Titivating A CNC Plasma Table

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awemawson:
Today was a cable sorting day - my main concern being the control lead from the Torch Height Controller to the Hypertherm cutter. It had seen better days, no cable restraints in place at all, wires stretched - why do people let things get this bad :scratch:

It needed shortening considerably, and I had to be able to rescue the Hypertherm end as I had no way of re-crimping new contacts in it. By cutting the cable shorter, cutting back the torn outer insulation at the connector end, and warming the wire under an electric hand drier I was able to encourage the sheath to move back down to the plug so that the new cable clamp would grip it :ddb:

Then, moving to the Torch Height Control end I (having taken a reference picture first!) pushed out the female pins, and crimped new ones onto the shortened cable. Now pushing pins out is not always successful, as the plastic of the shell has to deform to allow the pin out, and this means that the new pins are not always retained properly. As I was dismantling it, one wire came out with no pushing, and a pin wouldn't retain in the hole - so someone has been here before :bugeye: Luckily I'd had a delivery of gap filling superglue this very morning, and a tiny drop on the pin did the job :ddb:

It was a case then of making up the chassis sockets for the Torch Height Controller and screwing them in place.

awemawson:
Now the Plasma Arc Voltage lead emerges from the Hypertherm 45 plasma cutter though a 1/2" hole with no cable restraint (common theme here :bugeye:)

So I decided to pull the Hypertherm apart to see what could be done - turns out I'm going to have to buy a special cable gland as nothing that I have will fit. While in there having blown the dust out, I made a crude temporary restraint from a Tywrap and I must order up the right bit.

While I was at it I added a 90 degree elbow to the air feed to get the pipe pointing in the right direction when the Hypertherm 45 is sitting on the 'plasma perch'

This let me put everything back together, and theoretically everything is ready to work. There are a few little things I'd like to sort though before it returns to the welding shop:

a/ New castors - it's sitting on some I had on the shelf, but they are not locking, and the table moves with the inertia of the carriage - new locking ones arrived earlier in the week.

b/ I want to re-do the mains input to allow me to power up the PC without powering up the controller, so incorporating a three position switch (OFF, JUST PC, PC and CONTROL)

c/ Remake the belt covers - the ones on it are crude and rattle all over the place

d/ Fit an ESTOP switch

vintageandclassicrepairs:
Hi Andrew,
This project has gone way way past titivating :bugeye:

May I add my 2 cents worth on the electrical panel build ?
My job used to be a spark/ inst tech (34yrs) and I have built innumerable panels for new projects and retrofits

Where mains voltage is involved, :zap:
The panel door should be interlocked usually through an isolator with door mounted handle, so the panel door cannot be opened when the isolator is in the "on" position
A second option is a micro switch on the door operating a mains contactor rigged up to perform the same task

Regards
John

awemawson:
John, i agree in principal, and I have both an interlock and a cut out that I could fit, but probably won't. The control box will only open with the right key, and it is for my own use in a non-commercial environment.

As it happens I'm slightly revising the mains wiring today

John Swift:
Hi Andrew

the Neutrik power connectors can be seen on this mains distribution unit with the blue colour coded inlet
http://www.canford.co.uk/CANFORD-MDU7-AC-MAINS-POWER-DISTRIBUTION-UNIT-12x-Powercon-outlet-Powercon-inlet-with-Powercon-loop-out

they look a lot better than the "mains XLR connectors" :zap:

john

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