Important info for plasmas with water table (Torchmate & others).

[xavier2nd]

My Torchmate has been cutting really bad. I bought an upgrade from TM that was suppose to solve the problem (Which did help, but it's still a problem). I decided to open up the cassette and found my problem.

Here are the pictures.

This is the cassette. As you can see the bearings are rusting up. These bearings are NOT serviceable (unless you open everything up).


Here's a better picture of the rollers.


Here's a cleaned up carriage.



I took everything apart and soaked it in parts cleaner then in WD40.


Here's what the bearings look like.


So moral of the story, keep water off the guides and rollers.

[WSS]

Great lesson to share. Thanks! Any ideas on how to stop the spray of water to the critical areas?

We are in the process of building a water table for our Plazpak system from CandCnc. We are a ways off but want to start the integration of the water table on our current system so it is up and running when we retro-fit.

I am open to suggestions.

WSS

[xavier2nd]

There really isn't any way to keep the moisture off of it. We are going to make a shield and that's all I can think of doing.

On the plus side, I found the manufacturer and a vender. The vender is already a vender of mine. The cassette and rail (if needed) isn't all that expensive. Combined they are about $350 bucks.

I'm confident once I get my new rail and cassette that the machine will cut a lot better.

[BBchevy396_]

I hit my rollers and rails with a spray lube once in a while (NOT WD40, it leaves a sticky residue after awhile), to keep corrosion from starting, and also run plasma quench in the water. Rusting doesn't seem to be an issue anywhere.

[xavier2nd]

What does plasma quench do? Plasma quench is out of business it seems.

Keep the ideas coming.

[xavier2nd]

I just had a thought. I think the metal dust that the plasma creates is where the rust is coming from.

[flyinwilly]

There is a recipe for a homebrew plasma quench somewhere here on the zone.

Basically, it is 1/4 LB of sodium nitrite (NOT NITRATE) and a tsp of Physan 20 for each 75 gal of water. I've been using it for over a year and not a bit of rust anywhere. However, I have very little plasma dust since I have a downdraft system and a water tray so I can't comment on the dust causing rust.

The only place I found the sodium nitrite was on ebay. The physan 20 can be picked up at a garden center.

Willy

[Dustin407]

Hey guys,

I built a plasma skirt not too long ago.. It keeps the sparks and water isolated under the nozzle.. I highly recommend that you install one to keep things like this from happening. Here is a few photos to help get an idea.. Basically it is an alum. ring with water/flame resistant material.

[WSS]

Dustin407, how does the flame resistant material do with pierces on 1/2" to 3/4" plate? I have yet to find anything that can handle a direct spray for more than one or two hits.

WSS

[BBchevy396_]

What does plasma quench do? Plasma quench is out of business it seems.

Keep the ideas coming.

Actually, I found a source for Plasma Quench. It's the real stuff for large industrial tables.

My LWS aquired a 5gal bucket for me, after prodding the company. I think they usually sell in larger quantities.

Knight Enterprises

It's a corrosion inhibitor, biocide, and has the neon green dye........ mixed in a concentrated liquid form.

It's labeled "Plasma Quench 44".

[Dustin407]

Dustin407, how does the flame resistant material do with pierces on 1/2" to 3/4" plate? I have yet to find anything that can handle a direct spray for more than one or two hits.

WSS

To be honest I have only had it on my machine for a few weeks, so I am still keeping an eye on things... The fabric seems to be just fine so far. WSS how close is your material to your nozzle? You dont want it too close where it burns up.. Im sure you can find an industrial flame/water resistant fabric that is better than the one I purchased but it is doing the job just fine for me. The mcmaster carr part # 8776k6 , if you guys would like to try it out. Plus you can add more than one layer two or three .... the only thing I would do differently is build a wider dia. alum. ring. I think the one I have is 3.5 inch wide I would probably go to 5" on my next design. The reason why is a small percentage of water slips by the shield skirt when it is moving to the next spot (safe height).

[xavier2nd]

Looks like I need to make or buy plasma quench, add a shield, and spray down the slide.