#CncTips

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On this Page: Introduction. Definitions. Design. Material Selection. Plate steel. Flat stock. Repurposed Materials. Thickness. Production ability. Summary. Introduction. The purpose of this article is to review the challenges that you may face in developing your own product lines for local or regional distribution. In concept, these considerations apply to many products. For the purposes of this article, we will use the production of fire rings for a kit or retail sale as an example. Fire rings fire pits are a simple product that can provide a profitable revenue stream for a fabricator if designed executed properly to meet local demand and demographics. Many municipalities encourage or require some form of containment for “open” fires during the safe “burn season”. In the Pacific NW, this season generally starts once the rain returns and the local Fire Marshal decides that the risk of fire migration via ember or spark is low enough to permit “open” fires. Given the recent run of devastating fires across the West Coast, it is likely that both restrictions regarding equipment and opportunity will be restricted sometime in the future. This market should, therefore, be approached with caution and an eye on enhancing safety and reliability of open fires more than just the aesthetic a fire ring provides before the substantial investment is made. Partnering with local fire departments in terms of design criteria is strategically valuable. Key design elements to review include optimizing diameter, height, cross ventilation, upper edge treatment, the maximum size of un-screened cutouts or openings in the artistic elements, and whether a lid, screen, or other closure/safety device is required. Simply put, it is wiser to address these elements up front than to litigate them later. Particularly, if some deficiency in its design is later alleged. To be clear, the burden for safe use lies with the consumer however in our present litigious society it is far better to have addressed these issues in advance than to respond to them after the fact. The fabricator should begin by deciding whether every ring sold is their “product” or simply a “part” or set of parts made to the customers’ order and specification. While the two cases may result in similar looking outcomes the difference between the two cases may be “distinguishable” in legal terms. You nevertheless likely will encounter customers that solicit your advice. It would be wise to have a conversation with a good attorney before this day comes. Assuming that product liability insurance is a non-issue (too expensive) for the average fabricator, every ring sold (should) include an appropriate Warning and Disclaimer. Ideally, these should be provided in both printed and physical form. Physical form can range from a clearly designed label to laser/plasma engraving in the product itself. Warning language varies with locale but should identify what the product is designed for (wood, charcoal, etc; or what it is not) and include a statement describing safe operation – such as “never leave a fire unattended”, “Ring may be HOT” and/or language taken from sources such as the National Park Service, Forestry Service, and National Fire Prevention (NFPA) and similar sources or associations. (think about what Smokey Bear would say, for example). Once the regulatory and legal considerations having been addressed you can then turn your attention to design and production. Top All Entire DXF Files Packages (Bundle) only $1599.99 Definitions. Beginning with the basics, let us define a fire ring. A fire ring is a containment device for an open fire – regardless of nature. Many serve a purely aesthetic function as an accent or element of a larger design as in (propane/NG) installations designed to help define backyard entertainment space. Fire rings also provide some measure of indirect lighting, smoke management, and heat reflection depending on the design. For the purpose of this article we consider the term Fire Ring to include all forms of device...

[dxfforcnc1]

