Creepy
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Dartmouth
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Post by Creepy on Jan 11, 2010 16:34:32 GMT -4
cool, thx. still be tuning for a week or so, and i work this week. slow and steady.
the dust is really bad, I bumped up the water tray timeline. Its like blowing an air nozzle into a bag of flour.
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Post by bighair on Jan 12, 2010 8:04:01 GMT -4
good Fricken Job man!!! that is Sweet! I've wanted to build one of those for so long... unfortunatly, kids take priority.. lol..
so now that your getting comfortable with it etc, you still gonna do it on the side, or are you going to open up an official business and try to grow it slowly? Or is this wonderful equipment for hobby pleasure only?
Whats your rate gonna be?
Congrats on the new toy man!! I'm definatly Jealous.
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Creepy
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Dartmouth
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Post by Creepy on Jan 12, 2010 15:16:17 GMT -4
thx for the props - all questions previously answered in the thread somewhere.
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Post by bighair on Jan 12, 2010 16:25:29 GMT -4
lol, must of got lost in the mix, I'll go back.. here's one I didn't see tho..
Why did you pic Bulltears kit over torchmate or other?
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Creepy
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Dartmouth
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Post by Creepy on Jan 12, 2010 17:35:55 GMT -4
that's a good question, there are a few reasons.
Torchmate uses proprietary software and hardware to control the machine. You are bound till death to their support and product. (They do have excellent support and service and have been around since the '70's, this is not a "problem")
The Bulltear kit is comprised of components all readily available from various suppliers and the software is extremely flexible in its application. Mach3 can run a mill, lathe, anything.
There are over 10,000 machines running Mach3, it is much more than a "hobby" software.
The C&CNC drives, motors, power supply, DTHC control are all individually replaceable or upgradeable, with incredible INTERNET support. These components can work with any control software, or in various configurations on different machines.
I wanted to build it myself, not have a turnkey system and pay more to not have to put it together. The Bulltear kits is much more involved than the Torchmate gantry kit.
Price - the Bulltear came in under the Torchmate gantry.
Digital Torch Height Control - a must have, that is included in the Bulltear kit, not in the Torchmate.
My choice is not a hit against Torchmate, they make excellent machines from all reports. But I wanted that lower price point, I wanted to really build it myself, not just bolt it together.
From my experiences working around CNC machines for 14 years - eventually the proprietary stuff bites you in the ass.
My machine is like a Jeep, its made of everybody's everything, all easy to get within days. And if i can't get something, I can make something else work, i wanted that flexibility.
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Post by itsakeeper on Jan 13, 2010 17:34:46 GMT -4
good explanation, I was wondering myself after looking at them both when you originally posted this, my interest stems from a customer who designs, builds and programs a larger version of these systems, the last one cuts up to 48" pipe or 48" I-Beams, he bought all the drives, linear bearings, gearboxes, etc... from us
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Creepy
Administrator
Dartmouth
Posts: 18,718
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Post by Creepy on Jan 13, 2010 20:03:09 GMT -4
If i bust something Bill, I will let you know. do you have cable carrier, sometimes called cable chain?
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Post by bighair on Jan 14, 2010 7:52:33 GMT -4
cool.. Nice explanation.. Flexability is key for sure.. I didn't realize there was that much support for the bulltear kit. and the DHTC being included is nice.
I'm a supporter of the build yourself if you can also for the same reason, if something goes awry, you can always replace with something you found or can get local most times.
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Post by Blaisun on Jan 14, 2010 8:14:43 GMT -4
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Creepy
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Dartmouth
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Post by Creepy on Jan 14, 2010 8:38:20 GMT -4
I didn't realize there was that much support for the bulltear kit. Its not so much the bulltear kit itself, its the components that have all the support. i don't think there are all that many bulltear kits built yet, or at least they don't have a large 'net precence. bulltear has a support forum on their home site, plus one on CNCZone.com. the owner mods his own forums. Hypertherm has a support site on CNCZone.com, plus home forums. one of their engineers mans the message boards, paid to. Mach3 has 5 subsections on CNCZone, 2 yahoo forums, and regular forum on their homepage. the inventor/programmer is very active on all forums. their site has it all for reference material. if you go to cnczone.com, you will be amazed at the volumes of info. its massive. Blaisun - Bill says he carries the Igus line, which is pretty top notch. a lot of our machines at work use it 24/7 for lifetime of the machine. I'll check your link too, thx! prefer not to screw with the border, altho Misumi has a program that pays the brokerage.
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Post by mostheman on Jan 14, 2010 8:43:32 GMT -4
cnczone.com = morning shot
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Creepy
Administrator
Dartmouth
Posts: 18,718
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Post by Creepy on Jan 14, 2010 8:44:49 GMT -4
you won't be scrolled thru the first few sections before lunch. lol
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Post by mostheman on Jan 14, 2010 8:45:48 GMT -4
Thats cool I have till april
BTW that was me behind CVO yesterday in the GM just being nosey..... I was in town for a conference
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Creepy
Administrator
Dartmouth
Posts: 18,718
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Post by Creepy on Jan 14, 2010 17:59:34 GMT -4
ah, right. I didn't know who that was. did you see Big Phil's tractor trailer dump? sweeeeeeeet.
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Post by theonlybull on Jan 14, 2010 19:59:18 GMT -4
ah, right. I didn't know who that was. did you see Big Phil's tractor trailer dump? sweeeeeeeet. you might be a redneck if.......... lol
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