? Its got to be simple otherwise this machine was a dumb move for me.
Thanks for any assistance or recommendations, etc.
Steve,
I don’t think your age has anything to do with the problems you are experiencing. The same things happen to people who are 20, 40, 50… the problem is experience.
Even if you purchase premade designs, that isn’t going to help a lot because you need to be able to manipulate them. Resize them, move them around on the table, etc. Plus, you need to have plasma torch experience. Because you are going to be having issues with the torch that are normal cutting issues having nothing to do with CNC. On top of that, you need to understand how your compressor affects the torch, and other things.
I can’t answer for you whether or not you should keep the machine. Its a good machine, just complicated to use. If you are willing to get help and really stick with it, you could master it. But its going to be an exercise in frustration no matter what. These machines always are.
Good luck,
John P.
If you have the machine still and want to get rid of it I am looking to be able to get one soon.
I see the original post is older with newer comments so I wonder if there has been any update to the parallel port option. From the DVD for Plasmacam I see it offers Windows 7 compatibility so at least some newer porting appears to have been done.
As far as I’m aware, they are still using the Parallel Ports.
Two years of Auto Cad (1995) years as a carpenter and hobbie welding both gas and electric. So I guess I can handle the machine. Although it sounds like it needs a space of its own, like a paint booth. Space is limited without a building permit and money. Very, very, very helpful. Thank you, Thank you. Maybe I will ride my bicycle a little bit more. A age 68 I should go to Florida.
Is there any one out there that will write cutting programs for the plasmacam?
Mark
I have a plasmacam and get alot of slag, I have tried turning up the speed but does not seem to help . Can someone tell me what is a good air dryer to use?
Thanks
Even the little Harbor Freight air dryer should be sufficient if you are looking to add one. But one of the other important considerations is making sure that you have sufficient piping for the air to cool when coming out of the compressor. You should have a minimum of 25′ of pipe before you hit a water separator or air dryer. That gives the air time to cool down so the air can drop out.
Having said that, I’ve run my air straight into the torch 5 feet away and never had slag like you are describing. It might be time for a new torch tip.
i agree wih the author.a plasmacam is awsome, but if u dont have any fabrication skills or basic CAD kowledge u might have a tough of time of it.
hi, I am considering purchasing a plasmacam or torchmate for my business. I don’t want to buy a piece of junk or something that is more headaches then what its worth, what do you recommend?
I have read everything you have said and could’nt agree more. One of the biggest problems I have with my machine is maintaining height control which is supposed to sense the set height when lifting and re-setting between cuts. sometimes it works ,sometimes not so much. It will move down and contact the metal and push the handle up in the holder which throws off the height of the cut. Another problem I have is warping of the metal when doing alot of cuts on a large project of thinner metal.any suggestions on either of these problems? thanks,Steve
If you can you may consider laying out sections of copper plate 1/4 inch thick or so and moving them around as needed . ( bigger the better ) There weight will help but mostly the copper will absorb the heat faster than steel and help prevent warp age by dispersion especially stainless. And the copper will not warp.
Add some moving air under the table to draw the heat.
Program a pause between cuts.
Hope this helps.
Really this picture shows up .
Also start the next cut the far side from the old cut and work toward the old cut
increase your speed and space your pierce points out from one area to another , it alows the steel to cool .if youhave problems with heighth sensing, double check your grounding to the table (and the part} .. may be adjust your arc volyage down,( 1.3 or less) or make sure that u have the right material thickness entered in the system settings. if u see any slag on the back side that you cant wire brush off youre probably going to slow
Hi I would like to buy a PlasmaCam, but I am a little concern about the life time. Is anyone able to tell me the life time, or the fiability of this machine regarding of a 15 hours a week duty?
Most of what you have written is in line with what I have seen with inexperienced/non-technically proficient users’ experience. Experienced people, with realistic expectations seem to be able to use the machine to do what it is intended to do.
Your comments about the computer interface, however, are completely misinformed. There is a reason that most PC-based CNC products use a parallel port, however old and uncommon they are these days. USB is a highly software-reliant serial protocol, and not suitable for real-tine control of ANYTHING. Things which connect via USB have large data buffers, which allow the USB to stutter (wait for other, higher-priority software to be handled – a function of the PC operating system) while still maintaining high AVERAGE throughput. In other words, the time when the next step or direction pulse will be sent by USB is indeterminate, whereas a parallel port is an inherently hardware-only device, that can be accessed in real time, without intervening software stacks or drivers, meaning that when the Plasmacam (or Mach, or EMC2) software wants to send a pulse, it goes out instantly (or at least within a predictable and small time frame).
