CNC cost

[ch47dpilot]

I was looking at getting a CNC cutter like the ones TorchMate makes. Just wondering what guys pay to have there parts cut out at a shop with a CNC cutter?

 

[sweep]

I was looking at getting a CNC cutter like the ones TorchMate makes. Just wondering what guys pay to have there parts cut out at a shop with a CNC cutter?

Machine shops are going out of business left and right. Everything is being outsourced to China. Check the auctions you can get equipment dirt cheap.
CNC equipment is not unlike computers..it's outdated in a few years and sometimes it's just cheaper to buy the latest instead of updating.


Here is a site that list machine shop auctions in your area.

Auction Events for New & Used Machines, Tooling, and Equipment - MachineTools.com

 

[ksejeeper]

Are you talking a Plasma or a router? The plasma is great If you make tabs and brackets and little thing like that. If your going for a router only thing you can do is wood and aluminum.

Torchmate has there own little fourm over at a site called Pirate4x4 tourchmate fourm it is packed full of info.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have the Dynatorch 4x8 table myself, and have used it for about 6 years. I have tried to do it as a business, but wasn't successful. There was always someone out there willing to do it for less, that and the fact that people as soooooo cheap. I, however LOVE my machine and i have used it to make hundreds of things for my place, to sell a horse shows, and make stuff for friends. I figure its a $20,000 toy hehe.

I personally like the dynatorch system better that the torchmate cause mine has laser offset unit so the tip never touches the table. It also has voltage sensing unit to automatically adjust head up and down for irregular surfaces. And their customer service is AMAZING. Six years after my purchase they still offer free advice and assistance when i need it. Their engineer Leon is truly a walking CNC guru.

 

[RPW]

-Sweep- Unfortunately you can't view anything unless you pony-up some $$ to view.

I'm looking at a torchmate at sometime in my future. Just got my barn/workshop done and will be transitioning my tools to it as time permits. I'm looking at a 4x8 table.

 

[lostunderhood]

Have you looked at this forum? Their is a homemade section and I think Torchmate is their to. Loren CNCzone.com-Machinist Community Forums - Welcome Page

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Just wondering what guys pay to have there parts cut out at a shop with a CNC cutter?

Depends on a bunch of factors for me...

-Material, if they have scraps of what I want, its usually cheaper...For example, I once had a set of blades bent (for my row maker)....I wanted 3/16 stock...they asked, "Do you mind 1/4" Diamondplate?" I said nope...I couldnt have bought the raw diamond plate stock for what they charged me to cut it, bend it, etc...

-How busy they are...if the shop isnt super busy, parts fly thru quickly & cheaply. If they're busy i've got to either wait or pay.

Long story short...for me thus far, I think I've been paying for just the metal (this goes for the work i've had done there, Bending, Rolling, CNC-Plasma, Hand Plasma, and even just buying scrap metal), and sometimes less...depending on a bunch of things. Put it this way...I know I could never justify buying one.

 

[jimcolt]

I have two cnc plasma machines in my home shop......a PlasmaCam and a Torchmate, both equipped with Hypertherm plasma's. When I bought the PlasmaCam about 5 years ago....I convinced my wife that it would pay for itself....she didn't really believe me. I put word out about my CAD drawing, plasma cutting capability....picked up a few customers.....and ended up working nights and weekends for 6 or 7 months (I work for Hypertherm as my "real" job).....the PlasmaCam earned enough money in that period of time to pay for itself. Now the machines are more for personal and hobby use.....but when I want to make a few bucks I can.

The Torchmate, PlasmaCam and Hypertherm Plasma Cutter are all made in USA.......each company is doing very well inspite of Chinese imports....in fact Hypertherm's fastest growing market for its plasma cutters is China.

If someone comes to me wanting parts cut.....they are always surprised at how fast, how accurate, and how cheap I can cut parts for them. And...my goal is to have my shop earning at least $100/hour when the cnc plasma is running.....it is pretty easy to achieve that goal.

Pics of machines and some parts cut.

Jim Colt

 

[ch47dpilot]

Jim,

I was kind of thinking along the same lines. Excluding material cost how did you charge for the cutting. Was it based on the time it took to cut or did you just charge per piece? I assume thickness of metal also played into the price.

 

[jimcolt]

I use a pretty simple formula.

1. The drawing software that I use tells me the linear inches cut on each part.

2. I measure "rectangular" area of the part I am going to cut, and add about 1/2" in x and y dimensions. If I am cutting a 12' circle, the customer gets charged for a 12.5" x 12.5" rectangle. This fairly accurately covers my scrap loss.

3. I buy steel in 4 x 8 sheets or plates. Take the price I pay for the sheet, double it and add any transporation costs. Then divide this cost by the number of square inches (there are 4608 square inches in a 4' x 8' sheet of steel).

4. Multiply the linear inches cut by the figure calculated in #3, above.
5. Multiply the square area of the part being cut by the figure calculated in #3 above.
6. Add the value calculated in 4 (above) to the value calculated in 5 (above)....this is the price that my steel cut parts get sold for.


This formula works well as it cost more to cut thicker material (slower cut speeds)....I generally can make a pretty respectable hourly income folling the above formula on all materials up to about 5/8" thick. This is typically what I charge for relatively simple to draw geometric parts. If someone asks me to make a custom sign....then obviously I will need to charge more for time sitting at the computer being creative, so art sells for what the market can bear!


Jim Colt

 

[dfkrug]

I use a pretty simple formula.

1. The drawing software that I use tells me the linear inches cut on each part.

The shop I bought most of my CNC-cut steel from had a formula based
on the volume and shape of the piece you wanted cut. I first found them
on eBay, but they are no longer there.

I found it very reasonable to have my 1/2" plate cut and shipped from
LA to where I am in N CA. I tried to get one of the local shops I deal
with do it, but they were way way more money, even without shipping.

It seems to me that if a shop has idle time on an expensive CNC table, and
a customer submits a DXF file, they should be very reasonable. It was
so inexpensive, I can't begin to justify the cost of a hobbiest-type CNC
plasma setup (though I already have the plasma cutter).

 

[mjncad]

I recently got an e-newsletter from Lincoln Electric saying they bought TorchMate.

 

[jimcolt]

As an example for pricing using my formula:

Lets say you needed a 12" x 12" piece of 3/8" steel with 4, 1/2" diameter holes. I would cut this part on one of my cnc machines at 65 amps with my plasma system......and the part would sell for $29.68, and could ship anywhere in the country (flat rate, USPS) for around $10.

That should be a relatively comparable price for plasma cut steel parts. You can expect 1/2" bolts to fit well through the holes, and tolerances on the part would be within about .020".


Jim Colt

The shop I bought most of my CNC-cut steel from had a formula based
on the volume and shape of the piece you wanted cut. I first found them
on eBay, but they are no longer there.

I found it very reasonable to have my 1/2" plate cut and shipped from
LA to where I am in N CA. I tried to get one of the local shops I deal
with do it, but they were way way more money, even without shipping.

It seems to me that if a shop has idle time on an expensive CNC table, and
a customer submits a DXF file, they should be very reasonable. It was
so inexpensive, I can't begin to justify the cost of a hobbiest-type CNC
plasma setup (though I already have the plasma cutter).