When used correctly, the Langmuir Systems Crossfire CNC Plasma Table will offer you years of safe operation. However, like all other automated and industrial type machinery, there are important safety considerations and precautions that must be followed in order to avoid injury. Study these safety warnings carefully before assembling and using your machine.
Electric shock can cause serious injury or death. This machine requires the use of high voltage electricity to operate. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
Fire and explosion can be caused by the airborne sparks and slag igniting a nearby flammable material. Electrical fires can be caused if the machine is assembled or used incorrectly. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
The machine may operate at any time, automatically, and without warning. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
Gases and fumes produced during the plasma cutting process can be hazardous to your health. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
The plasma cutter produces high intensity ultraviolet and infrared light that can damage your eyes and skin. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
Plasma cutting creates airborne sparks and debris that can cause eye injuries. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
This machine can create pinch points while in motion during normal operations. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
The plasma cutting process uses extremely high temperatures to cut metal. As a result, the material can be very hot after cutting which can cause burns. To avoid injury, always adhere to the following precautions:
Use the following CrossFire PRO Assembly Guide to put together your machine.
Hook up your optional LS-THC unit and connect it to your plasma cutter using the Torch Height Control Guide.
View the Software Workflow and follow along our Fusion 360 CAD and CAM guide to start designing parts!
Use the FireControl Guide to Download and installthe software used to control your PRO.
Download the PRO Break-in program from our Downloads page and run it using FireControl.
Start cutting out parts with your PRO!
The Langmuir Systems CrossFire PRO ships partially assembled. Therefore, this section serves to provide all of the pertinent information and instructions needed to fully assemble your new machine.
The CrossFire PRO is delivered in 3 individual boxes to make the kit manageable to ship. These boxes are labeled with their contents but a more in-depth description of whats inside is provided here. Please use this as a reference for the rest of the assembly.
The first step in CrossFire PRO assembly is to install the leveling feet on your leg tubes.
Gather all black frame tubes on a large work surface and assemble the frame of the CrossFire PRO.
First, complete the assembly of the Y-Axis bearing block carriages.
Complete the Z-Axis assembly and mount it to the X-Axis carriage.
Each Y Axis Carriage Assembly includes two Bearing Block Assemblies. Each Bearing Block Assembly contains four bearing blocks; two are fixed and two are adjustable. The goal of this section is to adjust the Adjustable Bearing Block to ensure that the bearings are properly preloaded into the Y Axis Rails.
Join both halves of the water table.
The CrossFire PRO water table is designed for use with cutters up to 45 Amps. For use with cutters over 45 Amps, we recommend using additional insulating material to prevent damage to the tray.
Install the slats and slat holders on your CrossFire PRO.
In this video we demonstrate how to manually tram the Z-axis torch slide so that it is perpendicular to the slat bed when cutting.
First, install the Y-Axis lead screw bearing mounts.
First, install the mounts for the Y-Axis Stepper motors.
Install both of the Y-Axis Lead screws.
The CrossFire PRO utilizes 3 NEMA-23 Stepper motors for smooth accurate motion. The bodies of all 3 motors are identical however, the can be told apart by the lengths of the attached cables. Cable length can either be short (2 motors) or long (1 motor). One of the short cabled and one of the long cabled motors are the Y-Axis Motors while the remaining short cabled motor is the X-Axis Motor.
Mount the two Y-Axis stepper motors to the machine.
The Motor Couplers you received may look different from the ones shown in the following diagrams. Whether you received 2-Screw Aluminum Couplers or 4-Screw Steel Couplers, the installation procedures are the same.
Install the corner gussets onto the long sides of the machine frame.
Install electronics enclosure to the mounting holes on the machine frame.
If your hardware box contains a plastic isolator as shown below, please follow the below instructions for this step.
Finish assembly of the CrossFire PRO.
In this section, we will finalize assembly of the CrossFire PRO by plugging in the electronics components, routing cables, and tightening lead nuts and couplers.
Locate the DSUB connector for the X-axis stepper motor and insert into the corresponding socket on the Electronics Enclosure. Do the same for the Y1 stepper motor as shown in the image below. Be certain to fully tighten the two screw clamps on each DSUB connector into the Electronics Enclosure.