Likewise, a 802.11 (WiFi) solution would be even worse, since there is not only the TCP/IP stack to contend with (bigger than the USB stack), there is also the probabilistic nature of wireless (radio) connections, which can NEVER be real-time.
There are, of course, products like SmoothStepper, which are, in fact, a buffer between USB and the parallel port they use for their interface to a machine. As far as I know, software drivers need to be able to form a plug-in to the specific CAM package, which is only supportable by the package manufacturer, i.e., Mach3. SmoothStepper merely stores (buffers) step/direction and control signals, until the PC’s USB stack can catch up.
Parallel ports are among the simplest and most versatile interfaces to a PC, and relatively low speed, and cable expense are the main drawbacks. Nearly all PC plug-in parallel port cards have the exact same 1 or 2 ICs driving them, and only quality of construction varies. Buying one (and a well-made cable) from a well-known Chinese manufacturer (instead of the cheapest $5 junk at the local PC shop) will provide a clear path to reliable, and simple, PC/CNC operation .
Hope this helps.
Hello JOHN
Hello
We are very interested PLASMACAM machine.
We can not find the manufacturer of this machine.
Can you help us and give contact the manufacturer of your device.
Thank you very much.
Zdeněk Máša
Our company, Art SignWorks, is primarily a high-volume production wood &HDU foam sign and plaque shop with two large table CNC wood & HDU router/carver machines (we carve 3D) but we also build metal hangers, frames, posts, etc so are familiar will metal cutting, welding, bending, etc. We just purchased a recent model used 4×4 PlasmaCam and it is set up and is functional; however we need a training consultant to work with us for a day or possibly two to better understand how best to use this machine.Of course our designers are familiar with making vector drawings (we use CS5 illustrator), but we can use some help inputting these into the PlasmaCam software and learning the subtleties of the machine. We are in Southern California between LA, San Diego and Riverside (Murrieta). we will pay well well for someone who is expert in using the PlasmCam for one or two days of instruction plus travel..
Paul,
My advice is to send someone on your staff over to Denver to visit the Plasmacam factory. I did that before purchasing my machine and they were very helpful and showed me basically everything I needed to know. Just let them know that you bought a used one, and if all goes well you’ll likely be buying more / bigger ones. I’m sure they’ll be happy to show your staff around.
John P.
John
Thanks for the insight!
My Brother and I have recently purchased a Plasma Cam we did get great support from the seller and we were able to learn a great deal from him. As we are fairly proficient in the Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator soft ware we have been able to progress smoothly through the design and prototype processes.
You are correct in all your statements and cautions to any one who is interested in a purchase of one of these machines it is user friendly if you know the basics of computer arts and Auto cad design if not I am afraid they will have a rude awakening.
I as well am a experienced Steel fabricator, Black Smith and all around savvy trades man. My network of resources is thankfully long reaching in the world of graphic and computer arts communities.
That being said I agree with you this is a great machine and I would not trade it for the world.
However I have stock pilled a supply of Serial port style machines as well as cords to insure the future means of operation of this Plasma System and we have been In negotiations on a new larger table to support our growing business. I have designed a down draft exhaust system for the table we currently have and will retro fit the new machine as well.
So given the usefulness of this Cam Table and all its opportunities for new designs and concepts I would highly recommend it to any one who fits the basic above mentioned criteria as a means of cutting cost and in creasing product inventories.
Again thanks for you insights.
Hi John,
thanks so much for all your effort with this info. It has really oppened my eyes to some realities. I almost went in blindly and bought a Plasmacam with no prior experience – I was just so excited from their video/promo.
I believe your input has saved many from possibly making hasty and wrong decisions. PlasmaCam could also really benefit from your blog if they react constructively.
cheers
Chris
John, thanks for the review. You seem to be right on target. Since your first posting have you obtained any information which might indicate Plasmacam is correcting the connectivity issues or as you indicated they’re doing no software updates at all?
I have been comparing and debating on getting a PlasmaCam for about the last 2 years. The only thing that is holding me up now is I would like to see one in operation before I buy. I am located just outside of Louisville, KY. If anyone reading this is remotely close I would like to come out and see it in operation.
Thanks,
Jacob
I haven’t really looked at any other units, but I’m sure that some of them use the newer interfaces on today’s machines.
Waterjets are awesome, but there are two problems. 1) very big. 2) very expensive. But if neither of those is a concern then I highly recommend picking one up.