   When programming a CNC (computer numeric control) cutting machine, there are many factors that affect how the machine cuts and the quality of the finished part. In this article, you will learn how to program properly by understanding programming techniques and conditions. This includes understanding your machines supporting slats, programming strategic tabs, and pierce/lead in conditions. Support Slats.    When programming there are many factors and obstacles to consider. If not programmed correctly or obstacles not accounted for, you not only will make bad parts but also will damage your machine. A single mistake can cause a whole sheet to be scraped or your machine to be repaired. When programming a single part on a sheet, you must first think where on your sheet you will burn the part. On most machines, there are slats that span the table. These slats are used to hold the sheet up and allows the cutting source to pierce through the material and disperses off around the slat or in the gap of the slats. Slats will need to be replaced because slag will build upon them from heavy use or cutting that occurs in the same area. So, when picking where on the sheet you will burn the part, you will need to consider where the slats are and how far apart they span from one another. The reasoning is because of tipping. If the part is big there is no reason to worry about the position. The reason is that the part will be properly supported all around from the slats. However, if the parts are small your raw sheet is supported, but once the small part is cut out it may fall through. Not only may it fall through but it could tip up and when your cutting head moves past, it can collide and cause massive damage. To avoid this, you can cut the part out on a position or orientation that properly supports the part on one or preferably two slats or use tabs. Tabbing.    Tabs, also called micro joints are used to secure the part to the sheet via small fingers of metal. You can achieve this in two ways. As you cut around the perimeter of the part you can stop the cut whatever distance early to allow a solid tab to be left. For example, if I cut a one-inch hole out of 0.125” steel, I would program the part to stop about 0.020” short of completing the one-inch hole. This allows 0.020” of material to hold up that one-inch hole. This is plenty enough to hold up the weight. However, if the feature cut out gets bigger or heavier due to size or material thickness, the tab will need to be thicker to support the added weight. Be sure to tab accordingly. If the tab is too skinny the part will break out due to the assisted air of the cutting machine. If too heavy you won’t be able to break the part out. The other way to create a tab is a reentry. This occurs when you're cutting and you stop the cut slide over the desired tab distances and continue the cut. This is the least desirable way to create a tab because it requires another pierce because your picking up and moving down which requires a pierce to begin cutting again. However, when burring out parts most times you will have to put two tabs on the parts, so it doesn’t tip. Thus, you utilize both tactics to achieve proper support of the part. Tabs sound like a nice way to always keep a part secure. However, over tabbing has its drawbacks and should only be used if needed. The reasoning is due to dross and tab residue. When you finished burning a part with tabs you must then break it free. This is why you do not want to make the tab too thick or you will have to use a hammer to break them out. When you break it out a bit of the tab will be left over on the raw sheet and the part. When you run your finger down the edge of the part there will be a bump where the tab is. You will need to file it off or grind it off along with the dross. When running heavy small parts thick tabs will be needed. Thus, you most likely will be grinding, and no one enjoys grinding. To combat this, you can use proper part placement and skip the tabs or use strategic tabs and keep the number of tabs down or their thickness. A trick to have clean finished parts is to over tab if the part can safely rest on the slats when cutting out. An over tab is when you program your cut to continue to cut past its final destination by a few thousandths of an inch. This guarantees the part is fully cut away from the raw sheet and takes off any burr that would be left from the lead in. Piercing and Lead-Ins.    When cutting out a part you must first program a pierce and lead in. The pierce penetrates the raw sheet, that then allows the beam to start cutting on its desired path. The piercing is a higher intensity that is trying to penetrate the metal. This requires changing conditions as the sheet gets thinner and thinner. This will cause a bigger hole than the actual cutting beam width. Additionally, from the pierce, molten material will splatter and cause dross. Because of...

[dxfforcnc1]

