Hey Guys
I’ve got the production company coming by tomorrow.
We’ll be filming a bunch more tips and tricks Videos.
Anything you want to see?
If it fits we’ll try and add it into the shoot
Cheers
AM
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I’m getting a taper cut on my bolt hole cuts. Everything else cuts great! Some ideas? 
@BenA I noticed the same thing when I was cutting flange adapters I slowed travel speed a little and got better results. Good luck. 
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I cut a 3-1/2" x 9" rectangle yesterday and one end was 3-1/2" but the other end was 3-3/8". Serious TAPER… Can’t figure out why… Cutter cable is free and clear of any hangups.
I assumed that speed was likely the culprit. I just was being lazy and not using 2 different cut files. On for the holes and a separate one for the part itself.
That sounds like a “square “ calibration issue, not a hole taper issue
I have had the same problems with bolt holes tapering. I assume this is more of an issue of not getting the torch mounted perfectly square in the holder.
@HisMajesty tapered holes has a lot to do with the cut height setting along with cutting speed. You need to make adjustments taking into account the material thickness.
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This is 3/4" thick. Hole is 61mm diameter cut at 2.00 cut height and 250 mm cut speed. 300mm cut speed didnt cut all the way through. 60 amps 75PSI. Which direction should I be adjusting towards?
@BenA I was thinking about your comment about two separate cut files all day, and came up with another idea to use just one cut file. Cut the holes first at the slower feed rate. After the holes are cut, hit stop. Edit the feed rate to a faster rate. Deactivate the torch. Start the same cut file, and while the ArcDroid tries to zero out on the previously cut holes, add resistance with your hand to simulate the plate. After the last hole, activate the torch and finish your cut.
The 2 plus minute video shows what I’m talking about. Good luck!
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@bobplewajr perfect solution!
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@HisMajesty Not much experience with 3/4”…. It looks like your near max for your m/c. Maybe more air, drop the cut height as far as you can get away with and slow the cut speed down. There may be different consumables that may help. The plasma envelope is like an upside down candle flame. That is why you see a taper in thick material.
Is there a way to put a larger monitor on this? Its great however, the screen size for larger cuts is inadequate and, can we extend the controller cable?
@arp3van1 CAT6 com cable is limited to 6 ft. Newer Droids with a V2 engraved by the plug port can go further but I don’t know how much more. I doubt there is a way to mirror a larger screen.
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What about when you import a dxf file and it turns the exterior cut into multiple starts and stops with jogs and doesn’t add the start stop offsets?
@paulw
This has more to do with the program used to create the DXF file than anything else
DXF is a 40+ year old format with lots of patches and branches so some programs create weird geometry
We are continually working on updating the .dxf parser to catch these cases. if you haven’t updated your Simple trace firmware you should
We will have a new update out in a couple weeks with even more bug fixers for .dxf
So hopefully it’ll solve the issue for you
Cheers
AM
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Indexing would be nice to see
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Thanks for the reply, my firmware is up to date. It would be nice to have a video on how to use simple trace to edit the cut. and make sure change the drawing. Also to do things like take a piece of bar stock and cut a straight line some distance from the end to cut a piece off like a chop saw.
I can’t find any dimensioning system in it to do things. It would also be nice to have an easier way of setting the start position. It is kind of hard to know where exactly to put the torch when you hit home. Sometimes it is completely off the work piece.
Don’t get me wrong it is a great tool and I have made some perfect pieces with it. But sometimes it cuts the outside shape first and the part drops out without cutting the inner holes. Just need to be able to edit the dxf or get a SolidWorks Post Processor to work.
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Hey Paul
All those things are easy!
1: use the snap grid feature (red icons top left) this will always set you line on exact increments of the grid (settings you choose with the red settings icon also in the to left)
2: You should always choose your origin First! So pic where you want t your drawing to start and push “zero” before doing the trace. For DXF import there in an “origin” button to reposition the origin of the imported file to the spot of your choosing (center, bottom left, top right etc)
3: you can sort the order of cut for an imported .dxf by using the “Sort” button choose In-out to cut everything inside first and outside last. You can also do this in the trace screen, touch some empty space on the screen then choose the “Sort” button (top blue button)
Cheers
AM
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Try slowing down the travel speed. Holes are on of those things… I under size my holes and drill for a perfect fit. Hope it helps.
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