John P.
Have you found another unit that works better? I too have a plasmacam and I keep praying the old computer I have hooked up to it continues to run. I agree that a tutorial would have been very helpful. It seemed to be a trial and error to figure out what to do. I had previously tried changing to a newer computer and it didn’t seem to work. I was thinking of maybe upgrading to a water jet. Any comments on them? It would be great to not have the huge dust cloud everytime I cut something out.
Tammy
John
I have been following your post and appreciate your patience and responses. I am researching the possibilities of starting to do metal art in the next couple of years and want to get ready. I too will take some courses such as Dave Edwards has done.
Are there any businesses in the Houston Texas area that does metal art and the type of work that can be done as supplimental income? I would like to visit with them to talk about the processes and business. Also, do you ever have or let visitors stop by your place in the Dallas area?
Thanks to anyone with any info!
Jimkuy
I have a PlasmaCam and use a program call Canvas to do all the drawings and they import very well. I have had no success in importing photo or jpeg’s although a freeware called easy graphic will convert almost any file format to a bit map.
The new version of the machine just stops when the nozzles touches any metal.
hi John,
just a few questions if i could, lots of great information thank you for that.
how do you think the tourchmate stacks up against the plasmacam, and has plasma cam fixed any of the issues that you pointed out like port hook up and the software updates,also does tourchmate have a good program and do they have the art work like pcam does. thanks Stroh
John,
I have read most of the post regarding the PlasmaCam system and offer this scenario for your comment. I am a 60 year old(today’s 60 is the new 40) non-traditional student enrolled in a 2 year welding program at our local college in Iowa. My plan upon graduation is to open a small shop featuring small welding repairs, metal art, flag poles, and possibly small piece production contracts. I am looking at two machines, the Plasmacam and the Dynatorch. Due to start up costs i would like to go with the PlasmaCam with Hypertherm 1000. Our welding lab has a PlasmaCam that hasn’t been used in a few years but my instructor has agreed to install the new software, get the machine up and running and certify me in it’s operation over the next semester. I am computer literate and very familiar with MS Publisher, but will take Adobe Illustrator course next fall. Does this sound like a workable pursuit? I know I won’t make a ton of money, but the intent is to pay for the shop and supplement SS income.(if it’s still there in a year)
thank you,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Given your situation, I think the PCam is perfect for you!
As long as you are getting training on welding and plasma torch operation and you have a little design experience you should be able to work this machine without a problem!
Good luck with it!
John P.
Can anyone tell me if PlasmaCam software is compatible with Mac.? I simply want to load the software onto my new Mac so that I can practice drawing at home to get more confident with the commands etc.etc. I don’t require the final cut paths at all. Just for practicing on. If it is possible to do this is someone able to describe the installation steps I need to take. Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers.
Thank you for the review, I have been looking to purchase a PlasmaCAM table for some time now, I would be using the machine to cut metal plate from varying thickness 3/8″ to 1″, for structural steel buildings ( base plates, special conections, etc…), I have been using AutoCad since forever, so I don’t forsee many problems if i purchase it, the only problem would be if the table isn’t designed to support the weight of a 1″ metal plate, perhaps redesigning a new support table would be the answer, and a system for handling the heavy plates.
When i put it to work, i’ll keep you posted
Thanks
Eduardo,
The PCam will definitely cut 1″ sheet, assuming your torch is rated to do so. And the table is strong enough to support the weight. But I would recommend the Samson instead. Its the bigger brother to the PCam and would give more working room and strength for the heavier material.
http://www.samsoncnc.com/
John P.
I can not put a piece of one inch under the head of my plasmacam unless i were to remove the grate.
John, your PCam review is a tremendous help. Thanks for the effort!
I have been looking at CNC plasma cutters for about 6 weeks. I’ve been considering starting a small metal fab business. Although I have a lot of computer experience (software development) I have only some high school metalworking experience (and that was 40 years ago!).
I have been favoring the PCam. Your second-by-second review of the video magnified its usefulness and was very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to web publish this info. Many of the issues you mention in the review I suspected such as easy cuts, short demo segments, and post-processed products displayed as if they were just cut. And, there were some issues I didn’t consider fully such as heavy dust/smoke, need for serious ventilation, and possible head-crashes of the plasma torch with teetering material cuts.
I now think that this would not work well for a residential garage (my first thought) unless I lived in an area where neighbors didn’t live too close together.
Can other tools be attached to the PCam (routers or cutters for soft materials, like plastic, wood)?
