Ever since I got a "proper" CNC mill, the CNCed Bridgeport has been sulking in the corner, unwanted and unused. Last year I got one of those 40A plasma cutters from LIDL (£159). It's now come to point where I want to be able to machine cut (ie CNC plasma) sheet metal, so although it sounds like sacrilege, I'm starting to think about how to combine the 2.

Some obvious challenges:
  • The workpiece would dance about, so any water trough would need to be designed not to sloosh water everywhere.
  • I'd need to modify the milling post processor to output plasma-specific g code. For instance, not use M3 for torch on, as this would want to enable the spindle VFD output. I want it to remain usable as a mill. I can use a spare output to drive a relay.
  • I'd want to protect the table etc from splatter.
  • Obvs it would have a limited work envelope - but that's not a massive concern.
  • Mounting the torch on the quill would allow vertical movement of the torch but how to avoid the thing turning? I could clamp to the outside of the quill but would need to move the home switch to prevent it trying to fully retract. That might be the way to go.


Any thoughts or previous experience I can learn from?