STV CNC SparX PRO 5

With a 5 ft x 5 ft cutting envelope, the STV CNC SparX PRO 5 is the square table for shops that buy 5 ft wide sheet. It is the welded-frame version of the SparX, delivered built and ready to level. The extra foot of width over the smaller square table is what lets a 5 x 10 sheet be cut once across the middle and loaded as two halves, with nothing trimmed off the width.

The PRO frame is an open tubular weldment with welded leg supports, shipped complete, and its water table is a single welded pan 3 in deep that STV CNC calls the Uni-Pan. Plate capacity is 2 in of steel. Above it sits an assembled extruded aluminum gantry with 5.75 in of clearance, guided by a standard linear guide assembly and driven by rack and pinion, with gantry carriage shields against splash. The Z head travels 5.5 in on a precision ground ball lead screw. Drive is by three stepper motors through a 3:1 gear reduction; the maker quotes a motion accuracy of about 0.002 in per 12 in and a step resolution of plus or minus 0.0005 in.

The table takes up about 7 ft x 7 ft x 5 ft. Its water pan holds about 68 gallons. At 1,350 lb it is a table to position once and leave. Because the envelope is as deep as it is wide, a part can be nested in either direction, and remnants from larger jobs elsewhere in the shop usually fit without trimming. What it will not do is take a long part: anything over 5 ft has to be cut in two setups or sent to a longer table.

Out of the box the table runs MyPlasmCNC from a Windows PC the buyer supplies, over USB. That is the same entry-level control as the modular SparX tables. STV CNC sells an upgrade to its Optimum CNC control, which adds a dedicated Linux mini PC, and it is worth pricing that in if nesting and G-code editing matter. A homing kit with 3 proximity sensors, torch height control, a magnetic breakaway, a collision switch and ohmic sensing are standard. The plasma cutter is not included.