Used for a Plasma CNC?

[WhidbeyCNC]

I feel like this has been posted on this form before and i hope i don't upset anyone. I am currently 25, i just started my own plasma cnc business using a Plasma CNC from a company in Oregon called Acrlight Dynamic. I love their machine it has everything i ever would need. It uses 2 Stepper motors for the X, 1 For the Y, and 1 For the Z. I have been using Inkscape to draw items up then using Sheetcam to turn it into G-code then Mach3 to run the machine. It also has a THC for the volts.

WELL.......my stepmom who owns the machine is planning on selling it because she doesn't use it. i have tried to talk her out of it but she is very conceded and pretty much says to me."Well since I dont use it I'm going to sell it". I have been thinking about buying it off of her but I'm still in collage and pretty on the broke side. I'm a pretty smart cookie when it comes to most things. I have my degree in Welding became certified in it as well, and i am at my final quarter of my Precision machining class for CNC Mill and Lathe. I even get to make the class curriculum for the next kids in my class who want to learn live tooling on the lathe with just a X and Z axis as well as an added Y on a Doosan and a ST-20 with HAAS controls. I have looked at the videos on this website on how to set up the motors and how to control a lot of things and i actually LOVE that it holds my hand through that because i understand electrical things but not electrical components.

Biggest questions i have are:

1.Would it be worth it to buy her CNC off of her for about $10,000 since i am familiar with all the programs and how to configure everything? or should i really look into building my own. i would have the free time to put into it so thats not as big as a worry for me. the system is a 4'x4'

2. Would the Acorn and geecko system be a nice setup for a plasma cnc or is it to little or to much for this kind of an application?

3.What kind of money wouldi be looking at for a 4' by 4' system.

4. does centroid or acorn or whoever the programs are by, have a 2D system that i can put in a kurf for the torch?

Any other advice i would love. I have ever joined a Form but i really really need some help on this one and google is just not cutting it(no pun intended)

[Fueler1]

Ok, some thoughts.
I suspect there is more to the story.
You are busy with College.
Mom paid for it.
It's in Mom's garage.
Mom is not getting the return on it or is not getting repaid for it.
Even if you could pay her off I suspect she also wants her space back.
Will you be renting a building for your business?
Seems like an impasse.
If you were not involved will it bring 10K on the used market?
Seems to me any business surrounding a plasma cutter will need a larger machine.

[WhidbeyCNC]

The Story goes simplified like this.

I had a bad relationship and needed to move back home. When i moved back home my mom and stepmom were building a shop on their land. I helped build it but i didn't pay for the material i just put it all together. While i was in school for welding they had a plasma cnc that never got used and i learned how to use it. i told my stepmom about it and she said that she always wanted one so she could use it during her retirement. I did the research on a bunch of different ones and found one with a great design. She paid $14,000 for the table and the plasma cutter. I helped buy the air compressor. It was suppose to be a team effort and i could use it whenever i wanted. While we waited for the machine to be build i learned how to use the programs they included so i knew how to use it when the time came. She didn't...When the time came to go get it i drove down with my mom and picked it up. We get it back home set it up, i program a quick thing to show my stepmom how it works and then let her copy what i did. Fast forward 1 year and she hasn't touched the thing since it got home. I have been busy with school and work and had little to no time to use it but still did odd jobs for people on my days off of work. Fast forward another year and i am at the end of my schooling with 1 quarter left. I have quit my job started my own business and now use the plasma cnc almost everyday. Im not sure when it started to happen but she started to bully me out of my money as well as out of the shop telling me i need to get all my shit out by certain days or telling me to respect her shit better, or telling me i am not aloud inside the shop. My mom has been defending me and keeping me in the shop for the mean time. I keep the shop SPOTLESS. I clean the workbench every time i use it and she will yell at me for leaving a spark mark on the table. I clean the water table ever 3 months and add additives to help keep the rust in the water to a minimum but because it looks dirty after about 1 month she will yell at me for not cleaning it in over 2 years. I keep a calm and level head and when she yells at me i just stand there and listen. i dont yell back, i dont throw things, i talk calm and try to defuse the situation. The other day i was cutting and while the machine was cutting i was painting so i had both doors open with a fan going but one door kept shutting so i used a handle from one of her plasma cutters to hold it open. i wasn't going to damage it, it wasn't going to break anything, it was just lightly on the door handle resting on it to hold it open. and she yelled at me for not respecting her things. Shit has gotten so bad that i will be leaving here soon and i could care less if i ever see her again.

So there is all that as far as the other things go.

I will either be buying a house or renting a spot for me to continue to do all this
On the used market after talking to a rep from the company they say she could sell it for about $12k but we live on an island and someone would need to come pick it up and they probably would rather just buy new for that money and the hassle.
I could always upgrade the machine later on when i have a larger space for it but as of now 4'x4' works amazingly well for my needs. If anything needs to be bigger i normally cut the program into 2 pieces and weld them together.

as far as money goes on using the machine. When i first started doing it i was using my own money. I would buy the metal, the consumables, and any other odds and ends that i would need for it such as coloring the metal cleaning it ect. Now that i actually have the business license i am able to go to farmers markets, art walks, or anything like that. i started the company right back in may and have made a profit of about $1,500 buy just doing farmers markets on sunny days...which is not many up here in the pacific north west.

My actual family is willing to help me pay for it so i can have it but if i don't want to deal with her or if she plans to up in the price to retail value since that's what she paid for it i'd rather just take another trip to Oregon.

Sorry if the grammar is not up to par I'm not the best when it comes to Writing