I think you should film yourself FIXING the leak and making us all LOVE your channel even more. Most of us who buy these tables are fabricators... Meaning, we just really need the parts and we'll make the gizmo function like the hammer of Thor! Keep up the good work.
You say cost is a good thing but if they assemble things for you or weld things cost rises. I think they made a product for a specific user in mind. Someone without tens of thousands of dollars to play with but has the ability to put the puzzle together. All valid points you've made but in my opinion if all the things that are a negative are fixed cost starts becoming an issue. That being said great video for a potential purchaser thanks
I would like to have options. Offer it as this is, or give a couple of options for partial assembly. Yes, it will cost more, but despite what some people here are saying, fabricating things doesn’t mean that everyone will be good at assembling something complex that requires careful and accurate adjustments to get working properly. This is more like an erector set than any other machine I’ve seen.
I TIG welded the water bed seam from the get go. SO GLAD I DID! I also plugged the self tapping screw holes into the frame. Made some brackets, welded to base of water bed, screwed into frame. NO MORE HOLES IN THE WATER BASIN!
Just want to say, excellent review. Having your own business you recognize time is money. So, to pre-assemble the table would add to the cost. This being an entry-level machine for the hobbyist, the price point is important. So, everyone should keep that in mind. Just wanted to point this out.
Hear hear unit is a great buy. Roy is clueless!!! his complaints are ridiculous. If he wanted to cut 49 1/4 material buy machine that claims to cut same. If he cant seal a clamshell water seam he is the problem not the design. Spent 50 bucks and get a folded up onesy and weld corners. No limit switches easy to add if they have an input if no hardware input to the software make your own to cut power to stepper or set software limits. I could go on but this guy expects MIRACLES for a fantastic entry level machine. Price of unit says it all
I have purchased one of these, coming up on 1 year of ownership. I completely endorse everything you had to say here. I have not had a problem with the water table leaking myself though. Hidden cost is for sure a thing. You're not going to happily run a plasma cutter on a small 120V air compressor. Prepare to buy something like a 60gal 240V compressor. I had to wire that in (copper is not cheap) Also had to run a 50A circuit for the cutter its self, again copper isn't cheap. I think those two hidden costs made up about $1000 worth of expense that I didn't really consider when I bought the table. Glad to have a good air compressor in my garage as an added bonus now though. Agree the assembly is kind of annoying, but as a hobbyist it was kind of fun for me, and you only have to do it once. But your description is not exaggerated. Oh yeah, I'm a bit of a computer nerd and actually do 3D CAD as my day job. The software wasn't a problem for me, but again there is certainly a learning curve that's going to happen if you're new to CAD. Good news! Langmuir actually has a pretty good tutorial that I think anybody can get up and running with, if they just carefully follow along.
If you put it together correctly the water table doesn’t leak! Been 6+ months and not 1 leak. Clean the mating surfaces is what most people skip. I used alcohol and scotch bright pads. Yes a single peace table would be great but that would cost a lot more to ship.
I agree. As an former aerospace machinist, I've seen properly assembled half million dollar lathes and mills leak on day 1. Surface prep is everything. Beyond that, if you aren't planning on taking it apart, weld it. together.
A number of people have mentioned this problem. This isn’t a heavy, complex machine. The sealing should be better. That’s why so many people TIG the top pieces together. The screws they supply for the water bed look like alloy steel, not stainless. They’re black, so that’s a telling point. Stainless wouldn’t have cost much more. These screws will eventually rust.
Best review I’ve seen! Not a bunch of ads, unbiased, and you put it all out there to include your experience/limitations and the machine’s. Thank you! I was looking at spending some extra snow plowing money on CNC and a plasma cutter. Now, I think I’ll just invest in a little better plasma cutter (Hypertherm 45 XP) and maybe get into CNC later. Great job! Liked and subscribed! Hard to find honest and straightforward info.
Great video. I have been thinking of ordering one. It's nice to actually hear the cons with the pros. Most reviews are just the pros. I have been a little nervous about shelling out the dough because of the software. I'm not very computer savvy like the younger generation.
Thank you for the honesty. The information is key and important to me. As I have ordered one and they said it would be ready in July. I’m close enough to where they build them and will be picking up mine. Information that you have given me is invaluable especially for the people who will be running it for me. Thank you again and God bless
Thank You for taking the time to do such a professional and informative video. I have been considering the x fire pro and you brought a couple issues to my attention.
Thank you for this review! I am looking in to getting a cnc table, and have zero experience with one. This was very informative, on the what to and not to expect. I'm looking at getting their 4x8 crossfire XR.
Due diligence fixes a lot of the cons, been checking forums and reviews such as this for 1 year as my shop is being built to ensure setup runs smoothly, and already have discovered these potential issues. Why not weld the water pan if you don't plan on taking it apart again? Or just disassemble, scuff mating surfaces, silicone, and let it set up completely before using. I always have a bigger problem removing silicone used to fix leaks than I do fixing leaks with silicone, as long as surface was clean and dry and it was allowed to cure. Nice video!
Thanks for the feedback on this cutter. Instead of silicone sealant, try using Phenoseal. Home Depot in my area sells it. When this product first started showing up in hardware and home centers, there used to be a display of mosaic tiles using Phenoseal as a grout. It is tenacious compared to silicone. I would remove as much silicone as possible where ever I use this just so it doesn't create a leak later due to the silicone loosing it's adhesion. If used on a replaecement, say Anderson window, once it sets up, it is a real bear to get disassembled. Another plus is that latex paint will adhere to it vs silicone. I used it to seal my glass bead cabinet with excellent results. If you have a retailer near you that handles it, it should be with the other caulks. One last and great feature, it cleans up with water prior to it's setting up so if you make a mess, you are golden as no chemicals are needed and if you like to use your finger to even out the fill, it is perfectly OK. Just have a clean damp rag for cleaning off your skin. It comes in white, brown and clear.
Regarding shipping in multiple deliveries: after placing the order I sent them an email asking to ship everything at the same time and I got everything in a single shipment, no problem at all...
