CNC-Mill, CNC-Plasma, Laser and 3D Printing

Last Update 16.02.2026

Hi, my name is Helge, I´m living in the North of Germany

Welcome to my page

Start the hobby with an order from the boss

8 jears ago I´ve got an order from my wife to build a wooden sign.

I design one, made a print out on a laser printer, glue it on a piece of wood, pick my hand held router and tried to engrave it.

For me, the result was bad. The annual rings made it impossible to follow the lines on the paper correctly.

I need something so the router can follow, something like a template. To by it in a shop was to easy for me and it was a very simple font.

I need a 3D Printer

I was looking some videos on YouTube and saw what 3D Printer can do, unbelievable. With an 3D Printer I can print my own templates. Never thinking about how long it will take to print the needed templates. I bought an 3D Printer, that was easy, but now I have to learn 3D modelling. After a while with Fusion 360 and alot of fusion 360 videos I design the templates and startet printing. It took my almost 1 week to print the needed templates, but it worked.

2 weeks later I´ve got an order for 3 wooden sign. Printing is to slow, I need something else.

I think a CNC Router is much better than a 3D Printer

Looking YouTube, my best friend for ideas with videos about CNC Router. With such a machine I will do all the steps in one path.

I bought a chines CNC Router 6040, with 1,5 kW spindle. After a lot of scrap wood, the first sign on the CNC was done.

Thinking about, what else can be done with a maschine like this. What kind of materials are working on it. I tried alot of different stuff, learned alot about materials and router bits and how expensive they are.

My current CNC is an 6090 with 2,2 kW spindle. It handels Alu, Brass, Acrylic and Steel. I tried stainless steel A4, but this to strong.

Building of additional tools for the CNC was alot of fun:

design a drag knife and connect to CNC
- works not bad but a slight problem with the start- and end-point of the knife when cutting
connect a laser module
- Engraving with a 5 Watt laser on the CNC is possible but very slow. The switching connector, witch is controlled by Mach3 is very slow. It works, but only for outlines.
design a 3D touch probe
- buy one is the easy way, but I develop my own one
...

Laser engraving will make fun

Because the laser engraving on the CNC is very slow and alot of nice things can be done with a laser engraver, I bought an iKier 24W/48W Laserengraver with rotary tool.

go direct to update

A new toy at home, CNC Plasma cutting table

This summer I had to cut some steel parts for a project and borrowed the plasma cutter from the neightbor. This was a lot of fun, because I never use this kind of cutter before. It makes cutting steel so easy and fast.

It was always a deam for me to bild my own cnc-table. I bought a CNC-Mill table, a CNC-Laser-engraver, but never bild something be my own.

In the internet I found the "Open Build Project" for the table. After research of the needed material, checking the prices here in Germany and compare them to an open build platform on AliExpress it was sobering. The material price in Germany is more than double the price on AliExpress. So I bought one on AliExpress, the Openbuilds OX Kit 4-Axis Belt Driven 750 X 1000 mm.

Next question: witch controller - open build with ESP32 / Arduino or MyPlasm. Again reading a lot of webpages and hours looking videos on YouTube I have decided to buy MyPlasm CNC. Next question: what kind of motor for the axis, close loop or stepper motors. I choose stepper motors because plasma cutting is a rough story and they are much cheeper than close loop. And wich stepper motors ? Because the motors have just to move the torch, I decided on Nema 23 steppermotor with 2.45 Nm and corresponding drivers.

After 4 weeks the table-kit, motors, drivers, controller, hausing and a lot of cable are at home and I start with the installation of the table. The Chinese manuals are not the best, because there is a lot of try and error. But after a while it was done.

In the meantime I was looking for an plasma cutting machine. Again a lot of reading and videos. I have to dicide a high frequency cutter or a non high frequency machine. The biggest disadvantage of an high frequency machine is the electromagnetic compatibility EMC. A lot of people in the MyPlasm Forum are using a high frequency machine and all are saying: the kind of wirng in the housing and the shilded cables are the most important part. In case of the warranty of the machine and the very high price of an Hypertherm machine, I bought bought a high frequency machine in Germany.

Next will be the installation of all the components in the housing and the wiring. This takes a lot of time because all cables have to be twisted.

Next step: switching on main switch for housing and cutter and nothing is burning and no fuse tripped.

First cuts are not perfect but I´m happy with it. 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 5mm, 6mm steel. But if the cut takes loger than 15 sec. the fuse trips. Ok, to much load on the phase. I separate to an other phase so the cutter is the only one on that phase. Next test and after approx. 15 sec. the fuse triped again. I bought a CNC-Plasmacutter designed for an 16A fuse. The max. cut-current is 40A. Measuring the input current of the cutter at 40A shows me 22A. The characteristic of the fuse says: after 15 sec. with 22A the fuse has to switch off. Now I have to possebilities: deducing the cutting current ( that´s easy) or new cable from distributor with an 32A fuse. Test with cutting current of 25A was ok, 19A input current. During the next cutting an LED of me main lightning gets defect. Exchange the light. This works for some hours an than again defect. Ok, this might be the EMC but I have installed an additional EMC filter and ... this helps nothing. Using an extension cable to an other room with an other phase solves the problem. LED light and plasma cutter on the same phase is not such a good idea.

Meanwhile I have installed a new cable 3x2.5mm2 from supply with 25A fuse and on the other end a 32A socket. Now I can use the full 40A of cutting current and cut mach faster.

But there is something else that I have to keep in mind, the duty cycle. Duty cycle means the time when the maschine is cutting. For me cutter: Duty cycle (10 Min., 40°C) 60 % / 28 A, 100% / 22 A = cont. cutting

Why it´s so important: when you are using the cutter as a handheld, you prepare a piece of steel, cut it by hand, put it away, prepare the next piece ... . With the cutter on a CNC you will make a lot of cuts in a shorter time, what means the duty time on a CNC is much higher and the temperature inside of your cutter rises.

This is something you have to keep in mind when buying a plasma cutter for CNC.

My cutter WELDINGER PS 42 PFC pilot pro CNC 499.- €

60 % / 28 A, 28 A, 100%

Hypertherm Powermax45 SYNC 2399.- €

50 % bei 45 A, 60 % bei 41 A, 100 % bei 32 A

Buy cheaply means you have to reach a compromise. Check your account and you will take the right decision.