Next, locate the four black plastic P-clamps from Bag 26 and the four #8 x ½” Self Drilling Sheet Metal Screws from Bag 24. With a screw gun, use the P-clamps and fasteners to secure the Y2 stepper motor cable to the underside of the frame tubes as shown in the two images below.
Finally, insert the Y2 stepper motor DSUB connector into the corresponding socket on the Electronics Enclosure. Be certain to fully tighten the two screw clamps on this DSUB connector into the Electronics Enclosure.
Next, locate two black velcro straps from Bag 32 Torch Firing and insert one each into the top hole in the Cable Support tube and the third hole (from the top). While leaving plenty of slack in the Z-axis stepper motor cable, route the motor cable on top of the Cable Support tube and secure the velcro straps in two places as shown below. Note: the two remaining velcro straps will be used to secure your plasma cutter torch cable to the Cable Support Tube.
Finally, insert the Z-axis stepper motor DSUB connector into the corresponding socket on the Electronics Enclosure. Be certain to fully tighten the two screw clamps on this DSUB connector into the Electronics Enclosure.
Next, locate the Initial Height Sensing (IHS) cable in the Miscellaneous Hardware box inside of CrossFire PRO Box 2. You will find that your Z-axis assembly ships with two pre-installed wires that are connected to the IHS switch inside the Z-axis. Connect the two blade connector ends of the IHS cable into the corresponding connectors on the Z-axis assembly as shown below. Note: It is not important which wire is connected to the red or black end of the IHS cable.
Next, remove the socket head cap screw and P-clamp on the back of the Z-axis assembly. Affix the p-clamp around the IHS cable and re-attach to the Z-axis assembly using the socket head cap screw as shown below. This p-clamp provides strain relief for the IHS cable when the torch carriage moves around the plasma table.
Next, keeping slack in the IHS cable to match the Z-axis cable, use the 3 provided black zip ties in Bag 32 Torch Firing to affix the IHS cable to the Z-axis cable as shown below. Clip the excess ends of the zip ties as necessary. Finally, undo each of the two black velcro straps on the Cable Support Tube in order to affix both the IHS cable and Z-axis motor cable to the tube using these traps.
In the following steps, we will need to jog the machine to the front right corner. To do this, we will need to use FireControl software to jog the machine. Please make sure that you have followed all of the steps in the FireControl User Guide section Connecting to a CrossFire Machine before proceeding to power on the machine for the first time.
Next plug in the IHS cable, USB Cable, and Power Cord to the corresponding ports on the Electronics Enclosure. Plug the USB cable into your computer and switch on the power to the Electronics Enclosure.
At this point, the Y-Axis and X-Axis Motor Couplers are installed but they are not yet tight. In this step, we will fully tighten all of the motor couplers using the procedure outlined in the following video. The electronics enclosure must be powered on so the motors have holding torque. Note: this applies to the 4-Screw steel couplers but the tighten-and-check procedure is relevant to the 2-Screw aluminum couplers as well. Caution: Excessive torque can cause the screws or hex key to strip.
Tightening Procedure
At this point, the X-axis lead nut and both Y-axis lead nuts should be loose. Next, using FireControl we need to jog the machine to the most positive X position (right keyboard arrow key) and the most negative Y position (down keyboard arrow key). Once the Gantry is close to the stanchion plates in the Y direction, change the Jog Speed in FireControl to 50 IPM. Finally, jog the machine down in the Y direction (negative) by repeatedly tapping the jog key until the bearings in the gantry carriages on both sides make slight contact with the stanchion plates. This step is necessary to square the gantry to the slat bed. At this point, your machine should look like the image shown below.
Next, tighten the two bolts on the X-axis lead nut as shown below. Your lead nut mounting tab should still be finger tight to the X-axis carriage.
Next, tighten the two bolts holding the X-axis lead nut mounting tab to the X-axis carriage as shown below.
Finally, tighten the four bolts on each Y-axis lead nut (both sides of the gantry) as shown below.
Be sure to allow enough slack in your plasma cutter torch lead to not put any lifting force onto the floating Z-Axis and IHS system. Failure to do so will cause errors generated by the IHS system.
Install your plasma cutter's torch into the torch mount and tighten the two stainless fasteners (4 stainless fasteners if using the Machine Torch Mount) to secure your torch. Be careful not to overtighten on the torch body or constrict the movement of internal components as this may lead to lost arc and misfires. The fit should be snug so that the torch doesnt spin in the mount.
