5 axis plasma cutting head on a MechMate
 

Just completed the first test run of the 5 axis (bevelleing) for my plasma Mechmate.
Limited to -/+40 A and B axis at the moment.
Get some interference with the Y car on the compound A/B moves so with some 'refining' with an angle grinder I will get -/+45 which was the goal of the project.
A couple of videos of it in operation.

http://youtu.be/bZ2xyM2Gm9I

http://youtu.be/D3CFZbCYy_o

It will be nice to see it cut - what are you intending to cut with this head.

1. 6mm mildsteel alloy that requires 45 deg cutting edge
2. 'square' round holes ie. holes the don't tapper
3. MDF paver master moulds that have a 1mm over 40mm draught angle on the edges.

That is the jobs at the moment.

exciting! what's the cam software you're running?

No 5 axis CAM at the moment, manual coded.
Havn't found a 5axis CAM for plasma/flame cutting, open to ideas though.

Brilliant!
Beautiful piece of engineering work!
Particularly love how you fill up the otherwise redundant void in the Y car.

I have found a new project! Well done (maybe I can now couple that head with a flexible drive shaft to my spindle for b/c cutting?

Thanks for the coments guys.
The 'tool carrier is 90mm wide and 40mm deep from pivot point, I think a 80mm water cooled spindle may fit?

2.2kW 80mm water-cooled spindle will be a tight fit. I've watching the youtube over & over & over again.... LOVE IT!!!!

I will love the YouTube when all the axes work together . . . when the tip of the torch is focussed on one point and the the top end of the torch moves in a "cone" path. :)

Video of 5 axis plasma cutting.
 

After a lot of air cuts and testing, I have some sparks.
http://youtu.be/NceH2zGzLyc

It is a test cut of 50mm x 50mm with a negitive(?) cut angle of 5.5 deg to eliminate the cut angle if the torch was vertical.

This isn't what Gerald is talking about, that will be when I am cutting a hole.

Now it is starting to get interesting! :)

They can't play rugby, but they are clever....:D

This you can't see every day! how thc works with this type of movements? I see you got agelkom's thc

The THC has full control of the Z during the cut even when the torch changes angles. In the gcode z remains a constant height but in operation it gets adjusted from the THC.

Anthony,
Have you been doing any more work with the 5 axis attachment? Could you share some more info on the build or where you purchased it?

5 axis CAM
 

Heath,
The main problem is the CAM or lack of.
It is OK programing straight cuts on an angle but when cutting an arc my brain gets fried to a crisp.
I asked Les at Sheet Cam if he could make it posible he said he started to write the software but then stoppped. Like he said there aren't many 5 axis plasma machines so he won't have the returns $ on time and money invested.
I guess it is the case of the chicken or the egg, which come first?
The tool head is wide enough to fit an 80mm spindle and finding CAM software for rotary cutters is easier.

Has anyone got any sugestions on CAM software?

Anthony

Watching your thread, fascinating stuff.

Regards
Ross

Heath,
Sorry I didn't answer all of your questions. :o
It is my design, it needs couple refinements like home switches as setting it with a set square each power up is a pain. Using proximity switches i don't think would be acurate or have the repeatablity - I could be wrong. I'm thinking of using an encoder, not for the quatrature output but for the index pulse - 1 pulse per revolution of the motor.

Nice work Anthony, Might have to make a trip up there to see these MM's of yours in action. Look forward to seeing more posts of your work and the machines in action.

Chris

Had some more development. Had a first test run of custom kinematics. This is what Gerald was meaning a couple post ago.
Video

Great!

Fantastic! Love the sound, reminds me of a WWII air raid siren :)

BRILLIANT JOB!
Love the air raid siren :)

cool
 

sorry for the nube question but how will this cope with the torch height controller "playing" with the torch height? when its banked over wont the THC move the z down and shift the cut in the opposite direction to the angle?
awesome work though congratulations

duckie,
The forward and inverse kinematic formulas include cut height and tool length.
Tool length is a static number and cut height is directly proportional to torch tip voltage so it can be compensated for aswell.

wow far more complicated control than i was thinking congratulations, get artsoft onto the cam side of it and its done.:rolleyes:

Amazing machine and idea. A++

For five months I read and watch cnc machines. Even before seeing that there is a 5 axis machine plasma, I thought that I wanted to build one. 5 axis kit there are a lot, just for the program I'm not sure if I will find.
For starters you can tell us what Stepper Motor Driver, stepper motor, Break out Board and and generally the Electronic Parts.

Thanks
Panayiotis

Panayiotis,
In the videos the motors are size 23 for the A,B axis and size 34 for X,X,Y,Z axis with leadshine/keling drivers to match. Running 2 BoBs connected to parallel ports, one for the steppers and one for inputs for the plasma. I have since changed them to steppers with intergraded encoders and drivers, EvaRobotics.

The CAM is difficult to find. When the plasma moves from vertical cut to bevel cut the the thickness of the steel effecivly gets thicker. In the gcode a few paramerters for the plasma need to be changed like cut speed and voltage. Also the CAM needs to calculate the feed rate with 'Inverse Time Feedrate' (G93), due to the rotary and linear axis not moving at a constant speed. I have just finished a spead sheet to calulate all of this (more maths:eek:) and edit the gcode file, CAM would be quicker and easier.

hello, you can adapt a laser cutter to MechMate