Hi, I am new to this forum. My name is Joe. I am 58, retired, and enjoying life!
I have two Samson 510 CNC plasma tables and one PlasmaCam 4x4 DHC2 table. I love the tables, and the software, but the customer support from PlasmaCam is ... well ... less than stellar. They seem to be bothered by the need to answer questions about their products.
I run a plasma cutter, a router, paint pens, an engraver, and other attachments on my tables. Of course, PlasmaCam doesn't officially support the use of other devices (yet) , but the table CAN do it, and the DesignEdge software is surprisingly easy to use.
I am only in the start-up stages of getting my tables to produce an income. They are hobby tables at the moment.
I am currently developing accessories for the tables, such as a parts conveyor belt which runs beneath the grates, and a rail lift system which gives table owners more clearance between the grates and the gantry tube. I am also experimenting with a laser.
It is TRUE, that parts don't just fly off of the table like their advertising suggests. It is also TRUE that they don't bother to tell you that the BASIC software (alone) cannot do what you see in the demo videos. You need to buy one (or more) of the $998.00 'upgrades' in order to do what you see in their promo videos. In fact, you really need to buy at least THREE of them; Advanced Design, Advanced Machine Control and Advanced Height Control. With those three $998.00 additions to the BASIC software, you can do most of what you would need to do.
Their 'Full 3D' upgrade is misleading, but it does work, and with practice, you can actually carve dimensional items.
Their pipe cutting attachment ... well, I'd hold off on it. It is a lot of money, and many people who bought it (me included) NEVER use it. The reasons are many, but unless you plan to do a lot of pipe cutting, the money is better spent on other things.
Still, the PlasmaCam and Samson 510 tables are a good value for the money. They are very capable systems.
Sourcing parts is difficult, but it is possible to find places to buy SOME of the parts OUTside of the PlasmaCam site. PlasmaCam closely guards their parts, removing any and all part numbers and reference numbers before they send them to you. They don't want you getting replacement parts from the Net.
I hope to contribute to this forum, and learn from others, as I wander into the world of CNC manufacturing.
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