Good review. By coincidence have the same setup as you. Langmuir Crossfire Pro with THC and a Hypertherm Powermax 65 with a machine torch. One thing I didn't know as far as the Powermax was the availability of the fine cut consumables for the torch for those folks wanting to cut thin (say 14GA for less) sheet. The Crossfire table is a great deal for what it is, but as you note a Professional solution is it not. As an entry table it is excellent and I do love mine. I'd never have a bought a table if I had to spend $8000 to do it. Anyone who has priced anything out will know its 1/2 the price some the something better and more like 1/4 of the cost of a professional solution. Not sure how far into looking at a better solution you have gotten but you need more speed too. The 300 IPM the Crossfire does is marginal for a Plasma like the Hypertherm 65. Good luck -Mike
@@bpdp379I think all the 45 nozzles I've run are fine cut. Wouldn't hesitate to try. The Hypertherm machines are just amazing.. I think the 45 amp tip on a 65 amp machine can run 100% duty cycle.
I don’t know about for this table but I know when I was in school our cnc used that same software and you could set parameters in the software that showed up as a box on the screen. You could use that to set your limits. We used it to mark our edges for when we used smaller plates. You could manually run the software to set up a boundary in the software so you wouldn’t layout your design outside of the boundary. It wouldn’t prevent the machine from going outside of it if you layed something out wrong but it did give you a visual representation on your screen for where the edges of your plates where
Also another think you want to be able to program a cnc let it run and walk away. Every job I have worked at if someone walked away from their cnc while it was runnin they got chewed out by the shop foreman and if it happened again they where let go, you always need to pay attention to your machine while it’s running
Don’t walk away from this machine when using it. Doing that sounds just like students. Industrial machines are very different. They have many safety systems in case of a fault during operation. But cheaper machines have little of that. It’s dangerous to not pay attention.
It's simple business economics 101. If you want more per-assemblies or factory welded assemblies, someone at the factory is going to have to spend time doing that work. And they will need to be paid. Then the price of the machine will be higher. Then there would be people complaining about the cost of the machine. Same with longer cables, etc. Cheap is cheap, and "you get what you pay for"
First I enjoy your channel keep up the good work. I didn’t think the assembly was all that difficult. In my opinion you make it sound much worse than it actually was. There were allot of fasteners and components but they were well labeled and the assembly instructions were well put togather and easy to follow. I was able to assemble it myself in two evenings. I had it mostly together the first night. Hardly a daunting task. As you mentioned the water table is shipped in two pieces to save on shipping. I suppose Langmuir could offer a 1 piece. I’m guessing they looked into it, and decided few people would pay the extra shipping fees, for the one piece table. As you pointed out it is easy to weld together if it makes you nervous. I am somewhat surprised you have had so many troubles with leaks. Two years in still no leaks for me. You mentioned there were LOTS of complaints about leaks on the forum…. They do exist, but I would say the majority of the thousands of tables they have produced, that implement the segmented water table, have not had the kind of issues you reported. Their larger XR table also uses a segmented water table. One thing you didn’t mention is the couplers. The couplers were a source of angst. They were aluminum and it was difficult to get them tight enough without stripping them. They have since moved to a heavier duty steel coupler… so they do listen and make changes when appropriate. I did enjoy your review and appreciate your perspective. Near the end you mentioned you would be ditching the Langmuir table and buying a more established brand. I have watched a few of your more recent videos and have seen you finishing some of your plasma cut parts but didn’t see the actuall cutting… which is fair the work you do is far more interesting than CNC work.. but I was looking to see what machine you upgraded to? Thanks for taking the time to post this review. Keep up the good work with your channel.
Very helpful review for helping me make my decision to purchase one. I believe that they have made some improvements in line with some of your criticisms, ie limit switches, since this video was made. Thanks for making this video. I was very pleased to see your review on their website. I generally trust your opinions on such matters. God bless you.
We have a inhouse built system that was completed years ago. The general attitude now is it was a interesting project but now that we face drawbacks and hidden issues a predesigned system starts looking like it would have been a better idea. We are actually about to start a modification project on it so we can use modern software. Since it was a custom project we got a good mix of features that are seen on professional units. So seeing someone do a full honest true good & bads evaluation from someone who isn't a professional cnc plasma cutter gives a lot of insight on these machines. I do agree with you on some of the bads though I understand some of their reasoning for doing some of it for offering a very cheap unit. Though a bolted waterbed seems like a bad idea that I don't follow.
@@ChristCenteredIronworks Oh yes it is definitely a rabbit hole alright. At the time cnc plasma tables were almost professionals only unless you built it yourself but now that hobbyist units exist I wouldn't recommend a home build unless you know what you want and how to do it.
FYI my Crossfire Pro has a total X travel of 48.15", and Y a little over 33". I definitely agree that they should have nearly doubled the length of the wires to connect to the computer and plasma cutter. It's ridiculous how close the computer and plasma cutter have to be to the water table that occasionally has a spay of water escape over the side.
The leftovers from cutting the hearts out looking kinda like the front/back profile of an anvil 🤔, stack weld them up add a heel, the horn, and top plate!!! And to get really fancy, add a different steel between the plates and make it a demascis anvil! Or, bend the points and make a stand for something, like a stand for keeping hot pans off the top of the table. Or can hold ceramic pots for plants. Love your magnetic pick-up tool!👍
shipping size and cost is a big reason for the split bed. The many parts you mention that could be either welded or preassembled in the factory, either have to be installed by you and I (or any customer), OR we pay the manufacturer to pay employee's to install (or do the welds). I'm sure they have to juggle the overall cost for the product AND the shipping to make it affordable. My guess is they are shooting for the $3k mark. To your point though, maybe they could make that an option (like Prusa does on the main 3D printer). but I am willing to bet you, it would be another $300 to $400 for welds and minor pre-assembles and another $50 for the larger table (and packaging increases to keep it from damage, the larger that thin metal table gets, the easier it is to damage). As you know, they have limit switch option now, perhaps that was thanks to your constructive criticism. any way, thanks for thorough and honest look into this system.
oh, you may have mentioned this in other videos (I'm new to your channel), but I would highly recommend adding a 3D Printer to your shop. You could have printed many of the jigs, efficiency things, plasma torch clamp, wire management (including drag chains), etc. In almost every case, you will find these models already designed and for free out on thingiverse, printables, etc. So you can spend more time doing your ironwork, than mucking with 3D modeling. Just search for what you want, find some you want, download, and print.
It would be nice to hear how to cut different thicknesses of steel. Like less than 2 mm. Maybe 14 gauge. I saw one guy saying he just uses the highest amperage on his plasma cutter and makes sure it is matched to the consumables for everything. Then he varies the cut speed. That makes me think there must be a right way to do it to get a clean cut.
That was beautiful, thanks for the great video. I've been told to invest in a CNC machine and you have given some really carefully laid out insight to the idea. Keep up the good work
Roy, you have done an excellent job of reviewing this system. I have owned a 4 x 4 PlasmaCam II System for 6 years now using a Hypertherm Powermax 65 which has proven to cut out chamfers on 1 1/4" thick Railroad Tie. My unit was shipped in a one piece protected crate that I still retain to return any parts I might possibly need to return in the future; just in case. The unit came with an extensive library for construction, installation and usage, an awesome warranty, and several options of proprietary usage software. As you said with your system it has it's pros and cons, well PlasmaCam certainly has theirs as well. They did not have a ready made Water Table to ship with the unit, so I looked up Keith Fenner at Turn Wright Machine Works to see how he built his Combination Draft/Water Table. He has extensive video series on PlasmaCam System usage and he is certainly a perfectionist when it comes to approaching CNC Plasma Cutting Different Metals. As you have said, you pretty much attain what you pay for in this realm and your starting dollar reaches you several things with this unit as well, they have several forums, and several people that have worked with the company that are very willing to work out any questions or bugs if or when they come along. But as soon as you become proficient with your CNC Table you look toward the next level up. I really admire how honest you have been about your system, I looked for this when I was searching for mine and you really had to almost know someone that had a system already or find a unit online that you could trust the TH-cam Channel's author, and that was a hit and miss thing to verify when I was praying about this purchase! Again Great Job Roy! :0)
@@dominicscalia1060 Dominic, my best answer is to take a look at Keith Fenner at Turnwright Machine Works, he is a master mechanic, welder, machinist, and received an abundance of his experience through the Armed Forces and working in Naval Shipyards. He gives neverending examples from how to assemble the PlasmaCam Systems to making improvements to them. I bought his Buy-For-Resale Item that PlasmaCam wanted to annex themselves, but he himself sells. He has extensive knowlege about PlasmaCam and has tried other systems along with other systems geared toward wood routing and 3D printing as well he is a wealth of knowledge and glad to share his wisdom. turnwrightmachineworks.com/the-pop-a-way-by-keith-fenner/
I have been sending my stuff off to get it CNC cut thankfully I know the guy really well so it's usually only a few bucks. Would really like to have my own one day would be super useful for some of the projects I have in mind.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re not able to bolt some shit together, you probably can’t handle the software side anyways. It’s a non-issue
Thanks for your No-Nonsense Review. I like the idea of a 5x10 table so that you have more wiggle room to cut around 4x8 sheets if they are off by an 1". Plus Aluminum comes in 5x10 sheets as well. The price was good on this machine. The only things I didn't like about this cutter is lack of componentry like Jewel Scribe, Wood/Aluminum Router attachments for milling and engraving, Pipe Cutter Attachments, Torch Break Aways. I'm not sure I am sold on the ball screw attachments, if molten-mental crap gets in that ball screw, there goes your accuracy for alignment holes. Ok for art and signage, but not good for precision parts. ArcLight dynamics and Starlab machines have a higher initial cost, but they are more expandable.
Good review on that machine. The company that I worked for bought one out of Pennsylvania it came fully assemble. I well get the name of the company and send it to you so you can take look.
Hey Roy, glad to see you guys doing so well since your move. Question for you on your Plasma table, I'm in MI as well- what do you use to keep your water tray from freezing? Thanks and God bless!
I been looking at these pretty heavy for our shop making stuff for auto repair and trailers don’t think I’ll have much in the 1” range for cutting needs but I’d like that option my current set up wimps out at 3/16” and it’s all free hand I just build fences for a clean straight cut but set up and duplications are a time consuming process so I’d like to get into the cnc game we’re a small family owned and ran business in a rural area so cost is a major factor but no sense in wasting money trying to save a buck on a machine that’s just going to cost you in the long run these seem to be a good stepping stone for us I have the room and ability to upgrade into a larger system of the turn around is what I’m anticipating we turn away probably 50-100 large fabrication jobs just from lack of a cnc machine so I’m fairly confident we can see the roi quickly
Thank you so much for an honest review of the cross fire pro.Almost everything else you see on it is a fluff piece by someone getting paid one way or another I just ordered mine a few days ago It will be for home use and maybe some signs and what not on the side to offset the cost some Again thanks for being honest about the unit
the reality is that this is a hobby grade table and to keep the costs down they made sacrifices. its like comparing a ford focus to a porsche boxster ! there both cars but there not in the same class. when my water table leaked i just sealed it with some silicone. yes the supplied silicone sucks but its a 10$ fix and its easy to do or you can just weld it. the table is made in 2 pieces so they can ship it for less to people all over the world. i do wish it was a couple inchs bigger so you can cut out the 4 by 3 like you said because if it hits the side it will throw off the rest of the part. it would be nice if it had limit stops and tip up collision sense but i was told they cant because of the kind motors and it would cost allot more to changed to the better ones. i love my table and i would buy it again in a second but its 100% a hobby table for a garage and not for a welding on fab shop that will run it 8 hours a day. if you buy one be prepared to do many hours of computer work if you wanna make complex signs and parts.
I know what you mean about the limits run a cybermation plasma table at work and I have to reprogram the limits to get that extra inch out of a plate when it’s nested .
I know with lathes, they have "soft barriers" to prevent crashes. You can go into the program and cancel those barriers and get that extra space, but you must obviously make sure you aren't going to run into the components of the machine. I am not sure about the plasma cutter Roy uses having soft barriers. It should.
Preassembly equals higher cost. Do you want a good value system or higher cost? Where do you draw the line? I'd prefer my own labor rates (free) to their US craftsman lol.
not sure if you are still looking at comments on this old of a video but if so I have a question.... I have a fairly high end desktop PC that I use for my design work. so obviously I wouldn't want it to be out in the shop environment so would running this table via that pc in the next room be possible or would I just need to invest in a laptop dedicated for the table and just load the files via network or jump drive or whatever??
Water leak? "Flex seal"🤔😁 (as seen on TV 👍) "Knock on wood, I don't have any wood around here"🤔❓uhm....look around Roy 🤣😂😅. The ceiling and support post are all wood!!!lol
Good review. Can you tell us how easy it is to upload and set up drawings from CAD? Are you using DXF files or what does that machine need to run properly?
Great review, thank you. I've been looking hard at this for a while and will probably pull the trigger on it soon. I was already aware of most of the "downside" portions you mentioned but it's good to be forewarned that it's not going to get bolted together in a day. Still, as you mentioned it's a great way to get one's foot in the door and make some side income without doing a massive outlay for a truly "pro" machine.
Their forum is full of water leak stories, you are not alone. It seems that the guys who don't have leaks are in the minority. It is a small company which is why they ship the machine in separate shipments. They obviously don't have the people and space to handle all the parts at one time for all the units on order at any time. They probably outsource every part and are simply packaging parts as they come in from their vendors.
Best machine for the money.....Hands down. and is dropped off on your door step by the ups man. Quit whining and just reseal the table. Mine leaked too but I blamed the guy assembling it. Only complaint I have was how long it took from order to delivery.
This is on my list to buy. This company is high on my list of places. Mach 3 has that ability. Not sure if this software does.. adding limit switches should be easy
It can definitely be improved for sure.. my hope with this review was to put out the information that seemed to be missing from a lot of reviews not turn anyone off from buying it. As I said it is great for the price point but doesn't fix all of life's problems... Thank you for taking the time to comment :-)
@@ChristCenteredIronworks after your review it is still top of my list, for all the reasons you mentioned. Knowing some of the issues I will know what to expect :)
im at 1500 using beefed up 3d printer parts. 4x6. BUT uses Argumented reality to use scrap pieces and save material basically auto arrange with a camera
It also looks like to me, some of the access issues of being a couple inches to short, could be possibly solved by purchasing your own square tubing from a metal yard. Building your own X and Y access points. Along with the table wouldn't cost that much in metal bought for a supplier. 🤔
You forgot the hidden cost of the software. There are monthly fees, yearly fees, and a seven day update if you go with the free program. Not to mention the CADD programs also have subscription frees sometimes .
just started assembling mine, definitely some trial and error, the instruction are vague on a few things, like the legs, i had to swap a couple because they were in the wrong spot. i got to the roler adjustment and didnt really understand what is wanted me to do so i called it a night, maybe when im not tired it will make sense
see myself after doing entry level "shits" then going and getting another real one fuck it I'm doing it one time! myself i don't like disturbing my shop set up nothing worse than trying to get a shop back in comfortable order where as i have a small hobby shop thanks for the honest review that all carries over to other tables as well when you're looking😎👍👍
I would say most of the bad stuff is kinda to ve expected at the price point Less plant assembly =money saved And odd ball sizes not divisible into standard sheets increase waste and lower cost Guess it's a trade off
I know this is a couple years old. Great video, but one think that I found really annoying; turn your autofocus off on your camera. The subtle zooming to keep focus on you is distracting.
I would be paranoid about welding and grinding and cutting, torching etc all day inside that wooden shop lol. our shop is all brick, concrete, and has an insulated steel ceiling. this shop reminds me of my garage at home where if i do anything in it, i'll stick around for about 30 mins after i finish to make sure nothings smoldering lol.
I'm 70 and had no problem assembling my table....my z axis was mostly preassembled...I thought it was layed out very good
I think you should film yourself FIXING the leak and making us all LOVE your channel even more. Most of us who buy these tables are fabricators... Meaning, we just really need the parts and we'll make the gizmo function like the hammer of Thor! Keep up the good work.
You say cost is a good thing but if they assemble things for you or weld things cost rises. I think they made a product for a specific user in mind. Someone without tens of thousands of dollars to play with but has the ability to put the puzzle together. All valid points you've made but in my opinion if all the things that are a negative are fixed cost starts becoming an issue. That being said great video for a potential purchaser thanks
I would like to have options. Offer it as this is, or give a couple of options for partial assembly. Yes, it will cost more, but despite what some people here are saying, fabricating things doesn’t mean that everyone will be good at assembling something complex that requires careful and accurate adjustments to get working properly. This is more like an erector set than any other machine I’ve seen.
Exactly get what u pay for, bud
Hard to believe it has been 6 months already. Time flies. Thank you for sharing and the time and energy you put into everything. 👏
It is hard to believe for sure
I TIG welded the water bed seam from the get go. SO GLAD I DID! I also plugged the self tapping screw holes into the frame. Made some brackets, welded to base of water bed, screwed into frame. NO MORE HOLES IN THE WATER BASIN!
Just want to say, excellent review. Having your own business you recognize time is money. So, to pre-assemble the table would add to the cost. This being an entry-level machine for the hobbyist, the price point is important. So, everyone should keep that in mind. Just wanted to point this out.
My bed does not leak, lots of parts came assembled, took 4 hrs to assemble , love the table. Solid.
Hear hear unit is a great buy. Roy is clueless!!! his complaints are ridiculous. If he wanted to cut 49 1/4 material buy machine that claims to cut same. If he cant seal a clamshell water seam he is the problem not the design. Spent 50 bucks and get a folded up onesy and weld corners. No limit switches easy to add if they have an input if no hardware input to the software make your own to cut power to stepper or set software limits. I could go on but this guy expects MIRACLES for a fantastic entry level machine. Price of unit says it all
I have purchased one of these, coming up on 1 year of ownership. I completely endorse everything you had to say here.
I have not had a problem with the water table leaking myself though.
Hidden cost is for sure a thing.
You're not going to happily run a plasma cutter on a small 120V air compressor. Prepare to buy something like a 60gal 240V compressor. I had to wire that in (copper is not cheap)
Also had to run a 50A circuit for the cutter its self, again copper isn't cheap.
I think those two hidden costs made up about $1000 worth of expense that I didn't really consider when I bought the table.
Glad to have a good air compressor in my garage as an added bonus now though.
Agree the assembly is kind of annoying, but as a hobbyist it was kind of fun for me, and you only have to do it once. But your description is not exaggerated.
Oh yeah, I'm a bit of a computer nerd and actually do 3D CAD as my day job. The software wasn't a problem for me, but again there is certainly a learning curve that's going to happen if you're new to CAD. Good news! Langmuir actually has a pretty good tutorial that I think anybody can get up and running with, if they just carefully follow along.
If you put it together correctly the water table doesn’t leak! Been 6+ months and not 1 leak. Clean the mating surfaces is what most people skip. I used alcohol and scotch bright pads. Yes a single peace table would be great but that would cost a lot more to ship.
I agree. As an former aerospace machinist, I've seen properly assembled half million dollar lathes and mills leak on day 1. Surface prep is everything. Beyond that, if you aren't planning on taking it apart, weld it. together.
Mine leaked at the welds but everything else was good. I should have caulked them but forgot and had to go back.
A number of people have mentioned this problem. This isn’t a heavy, complex machine. The sealing should be better. That’s why so many people TIG the top pieces together. The screws they supply for the water bed look like alloy steel, not stainless. They’re black, so that’s a telling point. Stainless wouldn’t have cost much more. These screws will eventually rust.
Best review I’ve seen! Not a bunch of ads, unbiased, and you put it all out there to include your experience/limitations and the machine’s. Thank you! I was looking at spending some extra snow plowing money on CNC and a plasma cutter. Now, I think I’ll just invest in a little better plasma cutter (Hypertherm 45 XP) and maybe get into CNC later. Great job! Liked and subscribed! Hard to find honest and straightforward info.
Thanks for the video man, I've been eyeballing this machine and am not 100% sold on it yet, looking forward to seeing what you end up getting next.
Great video. I have been thinking of ordering one. It's nice to actually hear the cons with the pros. Most reviews are just the pros. I have been a little nervous about shelling out the dough because of the software. I'm not very computer savvy like the younger generation.
Thanks for your honest review. I ordered mine a little bit ago. My 1/5 package arrived yesterday. Its good to know what i need to look out for. 🙏
Thank you for the honesty. The information is key and important to me. As I have ordered one and they said it would be ready in July. I’m close enough to where they build them and will be picking up mine. Information that you have given me is invaluable especially for the people who will be running it for me. Thank you again and God bless
Thank You for taking the time to do such a professional and informative video. I have been considering the x fire pro and you brought a couple issues to my attention.
Considering buying this machine, thank you for your honest appraisal.
Thank you for this review! I am looking in to getting a cnc table, and have zero experience with one. This was very informative, on the what to and not to expect. I'm looking at getting their 4x8 crossfire XR.
Nice review Roy. I have been considering a table for my shop as well. Until I take that step though I will be buying my blanks from you folks.
Thanks And That's awesome 👍 I'm sure you will be Glad once you get One in your shop ☺️
Due diligence fixes a lot of the cons, been checking forums and reviews such as this for 1 year as my shop is being built to ensure setup runs smoothly, and already have discovered these potential issues. Why not weld the water pan if you don't plan on taking it apart again? Or just disassemble, scuff mating surfaces, silicone, and let it set up completely before using. I always have a bigger problem removing silicone used to fix leaks than I do fixing leaks with silicone, as long as surface was clean and dry and it was allowed to cure. Nice video!
Thanks for the feedback on this cutter.
Instead of silicone sealant, try using Phenoseal. Home Depot in my area sells it. When this product first started showing up in hardware and home centers, there used to be a display of mosaic tiles using Phenoseal as a grout. It is tenacious compared to silicone. I would remove as much silicone as possible where ever I use this just so it doesn't create a leak later due to the silicone loosing it's adhesion. If used on a replaecement, say Anderson window, once it sets up, it is a real bear to get disassembled. Another plus is that latex paint will adhere to it vs silicone. I used it to seal my glass bead cabinet with excellent results. If you have a retailer near you that handles it, it should be with the other caulks. One last and great feature, it cleans up with water prior to it's setting up so if you make a mess, you are golden as no chemicals are needed and if you like to use your finger to even out the fill, it is perfectly OK. Just have a clean damp rag for cleaning off your skin. It comes in white, brown and clear.
Thank you for the recommendation
@@ChristCenteredIronworks How about flex seal, that stuff is pretty good
Biggest upgrade for me will be the 21x30ft metal building. I really want to buy me a table once I understand Fusion360. Cool video.
Regarding shipping in multiple deliveries: after placing the order I sent them an email asking to ship everything at the same time and I got everything in a single shipment, no problem at all...
Good review. By coincidence have the same setup as you. Langmuir Crossfire Pro with THC and a Hypertherm Powermax 65 with a machine torch. One thing I didn't know as far as the Powermax was the availability of the fine cut consumables for the torch for those folks wanting to cut thin (say 14GA for less) sheet. The Crossfire table is a great deal for what it is, but as you note a Professional solution is it not. As an entry table it is excellent and I do love mine. I'd never have a bought a table if I had to spend $8000 to do it. Anyone who has priced anything out will know its 1/2 the price some the something better and more like 1/4 of the cost of a professional solution. Not sure how far into looking at a better solution you have gotten but you need more speed too. The 300 IPM the Crossfire does is marginal for a Plasma like the Hypertherm 65. Good luck -Mike
Great comment sir! Yeah the search has been quite extensive with a whole host of prices And yeah the 300ipm is a limitation for the powerful 65
Have you tried running with a 45 nozzle? I have an inherited 85 and planned to use the smaller nozzles for thin material.
@@bpdp379I think all the 45 nozzles I've run are fine cut. Wouldn't hesitate to try. The Hypertherm machines are just amazing.. I think the 45 amp tip on a 65 amp machine can run 100% duty cycle.
I don’t know about for this table but I know when I was in school our cnc used that same software and you could set parameters in the software that showed up as a box on the screen. You could use that to set your limits. We used it to mark our edges for when we used smaller plates. You could manually run the software to set up a boundary in the software so you wouldn’t layout your design outside of the boundary. It wouldn’t prevent the machine from going outside of it if you layed something out wrong but it did give you a visual representation on your screen for where the edges of your plates where
Also another think you want to be able to program a cnc let it run and walk away. Every job I have worked at if someone walked away from their cnc while it was runnin they got chewed out by the shop foreman and if it happened again they where let go, you always need to pay attention to your machine while it’s running
Don’t walk away from this machine when using it. Doing that sounds just like students. Industrial machines are very different. They have many safety systems in case of a fault during operation. But cheaper machines have little of that. It’s dangerous to not pay attention.
It's simple business economics 101. If you want more per-assemblies or factory welded assemblies, someone at the factory is going to have to spend time doing that work. And they will need to be paid. Then the price of the machine will be higher. Then there would be people complaining about the cost of the machine. Same with longer cables, etc. Cheap is cheap, and "you get what you pay for"
I was originally going to buy one of these, but with all of the work involved in the "assembly", I might as well make mine from scratch.
First I enjoy your channel keep up the good work.
I didn’t think the assembly was all that difficult. In my opinion you make it sound much worse than it actually was. There were allot of fasteners and components but they were well labeled and the assembly instructions were well put togather and easy to follow. I was able to assemble it myself in two evenings. I had it mostly together the first night. Hardly a daunting task.
As you mentioned the water table is shipped in two pieces to save on shipping. I suppose Langmuir could offer a 1 piece. I’m guessing they looked into it, and decided few people would pay the extra shipping fees, for the one piece table. As you pointed out it is easy to weld together if it makes you nervous. I am somewhat surprised you have had so many troubles with leaks. Two years in still no leaks for me. You mentioned there were LOTS of complaints about leaks on the forum…. They do exist, but I would say the majority of the thousands of tables they have produced, that implement the segmented water table, have not had the kind of issues you reported. Their larger XR table also uses a segmented water table. One thing you didn’t mention is the couplers. The couplers were a source of angst. They were aluminum and it was difficult to get them tight enough without stripping them. They have since moved to a heavier duty steel coupler… so they do listen and make changes when appropriate.
I did enjoy your review and appreciate your perspective. Near the end you mentioned you would be ditching the Langmuir table and buying a more established brand. I have watched a few of your more recent videos and have seen you finishing some of your plasma cut parts but didn’t see the actuall cutting… which is fair the work you do is far more interesting than CNC work.. but I was looking to see what machine you upgraded to?
Thanks for taking the time to post this review. Keep up the good work with your channel.
Appreciate the thorough and unbiased review, thanks.
Very helpful review for helping me make my decision to purchase one. I believe that they have made some improvements in line with some of your criticisms, ie limit switches, since this video was made. Thanks for making this video. I was very pleased to see your review on their website. I generally trust your opinions on such matters.
God bless you.
We have a inhouse built system that was completed years ago. The general attitude now is it was a interesting project but now that we face drawbacks and hidden issues a predesigned system starts looking like it would have been a better idea. We are actually about to start a modification project on it so we can use modern software. Since it was a custom project we got a good mix of features that are seen on professional units. So seeing someone do a full honest true good & bads evaluation from someone who isn't a professional cnc plasma cutter gives a lot of insight on these machines. I do agree with you on some of the bads though I understand some of their reasoning for doing some of it for offering a very cheap unit. Though a bolted waterbed seems like a bad idea that I don't follow.
Thank you for commenting! I thought about building my own but that is probably a rabbit hole that I wouldn't get out of for about a year lol
@@ChristCenteredIronworks Oh yes it is definitely a rabbit hole alright. At the time cnc plasma tables were almost professionals only unless you built it yourself but now that hobbyist units exist I wouldn't recommend a home build unless you know what you want and how to do it.
FYI my Crossfire Pro has a total X travel of 48.15", and Y a little over 33". I definitely agree that they should have nearly doubled the length of the wires to connect to the computer and plasma cutter. It's ridiculous how close the computer and plasma cutter have to be to the water table that occasionally has a spay of water escape over the side.
The leftovers from cutting the hearts out looking kinda like the front/back profile of an anvil 🤔, stack weld them up add a heel, the horn, and top plate!!! And to get really fancy, add a different steel between the plates and make it a demascis anvil!
Or, bend the points and make a stand for something, like a stand for keeping hot pans off the top of the table. Or can hold ceramic pots for plants. Love your magnetic pick-up tool!👍
Excellent, honest and straight forward review. Thank you very, very much !!!!!
I recall one reviewer saying that there were limit switches. Possibly between this review and newer one they were added.
So glad I saw this video before I purchased this unit!
shipping size and cost is a big reason for the split bed. The many parts you mention that could be either welded or preassembled in the factory, either have to be installed by you and I (or any customer), OR we pay the manufacturer to pay employee's to install (or do the welds). I'm sure they have to juggle the overall cost for the product AND the shipping to make it affordable. My guess is they are shooting for the $3k mark.
To your point though, maybe they could make that an option (like Prusa does on the main 3D printer). but I am willing to bet you, it would be another $300 to $400 for welds and minor pre-assembles and another $50 for the larger table (and packaging increases to keep it from damage, the larger that thin metal table gets, the easier it is to damage).
As you know, they have limit switch option now, perhaps that was thanks to your constructive criticism.
any way, thanks for thorough and honest look into this system.
oh, you may have mentioned this in other videos (I'm new to your channel), but I would highly recommend adding a 3D Printer to your shop. You could have printed many of the jigs, efficiency things, plasma torch clamp, wire management (including drag chains), etc. In almost every case, you will find these models already designed and for free out on thingiverse, printables, etc. So you can spend more time doing your ironwork, than mucking with 3D modeling. Just search for what you want, find some you want, download, and print.
Thanks for the honest review.
Love the honest opinion. Also love the blanks it produces.
Thank you sir for this kind comment :-)
It would be nice to hear how to cut different thicknesses of steel. Like less than 2 mm. Maybe 14 gauge. I saw one guy saying he just uses the highest amperage on his plasma cutter and makes sure it is matched to the consumables for everything. Then he varies the cut speed. That makes me think there must be a right way to do it to get a clean cut.
What kind of air compressor do you use with this setup? How much cfm? Any complaints on it? Suggestions for an air compressor?
Nice job , Well Done .... Im building CNC plasma 2.4mx1.5m , i cant wait to get done
That was beautiful, thanks for the great video. I've been told to invest in a CNC machine and you have given some really carefully laid out insight to the idea. Keep up the good work
Glad you enjoyed the video ☺️ God bless
Roy, you have done an excellent job of reviewing this system. I have owned a 4 x 4 PlasmaCam II System for 6 years now using a Hypertherm Powermax 65 which has proven to cut out chamfers on 1 1/4" thick Railroad Tie. My unit was shipped in a one piece protected crate that I still retain to return any parts I might possibly need to return in the future; just in case. The unit came with an extensive library for construction, installation and usage, an awesome warranty, and several options of proprietary usage software. As you said with your system it has it's pros and cons, well PlasmaCam certainly has theirs as well. They did not have a ready made Water Table to ship with the unit, so I looked up Keith Fenner at Turn Wright Machine Works to see how he built his Combination Draft/Water Table. He has extensive video series on PlasmaCam System usage and he is certainly a perfectionist when it comes to approaching CNC Plasma Cutting Different Metals. As you have said, you pretty much attain what you pay for in this realm and your starting dollar reaches you several things with this unit as well, they have several forums, and several people that have worked with the company that are very willing to work out any questions or bugs if or when they come along. But as soon as you become proficient with your CNC Table you look toward the next level up. I really admire how honest you have been about your system, I looked for this when I was searching for mine and you really had to almost know someone that had a system already or find a unit online that you could trust the TH-cam Channel's author, and that was a hit and miss thing to verify when I was praying about this purchase! Again Great Job Roy! :0)
Thank you for the great info and taking the time to comment
hey my dad is looking at the plasmacam system also , do you think the plasmacam is better then the cross fire??
@@dominicscalia1060 Dominic, my best answer is to take a look at Keith Fenner at Turnwright Machine Works, he is a master mechanic, welder, machinist, and received an abundance of his experience through the Armed Forces and working in Naval Shipyards. He gives neverending examples from how to assemble the PlasmaCam Systems to making improvements to them. I bought his Buy-For-Resale Item that PlasmaCam wanted to annex themselves, but he himself sells. He has extensive knowlege about PlasmaCam and has tried other systems along with other systems geared toward wood routing and 3D printing as well he is a wealth of knowledge and glad to share his wisdom. turnwrightmachineworks.com/the-pop-a-way-by-keith-fenner/
@@brianlegrand2210 How much is the plasmacam II system? I looked at their website but it's very very limited with information
I have been sending my stuff off to get it CNC cut thankfully I know the guy really well so it's usually only a few bucks. Would really like to have my own one day would be super useful for some of the projects I have in mind.
Look into the Arkdroid cnc plasma robot for under $2500.00
100% assembly on you, is one of the major reasons why the price is so low.
My exact thought.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re not able to bolt some shit together, you probably can’t handle the software side anyways. It’s a non-issue
And you need to know CNC programming. Really not a problem at all.
nice review i'm thinking pulling the trigger. what kind of video cam are you using? very clear let me know thanks
Thank you for sharing nice video 👍👍👍have you cut aluminum with it?
Can you move the material and continue the cut on a second run to get more table capacity?
Thanks for the whole story!
Your welcome
Thanks for your No-Nonsense Review. I like the idea of a 5x10 table so that you have more wiggle room to cut around 4x8 sheets if they are off by an 1". Plus Aluminum comes in 5x10 sheets as well. The price was good on this machine. The only things I didn't like about this cutter is lack of componentry like Jewel Scribe, Wood/Aluminum Router attachments for milling and engraving, Pipe Cutter Attachments, Torch Break Aways. I'm not sure I am sold on the ball screw attachments, if molten-mental crap gets in that ball screw, there goes your accuracy for alignment holes. Ok for art and signage, but not good for precision parts. ArcLight dynamics and Starlab machines have a higher initial cost, but they are more expandable.
I guess this begs the question..... What are you getting for the replacement?
Good review on that machine. The company that I worked for bought one out of Pennsylvania it came fully assemble. I well get the name of the company and send it to you so you can take look.
Awesome thank you!
Hey Roy, glad to see you guys doing so well since your move. Question for you on your Plasma table, I'm in MI as well- what do you use to keep your water tray from freezing? Thanks and God bless!
I been looking at these pretty heavy for our shop making stuff for auto repair and trailers don’t think I’ll have much in the 1” range for cutting needs but I’d like that option my current set up wimps out at 3/16” and it’s all free hand I just build fences for a clean straight cut but set up and duplications are a time consuming process so I’d like to get into the cnc game we’re a small family owned and ran business in a rural area so cost is a major factor but no sense in wasting money trying to save a buck on a machine that’s just going to cost you in the long run these seem to be a good stepping stone for us I have the room and ability to upgrade into a larger system of the turn around is what I’m anticipating we turn away probably 50-100 large fabrication jobs just from lack of a cnc machine so I’m fairly confident we can see the roi quickly
I agree, i am not sure if every one get what i got. The screws for the limit sensor really short i ended up to buy the screws from mcmaster carr
Where can I find out more info about the green cover/shield you have over the torch head?
Thank you so much for an honest review of the cross fire pro.Almost everything else you see on it is a fluff piece by someone getting paid one way or another
I just ordered mine a few days ago
It will be for home use and maybe some signs and what not on the side to offset the cost some
Again thanks for being honest about the unit
the reality is that this is a hobby grade table and to keep the costs down they made sacrifices. its like comparing a ford focus to a porsche boxster ! there both cars but there not in the same class. when my water table leaked i just sealed it with some silicone. yes the supplied silicone sucks but its a 10$ fix and its easy to do or you can just weld it. the table is made in 2 pieces so they can ship it for less to people all over the world. i do wish it was a couple inchs bigger so you can cut out the 4 by 3 like you said because if it hits the side it will throw off the rest of the part. it would be nice if it had limit stops and tip up collision sense but i was told they cant because of the kind motors and it would cost allot more to changed to the better ones. i love my table and i would buy it again in a second but its 100% a hobby table for a garage and not for a welding on fab shop that will run it 8 hours a day. if you buy one be prepared to do many hours of computer work if you wanna make complex signs and parts.
I know what you mean about the limits run a cybermation plasma table at work and I have to reprogram the limits to get that extra inch out of a plate when it’s nested .
I know with lathes, they have "soft barriers" to prevent crashes. You can go into the program and cancel those barriers and get that extra space, but you must obviously make sure you aren't going to run into the components of the machine. I am not sure about the plasma cutter Roy uses having soft barriers. It should.
Interesting video. Thanks for doing these. What are the blanks for that are made and sold on the website?
They are All different types of projects for smith's to do.. everything from skillets to Christmas ornaments go check them out if you get the chance 🙂
I'm just wondering if you can use the crossfire software on other tables or is it prioritized to their setup?
Thanks for the great review!
Very welcome
Great heads up Roy thanks.
Your welcome
Leaky water bed solution.
Through The Roof sealant will seal it up permanently. It's a roof leak stopper in a caulking tube.
Thank you for the suggestion!
@@ChristCenteredIronworks warning. It's VERY sticky and gooey. Paint thinner for cleanup. Wear plastic gloves.
POR15 makes a gas tank sealer as well, would probably work.
Great review! Thank you.
Your welcome
Preassembly equals higher cost. Do you want a good value system or higher cost? Where do you draw the line? I'd prefer my own labor rates (free) to their US craftsman lol.
Hello, great review.
What do you think about the Pritec acros cnc table? It is assembled in Holland.
Greetings from Holland.
not sure if you are still looking at comments on this old of a video but if so I have a question.... I have a fairly high end desktop PC that I use for my design work. so obviously I wouldn't want it to be out in the shop environment so would running this table via that pc in the next room be possible or would I just need to invest in a laptop dedicated for the table and just load the files via network or jump drive or whatever??
Water leak? "Flex seal"🤔😁 (as seen on TV 👍)
"Knock on wood, I don't have any wood around here"🤔❓uhm....look around Roy 🤣😂😅. The ceiling and support post are all wood!!!lol
Lol yeah noticed that when editing...
Good review. Can you tell us how easy it is to upload and set up drawings from CAD? Are you using DXF files or what does that machine need to run properly?
Wondering this too!
Dxf
Great review, thank you. I've been looking hard at this for a while and will probably pull the trigger on it soon. I was already aware of most of the "downside" portions you mentioned but it's good to be forewarned that it's not going to get bolted together in a day.
Still, as you mentioned it's a great way to get one's foot in the door and make some side income without doing a massive outlay for a truly "pro" machine.
Helpful. Thank you
What is the max thickness of steel plate this can cut. Sounds like with the leak you should cut some seam girters and bolt it together
Thank you. Well done.
Can you hook a router up to this table? If no whats a good option?
Their forum is full of water leak stories, you are not alone. It seems that the guys who don't have leaks are in the minority.
It is a small company which is why they ship the machine in separate shipments. They obviously don't have the people and space to handle all the parts at one time for all the units on order at any time. They probably outsource every part and are simply packaging parts as they come in from their vendors.
Best machine for the money.....Hands down. and is dropped off on your door step by the ups man. Quit whining and just reseal the table. Mine leaked too but I blamed the guy assembling it. Only complaint I have was how long it took from order to delivery.
What is the cone that is covering your torch? where can I get one?
Nice table. . Thanks Roy
Thanks Ben you're welcome
This is on my list to buy. This company is high on my list of places. Mach 3 has that ability. Not sure if this software does.. adding limit switches should be easy
It can definitely be improved for sure.. my hope with this review was to put out the information that seemed to be missing from a lot of reviews not turn anyone off from buying it. As I said it is great for the price point but doesn't fix all of life's problems... Thank you for taking the time to comment :-)
@@ChristCenteredIronworks after your review it is still top of my list, for all the reasons you mentioned. Knowing some of the issues I will know what to expect :)
Really nice review!
Thank you John
What did you use as a shield on the porch head?
Thank you very much for you review
Random question can this be ran with a 7500w generator if said power were to go out during production
im at 1500 using beefed up 3d printer parts. 4x6. BUT uses Argumented reality to use scrap pieces and save material basically auto arrange with a camera
It also looks like to me, some of the access issues of being a couple inches to short, could be possibly solved by purchasing your own square tubing from a metal yard. Building your own X and Y access points. Along with the table wouldn't cost that much in metal bought for a supplier. 🤔
You forgot the hidden cost of the software. There are monthly fees, yearly fees, and a seven day update if you go with the free program.
Not to mention the CADD programs also have subscription frees sometimes .
Awesome review. Could ya just spray the water pan, with a truck bed sealer?
$50 at Harbor Freight for a gallon of bed liner
Never thought about that but might work....
Or there is the limb sealer is a spray on tar like substance suppose to work on gutters as well as sealing up tree wounds
I was thinking the same thing. Either a truck bed sealer or even....wait for it....flex seal. That stuff works great
Forget flex seal, just tig it together it takes more time to argue on the internet about it than doing it 😂
I have build the openbuild 1515 combined with an Hypertherm 45 xp. Works great too. also a bit on the cheaper side.
What bracket you bought for the THC?
just started assembling mine, definitely some trial and error, the instruction are vague on a few things, like the legs, i had to swap a couple because they were in the wrong spot. i got to the roler adjustment and didnt really understand what is wanted me to do so i called it a night, maybe when im not tired it will make sense
I mean..... you can't have "Its so affordable" and "the factory could have done more work" in the same sentence
ha....extra work aint cheap
see myself after doing entry level "shits" then going and getting another real one fuck it I'm doing it one time! myself i don't like disturbing my shop set up nothing worse than trying to get a shop back in comfortable order where as i have a small hobby shop thanks for the honest review that all carries over to other tables as well when you're looking😎👍👍
Can you not weld or solder the seam?
What size are full sheets? Are they "48x96" but a little fat? Or are they "60x120"?
Some are up to 10 x40 or larger, they all come oversize to allow for squaring and a true dimensional end piece after cutting.
I would say most of the bad stuff is kinda to ve expected at the price point
Less plant assembly =money saved
And odd ball sizes not divisible into standard sheets increase waste and lower cost
Guess it's a trade off
I would consider the Laguna or the Shopsabre if you have not made that decision by now.
Haven't made a decision yet so thanks for the input ☺️
I know this is a couple years old. Great video, but one think that I found really annoying; turn your autofocus off on your camera. The subtle zooming to keep focus on you is distracting.
"knock on wood, well i dont have any wood around me" Looks to me like your entire shop is comprised of wood bud...
I would be paranoid about welding and grinding and cutting, torching etc all day inside that wooden shop lol. our shop is all brick, concrete, and has an insulated steel ceiling. this shop reminds me of my garage at home where if i do anything in it, i'll stick around for about 30 mins after i finish to make sure nothings smoldering lol.
Sounds like you did not look at any of the specs before you bought it. That in my opinion is on you.