I currently own a Avid CNC plasma and router table. I have a good understanding of the basics but need additional training. I am looking for a master class for sheet cam as well as mach4. Does anyone know where i can sign up . I live in Nashville TN but willing to travel if necessary.
There are a few of us here that have combined plasma/router tables. I’ve got one and I am very willing to help answer questions all the time cutting all sorts of materials.
The questions I can answer won’t be software related since I use the older Mach-3 and some really ancient legacy CAD that I’ve had since '95. I bought a version of SheetCAM for the plasma table but once I realized I could just use any old CAD program and let it think it was making G-Code for a mill and then just run it through a post-processing script that knows everything it needs to do, to automatically put in all the bits-n-bobs for plasma without me having to learn a whole new system, I ended up not using the SheetCAM. I’m sure it is just fine, this just saved me a step and a tiny learning curve.
If you have other non-plasma aware CAD software like I do that produces non-“plasma aware” G-Code and just want a post-processor to take that G-Code output and make it “plasma aware”, just let me know, happy to share what I am using.
For everything else, this is definitly the place to ask. There are quite a few people here willing to help out and answer questions… -Kenneth
No need to travel to get training. Google Meet or Zoom can be a great tool.
I would suggest going and searching YouTube for SheetCAM. You will find a community of artist and users that produce a fair amount of content on the topic. Most artist I know who work with metal use SheetCAM. Its probably the least amount of work to learn out of all the CAM products I own.
Also, the SheetCAM forums (https://forum.sheetcam.com/) are always a great place to start. The post processor you installed from AvidCNC will cover the specifics but the forum can help you with the actual program usage. Your AvidCNC hardware is 10% of your learning curve right now.
I would get a small DXF of a part with different features and keep cutting it but trying new things in the program. That will teach you more than anything else. The part about cutting the same file over and over is so you can keep a history of what you learned in the beginning. As you progressively build that pile of the same part you will start seeing the differences and equate the changes to settings in SheetCAM.
The key though is usage. The more you go from CAM to cut the quicker it will all come together for you. I have to add that out of all the CNC machines I own and the various processes they use, plasma is the most fun and least complicated. While it could be dangerous, there is certainly less that can break and cost you money should it go terribly wrong.
Its not as frustrating as wandering around a room with a blindfold on but its kind of the same process. Each part you cut adds a little more light on what you are doing.
But, for quick one-on-one, get a topic and ping us. See if we know a YouTube video already out there on it or we can do a Google Meet and get you squared away.