Clamping/hold-down for thin sheet (1mm) art cuts on FlexTable — anyone solved this?"

General Discussion
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Machine: ArcDroid with the new Controller Plus, SimpleTrace fully updated, cutting with a Hypertherm Powermax 30 Air.

I’m cutting detailed wall-art pieces — lots of small enclosed shapes and islands, currently a fairly intricate “cat on the moon” design — out of 1mm mild steel, finished size roughly 35x45cm, cut from a 40x50cm blank.

The problem: on anything but the simplest cuts, the workpiece buckles as it heats up and won’t stay flat, which eventually causes the arm to interfere with the warped material mid-cut. Likely a combination of thin material, a fairly large unsupported blank, and a pattern with lots of pierces and free-floating interior pieces.

Clamping is where I’m stuck — the FlexTable slats seem sized for heavier engineering stock, and I haven’t found a way to hold a 1mm sheet flat without the clamp itself fouling the torch head or arm travel.

Has anyone actually solved this on a FlexTable? Specifically interested in:

  • Any hold-down method (magnets, tape-to-backer, screw-through-waste-margin, etc.) that’s worked for thin gauge sheet
  • Whether tighter slat spacing under the workpiece helps, or anyone’s modified their table for it
  • Whether going to 1.5mm thickness makes a real practical difference on complex art cuts vs. just buying more margin for error

Couldn’t find an existing thread on this, so asking directly rather than assuming I’m missing something obvious. Will report back once I land on something that works.

Thanks — Mike

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I think a water table is best bet for thin material, keeping it cool and minimum warpage.

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l

Hi Mike, I cut a good bit of 0.9mm and 1.5mm stainless steel. In general I find that the thicker material gives less warping, so 1.5mm should be better for you. I’ve also found that the faster the feed speed, the less heat build-up in the material and the less warping. And finally, on thin material, I try to keep the “cut Z” height as high as I can to reduce the chances of the nozzle fouling the material (you’ll get away with 1.5 to 2mm)