Over the last couple of years building CNC plasma tables and selling CNC plasma gantry kits we have had great success with a large install base. We constantly get asked the question "Will it route". With the older gantry kits the answer is simply "No it will not route it wasnt built for routing".
The end of 2011 brought us to a point where we thought "Hey we have large multi axis CNC's can we make a no compromise solution to CNC plasma cutting, routing and duties and with no maintenance?". This brought us to the drawing board and through rigorous testing of components 1/4 scale we have concluded that the full scale system will perform extremely well under many many situations. We looked at all types for rails, configurations and issues here and abroad. The load values, the weight, the customer questions, the accuracy and the general pain it is to maintenance anything on your multi thousand dollar machine.
We knew from experience that if machine components arent made on quality precision equipment they will present the customer with issues. CNC plasma can be pretty accurate however building the components that make up the CNC plasma cutter should be made with extreme precision and without compromise of quality and alignment. We found the only way to guarantee quality and precision is to build a platform from the ground up using CNC machining centers and precision programming and fixturing methods.
Lets go into detail
The Z axis;
The Z axis must be able to handle side loads as well as vertical loads. We are able to achieve this by using a large hardened and ground precision stainless steel 3/4 screw and machining our own zero backlash nuts. This gives us ultimate rigidity in the vertical plane. Next we added hardened and ground stainless steel 1.000" large shafting with a generous spacing and adjustable preload linear trucks to add a supreme side to side load. We coupled all this together in 3/4" thick material making the ultimate Z axis for plasma cutting and routing.
The Y axis;
The Y axis was built with large 4" tall railing adjustable preload (adjusted from our factory) HD Viper rail. The components were machined from solid blocks and double bearings guarantee load values, concentricity and planar parallelism. Large wide gear rack and a smooth motion pinion on the Y axis. 1/2" hardened steel shaft and 2 flats and 2 set screws on the gear drive. No loose gears! Accuracy is .0004"
The X axis;
The X axis is where we really added rigidity and torque. The X axis is built from the large 4" tall adjustable preload (adjusted from our factory) HD Viper rail. The components were machined from solid blocks and double bearings guarantee load values, concentricity and planar parallelism. It is a true dual driven axis with large wide gear rack and smooth motion pinion gears with 1/2" hardened steel shaft and 2 flats and 2 set screws on the gear drives. No loose gears! Accuracy is .0004"
Large cable carrier is also included in the gantry kits and installed on the tables for any and all accessories.
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