First off....what is the model of the 100 amp Hypertherm plasma. The units built in the last 15 years or so (Powermax1650 and Powermax105) do not use high frequency for starting. If it is a Max100 or Max100D....they do use high frequency.
If you are building the machine....proper wiring and grounding as well as cable routing can make most any machine work with high frequency start plasma systems. All of Hypertherm's industrial plasma systems from 130 amps to 800 amps use high frequency start...these systems all are installed on cnc cutting machines.
To build a machine for use with high frequency start plasma:
- It is best to use a cnc control that is designed specifically for plasma cutting. Hypertherm produces a few different PC based cnc controls that do not have issues with electrical noise interference...they have I/O filtering and isolation as well as use all properly shielded cables for motor/drive encoder feedback.
-If you are using a standard office PC or Laptop as the cnc control...ensure that all cables are industrial quality shielded cables (not the standard type cables used for an office machine) and that the computer gets its power through an isolated UPS (uninteruptible Power Supply)
-A ground rod must be driven within about 6' of the cutting table. All system components (plasma power supply case, electronic drive enclosure, torch carriage, gantry,Plasma work cable, etc) must be connected with correct length (no coiling) cables to this work ground. All of these wires must be of at least 10 gauge with multiple stranding (high frequency travels on the outside of conductors...so multi strands are more efficient at routing this back to the ground rod). This is recommended on any cnc machine, plasma or not.
-All motor, encoder, computer, drive cables must be routed through separate power tracks from all plasma cables. All of thes cables must be the correct length, no coiling.
-Plasma power supply should be located as far as possible away from the electronics and computer.
-All inputs and outputs between the plasma and the electronics should be suppressed with ferrite bead style suppressors.
Input power for the plasma should come from a separate source as compared to the drive power an the computer power. If the drive and computer source their power from a good industrial, isolated UPS...that is usually adequate.
These are the actions that usually work to allow either an older technology, high frequency start...or a current technology industrial (high frequency start) plasma to work with a machine that uses entry level electronics or a standard PC or Laptop for control.
Jim Colt Hypertherm