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Laser and Plasma cutters/engravers.

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Chlomo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2014
Messages
120
Location
Seoul
I've seen a video on Youtube that describes a wing manufacturing process utilizing a 'cnc punch turret'.



However something tells me that gizmo is not the weapon of choice for most of us homebuilders; one might consider going laser or plasma.
That being said there are a lot of 50~60W laser engravers that can work 600mm * 400mm and cost somewhere around $5K. As for the plasma gadget I remember seeing frequent ads on Popular Mechanics a few years ago.
But before we talk about whether or not to buy one of those there seem to be some pros and cons to weigh regarding the technical aspects of those machines.

Accuracy: Laser is very accurate. Plasma maybe not as precise but we are not building F-22 planes here.
Cost: Obviously laser costs a lot more to cut(unless you own the machine) I've seen quotes of a few $s a minute for simple cuts.
Speed: Of negligible importance considering total build time

DOES PLASMA RUIN THE TEMPER OF ALUMINUM???
 
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