On this Page: Introduction. Definitions. Design. Material Selection. Plate steel. Flat stock. Repurposed Materials. Thickness. Production ability. Summary. Introduction. The purpose of this article is to review the challenges that you may face in developing your own product lines for local or regional distribution. In concept, these considerations apply to many products. For the purposes of this article, we will use the production of fire rings for a kit or retail sale as an example. Fire rings fire pits are a simple product that can provide a profitable revenue stream for a fabricator if designed executed properly to meet local demand and demographics. Many municipalities encourage or require some form of containment for “open” fires during the safe “burn season”. In the Pacific NW, this season generally starts once the rain returns and the local Fire Marshal decides that the risk of fire migration via ember or spark is low enough to permit “open” fires. Given the recent run of devastating fires across the West Coast, it is likely that both restrictions regarding equipment and opportunity will be restricted sometime in the future. This market should, therefore, be approached with caution and an eye on enhancing safety and reliability of open fires more than just the aesthetic a fire ring provides before the substantial investment is made. Partnering with local fire departments in terms of design criteria is strategically valuable. Key design elements to review include optimizing diameter, height, cross ventilation, upper edge treatment, the maximum size of un-screened cutouts or openings in the artistic elements, and whether a lid, screen, or other closure/safety device is required. Simply put, it is wiser to address these elements up front than to litigate them later. Particularly, if some deficiency in its design is later alleged. To be clear, the burden for safe use lies with the consumer however in our present litigious society it is far better to have addressed these issues in advance than to respond to them after the fact. The fabricator should begin by deciding whether every ring sold is their “product” or simply a “part” or set of parts made to the customers’ order and specification. While the two cases may result in similar looking outcomes the difference between the two cases may be “distinguishable” in legal terms. You nevertheless likely will encounter customers that solicit your advice. It would be wise to have a conversation with a good attorney before this day comes. Assuming that product liability insurance is a non-issue (too expensive) for the average fabricator, every ring sold (should) include an appropriate Warning and Disclaimer. Ideally, these should be provided in both printed and physical form. Physical form can range from a clearly designed label to laser/plasma engraving in the product itself. Warning language varies with locale but should identify what the product is designed for (wood, charcoal, etc; or what it is not) and include a statement describing safe operation – such as “never leave a fire unattended”, “Ring may be HOT” and/or language taken from sources such as the National Park Service, Forestry Service, and National Fire Prevention (NFPA) and similar sources or associations. (think about what Smokey Bear would say, for example). Once the regulatory and legal considerations having been addressed you can then turn your attention to design and production. Top All Entire DXF Files Packages (Bundle) only $1599.99 Definitions. Beginning with the basics, let us define a fire ring. A fire ring is a containment device for an open fire – regardless of nature. Many serve a purely aesthetic function as an accent or element of a larger design as in (propane/NG) installations designed to help define backyard entertainment space. Fire rings also provide some measure of indirect lighting, smoke management, and heat reflection depending on the design. For the purpose of this article we consider the term Fire Ring to include all forms of device...

[dxfforcnc1]

DXF stands for ( Drawing Exchange Format ) from its name we can see that its changeable file and you can access it using any vector software ( called CAD programs or computer-aided design ) and change the vectors path to generate the required designs, there is much software that can produce or handle the vector files and the DXF files, some of them are especially for engineering professionals that care about the dimensions that based on calculations and analysis for machine parts, buildings blueprints and so on, this software like AutoCAD , Solidworks , CATIA ...etc. And some of them are especially for artists like Adobe Illustrator , Coreldraw , Inkspace ...etc. In our website DXFforCNC.com we are talking about the DXF files from the artistic point of view to create decorative arts for your external and internal home and garden or to make promotions designs for your business like shop, garage and so on. That is DXF, so what is CNC?   CNC stands for ( Computer Numerical Control ) from its name we can see that we control the machine tools from the computers using program command, many CNC machines use G-codes which is a standardized programming language that many CNC machines understand, for our artistic DXF files there are many CNC machines routing, water jet, laser cutters and plasma cutters, each one of them has special configuration and variety like materials (wood, acrylic, leather, metals...etc) and Axes (2 axes, 3 axes ...etc). How do CNC machines understand DXF files? We have to know other kinds of programs called (CAM) computer-aided manufacturing these programs are used for manufacturing to ready the DXF files from the CAD programs. The standard process is starting with (CAD) program to design DXF file, then we send that file to the (CAM) program that generates the right G-code with commands for a particular machine using a post processor and then we load that G-code into the CNC machines for production. All Entire DXF Files Packages (Bundle) only $1599.99

[dxfforcnc1]

   Now that you know what CNC (Computer Numeric Control) plasma cutting table you are purchasing, its time to prepare the shop for its arrival. To prepare for the new table, you must make sure that the shop meets all the requirements to run the plasma table efficiently and properly. In this article, we will discuss the primary requirements for any CNC plasma cutting table. This will include the electrical and supplied gas requirements to run a CNC plasma cutting table. Electrical Requirements.    When your plasma table arrives, you will probably want to get your new machine up and cutting as soon as possible. To do this, proper planning will be needed. The first thing on your shop preparation list should be the electrical requirements. There will be a lot of amps being pulled to run your plasma table. This will include but not limited to your air compressor, computer, controller and plasma cutter. It is the responsibility of you the consumer to read the requirements given to you by the manufacturer to make sure your shop can handle the total amps that will be needed to run your machines. You need to make sure you have an adequate supply so that you don’t blow a fuse in a middle of a cut that could end up scrapping an entire part. Additionally, you will need to make sure you have the proper electrical service in your shop. Almost all plasma cutters run off at least a 220v AC service and can range higher into 575v. Thus, if you only have 120v going to your shop you will not be happy when you realize your new machine is now just a paperweight. It is recommended to have 120v and 220v service in your shop which will cover you for most CNC plasma cutting tables. Again, be sure to review the manufactures requirements, due to differences from manufacturer to manufacturer. The most common configuration will be a 120v service for the computer and controller for the table. As well, you will need at least 220v service for the plasma cutter and air compressor if air is going to be your supplied gas. Additionally, when dealing with electricity their will always be a need for a ground. When plasma cutting you typically ground the machine to your workpiece or another grounding point. However, manufactures of CNC plasma tables will require you to have a dedicated earth ground. This is commonly in the form of a long copper grounding rod that is installed into the ground. It is advised to have a licensed electrician inspect your plasma cutter and grounding rod for proper wiring and grounding. To recap, be sure to have the proper service in your garage. 120v and 220v supply will be needed. Additionally, be sure that your shop is rated to handle the amounts of amps being pulled on all your machines. It is always best to have more then what you think you will need. It is your job to review the manufactures requirements and determine if your shop is ready for your new machine. Whenever in doubt, be sure to consult with a licensed electrician and have them review your current service and determine if you meet your new shop requirements. Gas Requirements.    When plasma cutting you will need a supplied gas to assist in the cutting process. This includes compressed air, oxygen, nitrogen, and argon-hydrogen mixtures. Each gas has its own benefit and excels at different applications. Oxygen produces clean cuts at higher thicknesses and can tackle stainless steel and aluminum with mild dross. Nitrogen is used for even thicker material and produces a considerable cleaner cut with little dross. Argon-hydrogen mixtures are reserved for stainless and aluminum and work best at keeping the cut edge clean on these materials. However, compressed air is the preferred choice for most shops due to simplicity and cost-effectiveness. When dealing with a material under 1-inch thick, compressed air is usually the choice of many. Compressed air is supplied by an air compressor and will be the driving force of the cutting process. However, if not properly set up, your air supply can be your shops one major handicap which can halt any plasma cutting setup. Your plasma cutter and cutting conditions will determine what type of air compressor you require. To operate your plasma cutter, you need to make sure your air compressor can deliver the required airflow. This is known as CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute). If your plasma cutter is not getting the required CFM through the PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) range your plasma cutter will die out. Additionally, knowing what type of cutting you will be doing on your table will determine the tank size of your air compressor. For instance, if you are taking small short cuts that require few pierces, a smaller 30-gallon tank is acceptable. However, if you have multiple parts nested on one sheet which require a lot of cut time, you will need a bigger tank. For long cuts and multiple pierces, a 60 to 80-gallon tank will be needed so that the plasma cutter can run through the entirety o...

[dxfforcnc1]

The technology behind CNC has been evolving over years since the 1940S. A lot of improvements have been made to suit the needs of the consumers. The plasma cutting machines are now suitable for large and small-scale manufacture, artist and even DIY enthusiasts. Easy to cut  precious metals to any shapes. The machine has made it easy to cut precious metals to any shapes, it is suitable for the designers who need to customize metal plates, through this wonderful invention industrial business operators can now get quick and accurately cut hundreds of identical shapes using handheld plasma cutting system or mechanized plasma. There are several reasons why plasma cutting machines are very important in the designing industry. The industries have been relying on the heavy metals to build structures, cars, and other components that need accuracy in designing and accuracy from metal components, also its used on medium and lite metal to build home internal and garden decorations. However, while metal is incredibly strong, it’s also highly resistant to damage, meaning specialist machinery is required to accurately cut and manipulate the materials. Plasma and superheated, ionized gas. The plasma cutting technology involves creating an electrical channel of superheated, ionized gas for example plasma from itself through the work peace to be designed, thus forming a completed electric circuit back to the plasma cutter via a grounding clamp. This is normally accomplished by compressed air, Oxygen and other inserts depending on the material being designed. The process formed an arc within the gas between an electrode near or integrated into the gas nozzle and the workpiece itself. The arc ionizes some of the gas this creates an electrically conductive channel of plasma. As this electricity being formed, the cutter torch travels down the plasma which it delivers sufficient heat to melt through the workpiece. At the same time, the compressed gas together with high-velocity plasma blows the hot molten metal away this help in separating the pieces. Thickness and limits. You get a perfect cutting on both thick and thin materials alike using plasma as a cutting tool the normal hand cutting can be used to cut up to 1.5 inches (38mm) thick steel plate. A stronger computer controlled can cut up to 6 inches (150 mm) they are extremely useful for cutting sheet metal in curved or angled shapes this is because the plasma cutters produce very hot and localized cone. Need safety with plasma. The safety measures have to be taken while using any machine in the world, and it is recommended to use the guidelines put in place by inventors and manufactures regulations in order to be safe when using them. Proper eye protection and the face shield is required to prevent arc eye and debris damage. The recommended lenses to use are green lenses shade. All Entire DXF Files Packages (Bundle) only $1599.99

[dxfforcnc1]

   When looking at purchasing a CNC (Computer Numeric Control) plasma table, the endless possibilities can make purchasing one difficult. However, knowing what you are looking at and knowing what you will be using your new machine for, will make purchasing one much easier. In this article, we will discuss what to look for in any CNC plasma cutting package. This includes the components, type of table, and supporting programs. Table Components.    The primary components of most tables include the Y-beam, gantry, X-carriage, Z-head, and slats . The Y-beam is the long axis or Y axis that holds the gantry. This allows the gantry to move up and down in the Y-direction.  The gantry rides the Y-beam and holds the X-carriage. The X-carriage or torch carriage holds the torch assembly and allows the torch to move up and down the X-axis. The Z-head holds the torch and allows movement up and down the Z-axis. On most machines, the X, Y, and Z-axis are controlled by servo motors which allow the torch to move to its desired path. The servo motors and Computer work in conjunction and are what control the movement of the cut once programmed. The slats are metal runners that are spaced across the table. These slats provide support to the part as its being cut. Almost all tables are configured in this setup and are proven to be the most reliable configurations. Some tables come with different features. One feature most tables will come with is a magnetic breakaway torch carriage. This can save you time and money. If programmed improperly a torch can take a nose dive and can cause damage to the components inside or even the carriage. In addition, if a slug lifts up from a part while cutting and a torch makes contact, it can cause damage to the system. With the magnetic breakaway, any force over that of the magnetic force will dislodge the carriage and stop the program. Another key feature is automatic torch control. If a raw sheet is not perfectly flat, a sensor mounted on the carriage can adjust the torch height so you always have proper torch height and do not make contact with the part, which could cause damage. When having both features, programming time will decrease and unintended torch collisions can be less catastrophic. Even though many tables will have a similar setup, the table itself can be vastly different. The reasoning for this is fume control. Types of Tables.    When cutting through the material, extremely hot molten metal is being blasted out the back of the piece scattering debris everywhere.  It is also known that hot air rises and these tiny particles can rise into the air causing inadequate working conditions. Over time with no fume control, an entire shop or garage can become fully covered in black debris. This is where the molten material has landed and stayed. This is not the desired outcome for any hobbyist or manufacturer. To combat this, table manufacturers have come up with two types of tables. The two types of available tables are the downdraft table and the water table . The downdraft table uses a fume extracting system that sits above the table. With the part sitting on the slats of the table, the system then sucks up any debris trying to escape the table while cutting. The water table accomplishes the same goal as the downdraft table but uses water instead of an extracting system. The table works by filling it up with water until the water is close to or touching the desired part to be cut. When the part is being cut the molten material is blasted out the back and hits the water. This instantly cools the molten material and sinks it to the bottom of the table. Thus, by sinking the debris it can’t escape into the air. Both tables achieve the same goal but the water table holds advantages over the downdraft table. When cutting, your part is constantly increasing in temperature. When performing long heavy cuts the heat builds up in the part causing it to warp and bend. This can cause improper torch height and line of cut. This can leave your part with inadequate finished edges or even a bad part. Owners of a water table can fill it up so the water is touching the part or even submerged. This ensures a cool part when performing long cuts. Knowing what type of material you will be cutting or in what setting will determine what table is best for you. Another factor that you will have to consider is what size table you will need. Tables come in all configurations. Most table manufactures provide a set list to choose from. However, some table manufactures allow for custom sizes. The reasoning for this is due to the simplicity of the parts and function as explained above. Software.   When purchasing a package, many manufacturers will have proprietary programs that will come with the package that allow operation of their product. This is commonly called ...

[dxfforcnc1]

The technology behind CNC has been evolving over years since the 1940S. A lot of improvements have been made to suit the needs of the consumers. The plasma cutting machines are now suitable for large and small-scale manufacture, artist and even DIY enthusiasts. Easy to cut  precious metals to any shapes. The machine has made it easy to cut precious metals to any shapes, it is suitable for the designers who need to customize metal plates, through this wonderful invention industrial business operators can now get quick and accurately cut hundreds of identical shapes using handheld plasma cutting system or mechanized plasma. There are several reasons why plasma cutting machines are very important in the designing industry. The industries have been relying on the heavy metals to build structures, cars, and other components that need accuracy in designing and accuracy from metal components, also its used on medium and lite metal to build home internal and garden decorations. However, while metal is incredibly strong, it’s also highly resistant to damage, meaning specialist machinery is required to accurately cut and manipulate the materials. Plasma and superheated, ionized gas. The plasma cutting technology involves creating an electrical channel of superheated, ionized gas for example plasma from itself through the work peace to be designed, thus forming a completed electric circuit back to the plasma cutter via a grounding clamp. This is normally accomplished by compressed air, Oxygen and other inserts depending on the material being designed. The process formed an arc within the gas between an electrode near or integrated into the gas nozzle and the workpiece itself. The arc ionizes some of the gas this creates an electrically conductive channel of plasma. As this electricity being formed, the cutter torch travels down the plasma which it delivers sufficient heat to melt through the workpiece. At the same time, the compressed gas together with high-velocity plasma blows the hot molten metal away this help in separating the pieces. Thickness and limits. You get a perfect cutting on both thick and thin materials alike using plasma as a cutting tool the normal hand cutting can be used to cut up to 1.5 inches (38mm) thick steel plate. A stronger computer controlled can cut up to 6 inches (150 mm) they are extremely useful for cutting sheet metal in curved or angled shapes this is because the plasma cutters produce very hot and localized cone. Need safety with plasma. The safety measures have to be taken while using any machine in the world, and it is recommended to use the guidelines put in place by inventors and manufactures regulations in order to be safe when using them. Proper eye protection and the face shield is required to prevent arc eye and debris damage. The recommended lenses to use are green lenses shade. All Entire DXF Files Packages (Bundle) only $1599.99

[dxfforcnc1]

   When programming a CNC (computer numeric control) cutting machine, there are many factors that affect how the machine cuts and the quality of the finished part. In this article, you will learn how to program properly by understanding programming techniques and conditions. This includes understanding your machines supporting slats, programming strategic tabs, and pierce/lead in conditions. Support Slats.    When programming there are many factors and obstacles to consider. If not programmed correctly or obstacles not accounted for, you not only will make bad parts but also will damage your machine. A single mistake can cause a whole sheet to be scraped or your machine to be repaired. When programming a single part on a sheet, you must first think where on your sheet you will burn the part. On most machines, there are slats that span the table. These slats are used to hold the sheet up and allows the cutting source to pierce through the material and disperses off around the slat or in the gap of the slats. Slats will need to be replaced because slag will build upon them from heavy use or cutting that occurs in the same area. So, when picking where on the sheet you will burn the part, you will need to consider where the slats are and how far apart they span from one another. The reasoning is because of tipping. If the part is big there is no reason to worry about the position. The reason is that the part will be properly supported all around from the slats. However, if the parts are small your raw sheet is supported, but once the small part is cut out it may fall through. Not only may it fall through but it could tip up and when your cutting head moves past, it can collide and cause massive damage. To avoid this, you can cut the part out on a position or orientation that properly supports the part on one or preferably two slats or use tabs. Tabbing.    Tabs, also called micro joints are used to secure the part to the sheet via small fingers of metal. You can achieve this in two ways. As you cut around the perimeter of the part you can stop the cut whatever distance early to allow a solid tab to be left. For example, if I cut a one-inch hole out of 0.125” steel, I would program the part to stop about 0.020” short of completing the one-inch hole. This allows 0.020” of material to hold up that one-inch hole. This is plenty enough to hold up the weight. However, if the feature cut out gets bigger or heavier due to size or material thickness, the tab will need to be thicker to support the added weight. Be sure to tab accordingly. If the tab is too skinny the part will break out due to the assisted air of the cutting machine. If too heavy you won’t be able to break the part out. The other way to create a tab is a reentry. This occurs when you're cutting and you stop the cut slide over the desired tab distances and continue the cut. This is the least desirable way to create a tab because it requires another pierce because your picking up and moving down which requires a pierce to begin cutting again. However, when burring out parts most times you will have to put two tabs on the parts, so it doesn’t tip. Thus, you utilize both tactics to achieve proper support of the part. Tabs sound like a nice way to always keep a part secure. However, over tabbing has its drawbacks and should only be used if needed. The reasoning is due to dross and tab residue. When you finished burning a part with tabs you must then break it free. This is why you do not want to make the tab too thick or you will have to use a hammer to break them out. When you break it out a bit of the tab will be left over on the raw sheet and the part. When you run your finger down the edge of the part there will be a bump where the tab is. You will need to file it off or grind it off along with the dross. When running heavy small parts thick tabs will be needed. Thus, you most likely will be grinding, and no one enjoys grinding. To combat this, you can use proper part placement and skip the tabs or use strategic tabs and keep the number of tabs down or their thickness. A trick to have clean finished parts is to over tab if the part can safely rest on the slats when cutting out. An over tab is when you program your cut to continue to cut past its final destination by a few thousandths of an inch. This guarantees the part is fully cut away from the raw sheet and takes off any burr that would be left from the lead in. Piercing and Lead-Ins.    When cutting out a part you must first program a pierce and lead in. The pierce penetrates the raw sheet, that then allows the beam to start cutting on its desired path. The piercing is a higher intensity that is trying to penetrate the metal. This requires changing conditions as the sheet gets thinner and thinner. This will cause a bigger hole than the actual cutting beam width. Additionally, from the pierce, molten material will splatter and cause dross. Because of...