Creating CNC Plasma cut Figures:

CNC plasma cut figures don’t materialize just because you now own a CNC plasma table.  When we purchase a new car, it takes some time and effort to learn how to use all its features.

Multiply that learning requirement by a factor of ten to get the most out of your CNC plasma table.  While there is a fairly stiff learning period, it is mostly fun, and the rewards are immense.

CNC plasma cutting is all about creating shapes – shapes of all kinds from simple silhouettes that can be cranked out in minutes to complex designs that might require a week of planning.  Whatever your needs for your CNC machine might be, your time could not be better spent than learning how to use a full-featured drawing program.

Most of us are not graphic artists or engineers, and as useful as those skills might be, they are not necessary to produce truly outstanding plasma cut shapes.  You should be familiar with your CNC plasma cutter settings for various materials and thicknesses, optimal cutting speeds and pierce dwell times, and some basic shape design principles.

These principles include the amount of spacing between the parts of your shape, how to make one component appear to be in front of another, and the best cutting order to save processing time and minimize heat build-up in any one section.  Obviously, the interior parts of a shape must be cut before its perimeter.  Interior cutouts must have bridges, or connections of solid material between them.

A good driver software package (software that runs your machine) will handle most of these chores for you.  For instance, it will provide “ramping” (acceleration & deceleration) correct cutting direction, and execution of inside parts first.

Since the plasma torch leaves a gap (kerf) in the material as it cuts, the torch path must be offset by a given amount if the finished piece is to have the desired dimensions.  The amount of offset is equal to half of the kerf width.

Your driver software should have the ability to provide this offset (kerf compensation).  Like anything else you buy, you generally get what you pay for when acquiring your CNC plasma setup and the software that runs it.