Using the provided velcro straps, route your torch lead along the cable routing pole with enough slack to move around the entirety of the cutting surface.
The CrossFire PRO is equipped with a floating slide Z-Axis assembly. The primary function of the Z-Axis assembly is to move the torch up and down as needed for the mechanized cutting process. This includes moving the torch down for piercing, moving it down further for cutting, and retracting well above the plate surface for rapid moves between cuts. The other function of the Z-Axis Assembly is Initial Height Sensing (IHS). At the beginning of each cut, the Z-Axis drives the torch down to the surface of the metal. When contact between the torch and the material is made, a normally closed electric switch is opened which alerts the machine’s motion controller that the current Z position coincides with the top surface of the plate. IHS makes it possible to have nearly perfect pierce and initial cut heights despite the material not being flat.
The IHS switch also has a secondary role in that if it becomes open during the process of cutting (ie. if the torch contacts the material), the torch will automatically and rapidly move upward 1/16” to restore the standoff height. This feature drastically reduces the risk of damage to the cutting torch.
Below is a diagram which shows some of the key components of the Z-Axis Assembly.
A properly maintained Z axis assembly will provide years of trouble free operation. However, if you are experiencing issues with your Z-Axis and IHS system, consult the following table for root causes and corrective actions.
Issue | Possible Cause | Corrective Action |
---|---|---|
IHS switch trips before the torch makes contact with the plate | Z-Axis Rails are dirty preventing the Z slide from gliding freely |
Clean the Z-Axis rails with solvent to remove any buildup. |
Switch contacts are dirty |
Use compressed air to blow out and dust/debris from the switch contacts. Clean the switch
contacts with solvent. Apply dielectric grease to the switch contacts to prevent the issue
from recurring.
|
|
V-groove bearing preload is too high, preventing the Z slide from gliding freely |
Use a 5mm wrench to turn the eccentric bearing axle counter-clockwise to reduce the bearing
preload.
|
|
Insufficient slack on the torch lead causing the IHS switch to open at extreme corners of
the cutting envelope
|
Increase the amount of slack on the torch lead. |
|
THC Live Volts is non zero despite the plasma cutter not being fired. | In order to function properly, the IHS switch contacts are electrically isolated from the
rest of the machine. If conductive medium (such as chemically treated water table water) can
bridge the small gap between the brass screw contact and the lead screw, it will energize the
machine frame with a low voltage that is readable by the THC controller.
|
Use compressed air to blow any dirt/water from between the brass switch contact and the lead
screw. Apply dielectric grease to the contacts to prevent the issue from recurring.
|
Excessive Z axis bearing play | Eccentric bearing axles are out of adjustment and there is no preload between the V groove
bearings and the rails.
|
Use a 5mm wrench to turn the eccentric bearing axles clockwise. Be sure to preload the
bearings the minimum possible amount to ensure that there is zero or minimal play while also
ensuring that the Z slide can still glide freely up and down.
|
Use the following Limit Switch Installation Guide to set up Limits for your CrossFire PRO Machine.
The CrossFire was designed to be compatible with plasma cutters that are equipped with a hand torch or machine torch. A hand torch enables the operator to start and stop the cutting action by squeezing and releasing the torch trigger.
Razorweld Plasma cutters bought through Langmuir Systems include a plug 'n play Torch Fire Port allowing quick setup.
Plasma cutter wiring for the CrossFire PRO is identical to the CrossFire, so please follow the
instructions found in the CrossFire Guide linked below.
CrossFire Assembly Guide - Plasma Cutter Wiring
If you ordered a Langmuir Systems Laptop Stand, please follow these instructions for assembly.
Hook up your optional LS-THC unit and connect it to your plasma cutter using the Torch Height Control Guide.
View the Software Workflow and follow along our Fusion 360 CAD and CAM guide to start designing parts!
Use the FireControl Guide to Download and install the software used to control your PRO.
Download the PRO Break-in program from our Downloads page and run it using FireControl.
Start cutting out parts with your PRO!
All Langmuir Systems products are covered by a 12 month limited warranty on hardware and 6 month limited warranty on electronics. The terms of the warranty are listed below:
All products sold directly by Langmuir Systems are eligible for return and refund. The terms of the return and refund policy are listed below: