LAZER CUT OR WATER JET???

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UnusualFabrication said:

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slammed x on air said:

I'm just kind of curious as to how many companies in this industry actually own there own CNC laser or water jet, or even a decent or high end CNC plasma.

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X2

I just hope to have my own CNC plasma soon, lol! Lasers and waterjets are far out of the budget for me. If money weren't an object I think i'd go with a waterjet. Seems like you'd get more out of the machine with the thickness it can cut, precision, and different kinds of materials you can do with it.

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I own mine. Origionally Bought it with a business partner that needed one a few years ago for unrelated needs, found it at a local auction, at nearly 1/4 of the cost. then he bought his own to make use of the larger table they offer. Best part is, I still run mine out of his shop, so its not eating up any of my floor space!!

Ive owned CNC plasma tables in the past as well, and its not something i will own again. Its actually what prompted me to look into buying the waterjet machine. It was a torchmate system, with a hypotherm plasma, and nitrogen. To be honest, the cost of the plasma table in my opinion was far less justifiable than the water jet table. the cnc plasma systems get pricey, for how limited they are.

Edited: 12/10/2010 8:52:15 AM by iLLblazer

I dont own my own machines, my landlord does. So my shop is in the same building and I have built a good relationship with them over the years. I do all the CAD work and compile my orders for both automotive and industrial/commercial work together. I'm fortunate enough to be able to get next day parts if needed, without the overhead or initial cost of the machine. They have 3 lasers ranging anywhere from 750k to a mill+, and a waterjet. All of which are out of my price range for being a one man, small business. I could look at a plasma table maybe, but whats the point? I'm able to keep my costs competitive by compiling orders, and I'm able to offer quality parts without the cost of a million dollar machine.

At my last 'REAL' job, I operated both a brand new CNC Hypertherm/Multicam Plasma, as well as an older waterjet. I STILL sent all my stuff for laser cutting. I tried plasma out for a set of brackets for a customer truck one day and realized I could NEVER market that product after selling laser parts.

I do not own one. I have built a great relationship with the person I use. If I need stuff same day or next day he can do it for me 95% of the time. I never wait more than 1 week.