[scarecrow]

Has anyone had any experience with Lightning CNC plasma/ router tables?

[M@jor]

Dealing with Lightning CNC is the reason I joined this forum! I have had nothing but trouble with these jokers. They are using the name "protopartspro" on ebay (where I had the misfortune to meet them).
I had been watching one of their 4'x6' cnc plasm/router tables and was about to pull the trigger on one when I noticed the price had gone up. I sent a message asking what was up with the price change and got a response saying they would honor the original price but since there was an "immediate payment required for this item" policy on ebay, they would need to send an invoice through paypal and then I could pay. (You kinda get the feeling where this is headed don't ya!)

I quickly sent my $2700 off and sat and waited for my Table to arrive... That was on March 4th
Long story and many frustrating emails and phone calls later, I had a guy pull up in my drive with my table (and about 5 others) with no electronics or peripherals of any kind on it or being delivered with it!
Another phone call to Andrew Smith or is it Anthony Smith or Gary White... (Elusive is the name of the game with these folks) and I am told that the rest of my stuff will be sent UPS. Sure enough I get a tracking number (a couple of days later and after some prodding) and a few more days go by and I hear that beautiful sound of the UPS truck rolling down the driveway!
Once again the adrenaline rushes through me but this time I'm a little more cynical about my chances for finally having what I had paid for. This table was suppose to be shipped and ready to use, "all that was needed would be a router or a plasma cutter."
The computer, monitor, mouse and keyboard are all used (not new as described in the ad). The breakout board and estop and motors where in the box but the cables showed up in another package the day before.
There was No THC (torch height control) as described in the ad, the monitor was not working, there is absolutely no mounting hardware, no router mount, no wire tracks etc. and judging by the key generator in the software files, I have my doubts that the Mach 3 and other software are actually licensed! There is no paperwork or manuals to help put my "Kit" together and no receipt or invoice in the box.
I have told them of my troubles by email and over the phone and am currently getting no response. (Their caller ID seems to be working, I can't get anyone to answer the phone or return phone messages.)
The Lightning CNC webpage is no help and full of mostly dead end link.

My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!
My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!
My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!
My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!

I have talked to a few others who have also dealt with them and the general consensus is the same...
BEWARE!!

Another FYI, they are also using craigslist to sell in California and Arizona

Hope this helps.

[M@jor]

Just a little update on my plasma table from Lightning CNC. They have been sending my parts (one at a time) and UPS is suppose to be bringing my THC on Tuesday. This experience has been a good lesson on "you get what you pay for" and I have definitely learned a lot about setting up and using these machines and software.
All in all it would appear that Lightning CNC/Protopartspro is trying to deliver on this equipment but they still have no customer service to speak of and the product is kind of low end. So... after nearly 3 months of badgering and floundering on my own I have come to this conclusion;
Either build your own machine from the ground up or by it from a reputable source!

I would like to add that CNCZone.com and the people on it have been great and the wealth of knowledge here is beyond compare.
Thanks!

[BTA PLASMA]

Dealing with Lightning CNC is the reason I joined this forum! I have had nothing but trouble with these jokers. They are using the name "protopartspro" on ebay (where I had the misfortune to meet them).
I had been watching one of their 4'x6' cnc plasm/router tables and was about to pull the trigger on one when I noticed the price had gone up. I sent a message asking what was up with the price change and got a response saying they would honor the original price but since there was an "immediate payment required for this item" policy on ebay, they would need to send an invoice through paypal and then I could pay. (You kinda get the feeling where this is headed don't ya!)

I quickly sent my $2700 off and sat and waited for my Table to arrive... That was on March 4th
Long story and many frustrating emails and phone calls later, I had a guy pull up in my drive with my table (and about 5 others) with no electronics or peripherals of any kind on it or being delivered with it!
Another phone call to Andrew Smith or is it Anthony Smith or Gary White... (Elusive is the name of the game with these folks) and I am told that the rest of my stuff will be sent UPS. Sure enough I get a tracking number (a couple of days later and after some prodding) and a few more days go by and I hear that beautiful sound of the UPS truck rolling down the driveway!
Once again the adrenaline rushes through me but this time I'm a little more cynical about my chances for finally having what I had paid for. This table was suppose to be shipped and ready to use, "all that was needed would be a router or a plasma cutter."
The computer, monitor, mouse and keyboard are all used (not new as described in the ad). The breakout board and estop and motors where in the box but the cables showed up in another package the day before.
There was No THC (torch height control) as described in the ad, the monitor was not working, there is absolutely no mounting hardware, no router mount, no wire tracks etc. and judging by the key generator in the software files, I have my doubts that the Mach 3 and other software are actually licensed! There is no paperwork or manuals to help put my "Kit" together and no receipt or invoice in the box.
I have told them of my troubles by email and over the phone and am currently getting no response. (Their caller ID seems to be working, I can't get anyone to answer the phone or return phone messages.)
The Lightning CNC webpage is no help and full of mostly dead end link.

My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!
My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!
My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!
My advice to anyone/everyone... DO NOT DEAL WITH Lightning CNC and/or protopartspro!!!

I have talked to a few others who have also dealt with them and the general consensus is the same...
BEWARE!!

Another FYI, they are also using craigslist to sell in California and Arizona

Hope this helps.

Thats a bummer.

[etchedgift]

I just registered for this forum just to respond to this post and warn others to avoid Lightning CNC at all costs! Total scam. I am on month number two waiting for the rest of my machine to arrive. They sent no bill of goods; no assembly instructions and what I am guessing are critical pieces still arrive by UPS or Fedex every so often.

I have opened a case with eBay and am contacting their local BBB. With no instructions and an incomplete table I am out $4,750 (or I could eat a grand in shipping and send it back hoping for a refund). I’d like to save anyone reading this the hassle. Avoid Lightning CNC like the plague.

If anyone has assembly instructions to share I would be grateful. I have the 5x10 bolt together eBay model.

Thanks.

[Torchhead]

I just registered for this forum just to respond to this post and warn others to avoid Lightning CNC at all costs! Total scam. I am on month number two waiting for the rest of my machine to arrive. They sent no bill of goods; no assembly instructions and what I am guessing are critical pieces still arrive by UPS or Fedex every so often.

I have opened a case with eBay and am contacting their local BBB. With no instructions and an incomplete table I am out $4,750 (or I could eat a grand in shipping and send it back hoping for a refund). I’d like to save anyone reading this the hassle. Avoid Lightning CNC like the plague.

If anyone has assembly instructions to share I would be grateful. I have the 5x10 bolt together eBay model.

Thanks.

Wait until you find out what you don't get once you have all of the parts (besides no support).

[HIDesigns]

Assembly Video
Lightning CNC 5x5 CNC Router Table Assembly Video - YouTube

24 Hour Tech Support Number 760-530-6872 Ext 104

[plain ol Bill]

Oh it's so easy anyone could do that (yes, said with tongue in cheek).

[TimBurks13]

CNC machine is very helpful in to ease the work load of the engineers and save the time by doing the work in quick time.

[PITEK]

Lightning CNC has a long way to go to get their business straight if they want to continue. I actually bought the 5 x 5 model about 2 months ago, the only thing that was wrong in shipping was the torch bracket which I needed a handheld they sent me a straight one, emailed them and they sent it to me at no cost but I got my order complete. Their packaging could be better since some bearings were loose in the box which had a big hole on one side (lucky me). The design could be better, it's not always a good idea to use fabricated pieces of metal in things that require precision since the frame of the table is from braked plate.

I have the table almost ready to go and since I'm a beginner and this is my first CNC plasma machine I'm learning all the programs and software and how to draw from bottom.
The only thing that I'm concerned about it is I was testing it moving the axises back and forward, side to side up and down and is very smooth, but when I run a test file on mach3 it starts going but it makes a horrible sound when the x and y move at the same time or when the z moves slowly(testing movement without the torch on).

Any ideas?
Thanks!

[plain ol Bill]

I designed and built my own table and have been very happy with it. Using steppers the first time I had the gantry moving around I quickly hit the E-stop button because of the horrible noise coming from the motors. Come to find out they make those moaning, groaning and weird noises when they are in use - usual for steppers.

[Torchhead]

Be advised that if your intent is to use ANY type of THC with this table and MACH3 you will have two major issues:

1. The rack and pinion on the torch Z is really course and causes major overshoot and oscillation problems running with THC. You really need about 5000 to 10,000 steps per inch resolution to get smooth operation of the Z under THC control
2. There is no provision for IHS (Initial Height Sensing) aka "touch Off" aka "Floating Torch Holder" THC without IHS is not very effective for automated cutting especially on thinner material.

You can resolve both of those issues if you replace the whole Z with a unit that has a 5 TPI leadscrew (or 10 TPI 2 start) and the floating torch holder from a vendor like VeloxCNC

One of the major features of THC is not only better cuts but the amount it saves you in burned consumables. With no IHS, part of that advantage is negated.


TOMcaudle
www.candCNC.com

[kermit582]

I was looking at the lightning cnc tables looked pretty good for the price. But now I'm thinking plasmabot 4.0 route but the no sleep studio site seems to be down so I can't order the bracket kit. Anyone know whats going on with the site? will it be back up???

[Torchhead]

It is my understanding that No Sleep Studios (probably named properly) has stopped selling the kits and components. There is no projection if or when he will resume. The enterprise was an after hours one man operation and I think full time work and other duties got in the way.

I would suggest that you investigate the new line of low cost gantry kits from PrecisionPlasmaLLC.com. Also there are "components" like bearing carriages , belt reductions and other linear options at CNCRouterParts.

Unfortunately it is "buyer beware" on a lot of the low end tables (and even a few higher end). We are conditioned to believe when a vendor lists the features that they mean the same thing. Like when you buy a car with Automatic Transmission you typically do not ask what kind and does it really work.. Such is not the case in this market. When the vendor lists something like "Automatic Torch Height" (ATHC or ATC or THC) it can be anything from a simple lifter and spring loaded drag tip to sophisticated electronics integrated with the motion control or anything in between. Some designs of the mechanics are real head-scratchers.: under powered and hugely inaccurate and unreliable. Others are okay but are really not optimized for plasma cutting. The most important factor is NOT SPEED (although you need at least 250 to 300 IPM cutting speeds max) it is ACCELERATION....how fast you can go from 0 to the full cutting speed. It defines how well the control can track the true toolpath. ACCELERATION needs to be a MINIMUM of 20 IPS/sec and higher is better. The thinner material you cut the faster you have to go; the fater you have to go the more acceleration you need to get there. There are only three factors in acceleration: Force, MASS and friction. Friction is minimal so you can raise the force (linear force to move the load though bigger motors or a transmission (or both) , or you can drop the MASS (Weight on Earth). One table being sold has an acceleration of 4 (Really!). If you set a stepper motor to accelerate faster than it can with a given load it "stalls". Stalling is the cause of lost steps (position).

I could go on and on but you get the drift. .

TOMcaudle
www.CandCNC.com

[kermit582]

Thanks for the advice torchead. the thing with percisionplasmallc is I live in Canada and for some reason they won't ship to Canada at least that's what they have posted on the web site. but I will checkout cncrouterparts and see what they have. I would just like some brackets that are already made to fit rails (2x2 tubing or vee rail) and also mount the motors at the same time they plasmabot 4 would have been perfect. Has anyone on here had percisionplasmallc ship a gantry kit to Canada??

[xjdubber]

Kermit,

where abouts do you live in Canada, I'm in Langley BC and when I order from the states I ship it to Lynden WA, then bring it across myself.

[Momentz]

Hi
I find it funny that torch head is talking about customer service, I have emailed candcnc.com multiple times asking about DTHC for different plasma machines and on 3 different occasions they said the didn't want to know me because I didn't have a hypertherm, and were quite rude, I have also heard this from a number of other people to. I just had to write this here because it seemed so 2 faced from the experience I and many others have received from candcnc.com to co,e on here and talk down on others, I am not saying lightning cnc is good/bad cause I have never had anything to do with them and judging by others I don't think I ever will either.

[kermit582]

I live in Restoule Ontario close to North Bay and a long way from the boarder.

[Torchhead]

Hi
I find it funny that torch head is talking about customer service, I have emailed candcnc.com multiple times asking about DTHC for different plasma machines and on 3 different occasions they said the didn't want to know me because I didn't have a hypertherm, and were quite rude, I have also heard this from a number of other people to. I just had to write this here because it seemed so 2 faced from the experience I and many others have received from candcnc.com to co,e on here and talk down on others, I am not saying lightning cnc is good/bad cause I have never had anything to do with them and judging by others I don't think I ever will either.

Glad you are amused. What your real gripe is that we don't sell some products outside specific countries and when you e-mail and we respond with the link
http://www.candcnc.com/CountryRestrictions.html you get offended. Your barrage of e-mails trying to get us to explain WHY we don't or to make an exception don't get answered. Being a company that does support what we sell using e-mail, phone, and our dedicated support forum, we are not going to sell into a market where we cannot provide the level of support our domestic customers enjoy. We have a lot of customers in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa to name a few. We tell them the same thing: If we don't know the brand of the plasma cutter or its a cheap import we do not recommend buying our products because if it fails to work you will expect us to fix it and we can't. Better to piss you off BEFORE the sale than after

As for telling customers we will not sell or support other brands of plasma cutters is blatantly untrue. We have ALWAYS had solutions for most major plasma cutters. We in fact have a "universal connection Kit" for units that have no connection points of any kind. What we do tell people is that there are some features we offer for automated cutting you just cannot get without the new RS485 option on a Hypertherm. The other thing we are open about is that several of the import plasma cutters advertised either won't work or work poorly. I warn those users so when they call with problems that are not the CNC side or the DTHC they have been forewarned. We KNOW from experience that some things just don't work. We have thousands of users and we have systems out working on Miller, Thermal Dynamics, Lincoln, ESAB and of course Hypertherm. We lean towards Hypertherm because they lead the industry in technology and we have electronics that take advantage of that. You cannot get TAP (Total Automated Plasma ) on an affordable air plasma from any other vendor. We have offered to work with other plasma vendors but they are years behind in even some of the basics (like having a built in voltage divider that really works) and a standard connector to do the interface. We are open to work with any plasma vendor but so far all we have heard is talk...no action.

We are NOT a Hypertherm dealer. We do not sell plasma tables or hardware. We have for the past 8 years focused on designing and building cost effective THC and control systems.

You are correct though. I really don't want to know you (as you say), not because you don't own a Hypertherm, but because it is obvious that you would use any excuse to be a PITA. (OOOHHH! that was RUDE!)

You will REALLY be upset in a few weeks!

TOMcaudle
www.Candcnc.com





.

[rchacich]

Kermit,
Precision Plasma LLC has shipped many machines to Canada. The only issue we had is that the customer is required to have a customs broker to move the shipment through customs. On multiple occasions, we have been charged $80 per day when the broker does not fulfill their obligation in a timely manner. This fee is automatically added to our freight bill, which is sent after the machine has been delivered. The Precision Plasma LLC website has been updated and we are again advertising that we will ship to Canada. Thank you for posting. It has made us reconsider our policy on Canadian shipments.
Best Regards,
Ron Chacich