New owner

[binfordw]

Well I broke down and bought a Powermax 45 today. I have it all wired up, just cutting an adapter to fit the torch on my Z axis clamp atm, then will be ready to try it out.


I'm interested in a few settings for cutting .100" mild steel and 3/16", to help get me rolling. IE, what pierce height should I be using, feedrate and start height/ or THC voltage.


Im crossing my fingers that it cuts well and I can get through more than 10 parts without trashing my consumables :/ If that happens I'll be a happy customer

[WSS]

Originally Posted by binfordw Im crossing my fingers that it cuts well and I can get through more than 10 parts without trashing my consumables :/ If that happens I'll be a happy customer

binfordw,

I cut about three hours today with 60amp parts on my 1650 cutting 1/2" AR500 , never even cleaned or took them apart. I hear the 45 has even BETTER life (hard to believe). Once you get familiar with the machine you can probably cut all day on a set of consumables.

The one thing I did that made the biggest improvement on consumable life was add an air dryer.

WSS

[jimcolt]

If you are using the hand torch, make sure you put the machine shield on it for mechanized cutting (part number 220673) as this shield is designed to minimize pierce spatter and also has a different dimension in relation to the nozzle and the plate which improves quality from systems with torch height control.

For .100" carbon steel: 45 Amps, 190 ipm, 117 arc volts, .3 second pierce delay time, .15" pierce height, .06" cut height.

For .187" carbon steel: 45 Amps, 85 ipm, 118 arc volts, .5 second pierce delay, .15" pierce height, .06" cut height.

Notes:

1. The .06" cut height is only correct if you have the machine shield on the torch (220673)

2. Arc voltage is a starting point. Due to differences in machines and height control calibration in the field you may see a different arc voltage when the torch is cutting at the correct cut height as listed above. Cut height is more important than voltage....so if a different voltage is required to achive the Hypertherm recommended cut height on your machine...record that voltage for future reference!

3.The above listed speeds are not the maximum speeds, but are a reasonable speed that produced the best combination of minimal dross and reasonable edge squareness. To further improve squareness, cut slower (you will see a higher arc voltage and slightly wider kerf, and a higher propensity of dross). You likely will see different results on different sheets of steel due to chemical content.

Good luck, send some pictures of your results!

Jim Colt

Originally Posted by binfordw Well I broke down and bought a Powermax 45 today. I have it all wired up, just cutting an adapter to fit the torch on my Z axis clamp atm, then will be ready to try it out. I'm interested in a few settings for cutting .100" mild steel and 3/16", to help get me rolling. IE, what pierce height should I be using, feedrate and start height/ or THC voltage. Im crossing my fingers that it cuts well and I can get through more than 10 parts without trashing my consumables :/ If that happens I'll be a happy customer

[WSS]

Originally Posted by jimcolt 3.The above listed speeds are not the maximum speeds, but are a reasonable speed that produced the best combination of minimal dross and reasonable edge squareness. To further improve squareness, cut slower (you will see a higher arc voltage and slightly wider kerf, and a higher propensity of dross). You likely will see different results on different sheets of steel due to chemical content. Good luck, send some pictures of your results! Jim Colt

Jim, I did just that yesterday with good results on some .75" holes in .5" Ar plate. For the holes I would slow to 18ipm and 145v, line lead in (90deg) and a short (.05") arc lead out. This left a very small divot that you could hardly see, running a small stone on a die grinder with a light touch fixed it. I used a .75" dowel pin to fit check. After the hole was cut, I went to 25ipm and 141v to finish the outside cut. I need to go in and set the parameters in the software for small hole settings. We can set all kinds of stuff in that screen for how the machine reacts to holes.

WSS

[binfordw]

Well I couldn't be happier.

I rewrote my most used parts for 3/16" for 80ipm, .150" pierce, .07" start, and believe my arc volts is set at 120.

The cuts are excellent, exactly what I had hoped for. There is very little dross, what is there is easily flaked off. I did notice somewhat bumpy edges on circles, but its hardly an issue for now.

I am using the stock parts on the handtorch, I searched the PN for the machine shield but havent found one yet- any suggestions on where to buy?

I've already cut about 3 times what I would have been able to do with the consumables on my TD39.

[jimcolt]

You can get the correct shield from anyone that sells genuine Hypertherm parts....like the distributor that sold the Powermax45. Hypertherm has same day shipping if the distributor orders the part by 3:00PM. If you are not sure of an authorized Hypertherm distributor, go to www.hypertherm.com, click on "contact us" and you can find a list of distributors in your area.

The shield for the hand torch is designed for drag cutting, it holds the correct torch to work distance when dragging.....so for machine cutting with the height control you are forcing the arc length to be too long.....which will affect angularity of the cut edge. It will get even better with the correct shield.

Wait til you try some 3/8"! A good torch with adequate power makes a big difference.

Jim

Originally Posted by binfordw Well I couldn't be happier. I rewrote my most used parts for 3/16" for 80ipm, .150" pierce, .07" start, and believe my arc volts is set at 120. The cuts are excellent, exactly what I had hoped for. There is very little dross, what is there is easily flaked off. I did notice somewhat bumpy edges on circles, but its hardly an issue for now. I am using the stock parts on the handtorch, I searched the PN for the machine shield but havent found one yet- any suggestions on where to buy? I've already cut about 3 times what I would have been able to do with the consumables on my TD39.

[binfordw]

I recieved the machine torch shield cap today finally.

I've been cutting some 1/16" sheet lately, and was curious what settings were reccommended. I'm up in the 300's ipm feed, and still getting a decent amount of dross. I ran my last test part at 360ipm, and noticed it didn't get a good cut in a few small places. Seems like my cutheight might be too high, I am using .150" pierce, .07 start cut, and about 118 volts.

Should I drop the amperage down for the real thin metal?

[jimcolt]

Adjust your voltage until the torch (with the machine shield) is .06" (1/16") off the sheet while cutting...do this after you get the speed near where you want it.

I usually cut materials thinner than 1/8" at reduced power, I would reccommend 30 to 35 amps at about 120 to 150 ipm, then adjust your voltage until the torch is .06"

300 ipm will not be maintained in corners, holes and any fine features...so get down to a more realistic speed.

Jim

[binfordw]

Well i did a few tests on the 1/16" sheet, without any real luck. I slowed things to 150ipm, and tried 35, 30 ,25 and 20 amps but all had similar results. I then tried 30 amps at 165ipm with seemigly better results, but still alot of dross.

Could this mean its time to change consumables?

[jimcolt]

If you inspect your nozzle orifice with a magnifier....I use a 10 x jewelers eye loop, and compare it to a new nozzle, you will be able to see if there is any damage to the orifice. It must be perfectly round. Take the rocket science out of it...and just think that the orifice shapes the arc.....and if the orifice is not round, then the arc is not round...what effect will that have on the cut as it goes around the part.

From your post...it sounds like you started to see improvement at 30 amps at 165 ipm. Try a few test cuts in scrap areas of the material....30 amps at 155, then 30 amps at 175. Where you see an improvement, continue in that direction changing only one parameter at a time (either speed, or current, or height)....once you find a sweet spot, write down the specs and cut the same thickness and type of material using those specs every time. You should be able to cut that 16ga aluminum very nicely.

Why can't we have perfect specs in the manual? 1. Every height control system has different calibration on the arc voltage. If they were all within 1 arc volt of each other, then things would be better. 2. Speed calibrations vary from machine to machine. 3. material from sheet to sheet can vary slightly.

The difference between a $2000 air plasma and a $35,000 multigas, high definition plasma...is that the process has higher energy density, more acurate gas flow and pressure control, as well as tighter torch height control and speed requirements. The industrial systems are more consistent, unfortunately they are close to 10x more expensive!

Jim

Jim

[binfordw]

So It sounds like I'll have to up the feedrate then. I guess running at 30 amps, I should still get a close to dross free cut at a much lower speed than when I was at 45 amps right? I'll just have to go faster than 165ipm to find it.

I'll pick up a magnifying lens today and check things out too.

Thanks again