What are your thoughts using a PCam for cutting sheet metal?
Can the PCam software import a wide variety of image types and convert them to svg images (I assume it uses svg images)?
P.S. Now this may sound silly but it was really quite helpful. I bought a Cricket (inexpensive CNC paper cutter for scrapbookers) and that gave me some insights into how CNC machines may behave if the material is improperly placed, shifts, or pops up while the machine is cutting. I also learned how to design the image to slightly overlap some shapes to make the overall piece stronger and eliminate some cuts.
David,
Glad it helped. As far as the residential garage is concerned, no it doesn’t work well. But it works (I’ve got mine in my garage). There are caveats:
As far as cutting sheet metal, I assume you mean very thin material as all the PCam cuts is sheet metal. My experience is that it will cut any thickness you like and do it repeatably and perfectly as long as you have the settings correct.
The software does not import things well. It is extremely limited. I normally do all of the image work in CorelDraw or AutoCAD and then only give the PCam software a DXF format that is essentially complete. I use it ONLY to make cut paths.
Hope that helps.
John P.
Can you let us know if anyone in Australia has a plasmacam or samson 510 model that we can speak to.
Hello, I have been looking at buying a plasma cam but after reading some of the posts have become doubtful. I do not have any autocad experience, very limited computer, welding and fabrication experience. I don’t want to waste my money on a system I cannot operate. I was really hoping to start a business using the plasma cam but now am not sure it’s right for me. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Dear Michael, you shouldn’t believe everything you read, especially on the internet. I was a junior high shop teacher and had a plasmacam in my school shop/classroom. I am here to let you know that even 12 and 13 year olds could run this machine. I would hope that if you are thinking to start any kind of business you have more education and knowledge than junior high students.
Martin,
While you could train a 12 or 13 year old how to operate the machine, they didn’t own it and weren’t responsible for installing it and maintaining it.
Also, in your shop class I assume you taught them how to weld, how to use a plasma torch, etc. These are things that require instruction.
So, Michael, you CAN learn to use this machine without a doubt. But there is also a steep learning curve if you aren’t already proficient with all of the parts.
John
Thank you for the review. It was extremely helpful to understand the real-world issues involved with CAD systems in general. I am not very savvy with computers so I will probably pass on this machine and any computer assisted machines.
I was seeking other means for cutting my metal art, but always come back to my own set up …. it’s easy, fast, extremely economical, and even I can do it.
I created a home-built pantograph mounted on an old metal 4’x4′ graphics art table (light table) with an exhaust fan. With the pantograph stylus I follow a twice-size line drawing on an 11×17 piece of paper, and 20 inches away my hypertherm 30 plasma cutter does its thing on 16g steel. I usually cut about 10 or 20 of the same design, moving the metal by hand between cuts. I can simply change the drawing, held on a metal sheet with magnets, and very quickly go to a new design. I have about 50 different designs, all about 4×6 inches, some simple and some intricate.
I guess, for me, there is probably no other method that would be more convenient for my limited production of 100 pieces per week, but I keep looking anyway (which is how I happened on your review). My system is sooooo simple that I am sure others would like to know how to create their own. I would be happy to share what I have done and send photos to anyone interested. It’s a great set up for small parts when there is just not enough volume for a sophisticated machine.
Again, thank you for your review.
John Running
Metal art for galleries and gift stores…
http://www.runningrockart.com
phone 800-873-7575
I am a draftsman for a large utility construction company in NJ and we purchased a PlasmaCam to manufacture pieces for use in everything from custom equiptment parts to prototype pieces. Issue i am having is that coming from using AutoCad and it’s ease in scaling to using the PlasmaCam software is a bit of going backwards. I am not a Plasma cutting expert so i sat with our computer illiterate fabracator to put our heads together to figure this thing out. Yes, we too had issues with the control unit out of the box, and still find that the clamping setup for the plasma gun is a bit under designed. We are using the plasmacam to cut out a custom clamping assembly and will have it working better than it is now. All in All, It is a pretty neat machine and does perform well. BTW, there is nothing wrong with opening a box and expecting a machine to operate exactly as expected for what you purchase. Going back to the comment about when you buy a car. You expect it to work without fiddling with it!
I am a metal fabricator and the plasma cam software was a blessing to me. I don’t have a lot of computer experience, but with a little work I picked up the plasma cam software in no time. Fortunately, I haven’t had any problems with my machine and it did work as expected right out of the box. I am very pleased with it’s performance and I thought that the machine was portrayed pretty accurately.