CNC Plasma Cutter Vote

History

Mailing List Announcement: 3-4-16
Officially Proposed: TBD
To be Voted on: TBD

Background

We currently have great CNC milling capabilities at PS1 (especially for wood and soft metals), to round out our capabilities we'd like to propose CNC cutting of large sheet metal and plate. Adding a CNC plasma cutting table would allow us to utilize our existing plasma cutter for high quality CNC cuts.

We expect the purchase of this machine to be made once more space is available, after PS1's expansion into the space next door. Currently the proposal budgets for a 4x8 table, but can be reduced to 4x4 (reduces overall cost about $1500) depending on space constriants.

Bart Dring has offered to provide a CNC torch head, which would allow mixed use as a CNC and hand-operated machine, by simply switching the torch connected to the plasma cutter. He also has offered to provide a torch height controller that is optional on some variations of the machine but is included on the proposed machine below.

This vote is to purchase the following from Procut CNC:

HD4400R 4'x 8' PLASMA READY TABLE

Optional purchases depending on remaining budget include:

This setup includes all of the required components to build the plasma table, and includes the PC and software. It also includes capabilities to scan existing parts into DXF files to allow for modification and copying.

Budget Breakdown

A spreadsheet shows the various options for a proposed CNC machine. The currently budgeted model is a 4x8 Plasma Ready Table, a kit that contains all the software, electronics, and hardware to build a CNC plasma cutter.

PS1 Contribution

PS1 will contribute up to $7000 of the required funds for the purchase of the CNC plasma cutter, from the discretionary budget. This amount is slightly more than %60 of the total machine budget plus 15% additional funding buffer to account for unforeseen expenses, price changes, etc.

Fundraising

We will be running a fundraising campaign to help solicit donations towards the purchase of a machine. We expect to cover 50% of the machine's cost through this method.

If fundraising is successful, funds committed to the vote budget will be used for the equipment purchase. Any unused funds at the end of the vote period will be folded into the PS1 discretionary spending budget. If fundraising fails to allow for the purchase of the necessary equipment, all direct donations will be returned to their respective donors, and the crowdfunding campaign will be cancelled.

Direct Donation

Member and non-member direct donations in cash will be collected by the board of directors and vote sponsors. Donations can be made via PayPal. The School Factory will accept checks as dontations, to make your donation tax deductible; follow the instructions on their donation page. Direct donations will be added to the vote budget and are to be used towards the purchase of the aforementioned equipment.

Crowdfunding

Items considered for rewards are here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q36xlIE4CP1IkoupsClIS6KpbWwV2rTeweRk11R2isw/edit

Language

Authorize the Board of Directors to spend up to $7,000 on a CNC plasma cutter table and accessories. Also authorize the vote sponsors to start a fund-raising campaign on behalf of Pumping Station: One to cover the remaining costs of the machine. Authorization expires 6 months after the vote is accepted.

Results

Receipts