Plasma Cut and Routing on the same Machine

Problems and questions
1

Hi, newbie here,

I am currently running a plasma made by EZ-Router and I’m looking to attach some kind of spindle head to it so I can drill small holes (contacted EZ, but haven’t heard back yet).

I noticed that in Sheetcam I can use both routing and jet cutting operations on the same job file. How would I set the offsets for the router in relation to the plasma head? Is there a tool offset feature for the x or y axis?

Has anybody done this before? Or is there an option in Sheetcam that I don’t know about?

Thanks for any and all help,
Harlen

2

There are a few options to do this but in most cases the post processor would have to be customized to suit. Do you have torch height control on that machine?

3

Hi Les,

Yes I do have a THC, it’s also an EZ-Router unit. The post processor currently being used on the plasma is Mach3.

I am okay with modifying the post processor… would you have an example for me to compare to?

Thanks

4

Is the drill on a separate axis or is it just on a ram which extends when you want to drill? If it is on a ram then the MP100-THC-scriber post could probably be modified to suit. I haven’t looked that closely but just changing every occurrence of “MarkerTool” with “DrillTool” should get you pretty close. The OnDrill() function needs to be changed to use a proper drilling sequence when drilling.

The only problem with using the above technique is that the drill tool coordinates will be displayed incorrectly in Mach3 as they will include the offset. Another alternative is to use fixture offsets. The Mach3 tangential with 3 heads post uses this technique. Fixture offsets have the advantage that the DROs display correctly at all times.