jimcolt

[cervinisgt]

I found this forum yesterday while searching for answers for a problem with a plasma table. The thread i found was a guy asking about a THC for a HPR260 and you gave him you opinion and facts about sensor THC but he just claimed your opinion was due to the fact that you work for Hypertherm. To all who may feel that Hypertherm isn't the cats meow, here is my story

I work in maintenance for a company who builds garbage and cement trucks. Almost 6 years ago they purchased a plasma table with a HPR260 auto gas with microedge controller and sensor THC. This machine is most likely the hardest worked machine in the country, if not they not far behind the leader. It gets ran the same amount as our Bystronics laser that is 7 years old. The lasers run time counter just rolled over 48,000 hours with a 80% cut to run ratio (witch is the highest according to bystronic tech who services it.) We even use hypertherm-centercut consumables for it. But back to my point, we have very little down time, very good cut quality even with the crap light duty table we bought with it, consumables last a long time, and everything else that I can't think of right now. The only real fault of the unit is the pneumatic torch crash sensor, just because it seems like operators have to hit everything they can at 1200 ipm. After the 2nd one broke in less than a year I made an adjustable mount to retrofit a electric Cat2 sensor (kept on hand fro our robots) to it. The best thing about the Cat2 is that it resets itself after a collision saving time that the operator would have to do it. My advice to anyone looking to buy a plasma system is to go with hypertherm.

Ok now Jim, I have a few questions I would like to ask you.

1 Cutting aluminum with 45 or 130 amp process there are different consumables than steel cutting (can't remember witch ones are different off the top of my head,) and it uses air/air gases (we only have air,o2, and n2.) It seems to just as well and faster using steel consumables and steel cut charts. Is there anything bad that could happen by doing this.

2 What is the best way to restore the CNC to original factory state (running Phoenix ver 7.5.) several years of operators pushing buttons and clicking random things has given it a few kinks that I feel will go away with a reformat. I have no disks and the table manufacturer say I can't get them. Ghost fails when I try to run it.

3 This week it was having alot of pilot arc problems but mainly on 200 and 260. I did all the usual checks and nothing. The top cathode (I think that is what they are called) on the ignition board was just a faint flash when the HF passed, the lower on was slightly dimmer than normal. I changed the board with a used one I had and nothing changed. Fixed the problem today when I changed the 6 year old quick disconnect torch coupler (used so much the threads were almost gone.) I found the CG1 gas hose had a broken clamp on it and someone had taped the end of the plasma gas vent to hold it with the other 2 gas hoses (on the metering console end.) After all that it cut and started like a new machine again for around 2 hours. Then that top cathode started arcing out to something around it, so I put the other board back in and got a new one on order. Still the top cathode is lifeless, but the bottom is normal, I think from damage caused by the problem in the torch coupler. My question is, what do those cathodes do and are they in a series or parallel with each other.


Sorry for the long babbling post and thanks in advance
Kevin

[jimcolt]

Kevin,

Thanks for the good comments about Hypertherm, we appreciate them!

In regards to the cutting of aluminum.....there is no problem with cutting aluminum with the same consumables and processes that you use to cut steel. The aluminum processes that we list in the manual were to improve the edge angularity as well as to minimize aluminum edge oxidation and porosity (roughness) in the edge.

On the Hypertherm Micro Edge cnc, I would suggest calling Hypertherm tech service...one of their best guys (my opinion) on the cnc's is Paul Wallace...so try to get him. There is an FTP site you can go to for software upgrades that can be done on line, but talk to Paul he can steer you in the right direction...better that I!

On the ignition board....the components you are referring to are likely the hermetically sealed spark gaps that control the output starting frequency and voltage level. They are designed to work in the million start range...then we would expect some deterioration in performance. Given the high duty cycles that you are subjecting your machine to...this board would be a good unit to keep in your maintenance inventory. The spark gas are in series, and they create a spark gap oscillator circuit that produces high frequency and high voltage that creates an arc between the electrode and nozzle to ionize the gas...to start the plasma arc.

Best regards, Jim Colt

[cervinisgt]

Jim,

Thanks for the info, I will certainly try to get a hold of Paul. I have installed the most currant updates and that helped but i don't think it fixed it completely. Now I feel more comfortable about tomorrow or Monday when the board shows up.

One thing I forgot, On one of our parts we are trying to mark the intervals that need to be welded so the welder doesn't have to mark them out with a tape measure. The guy who nests the programs say that solidnest can not make use the mark process on a plasma. I made a program in notepad with a square marked box and then cut around it and everything worked out fine. I did it all with 80 amp consumables, would that be hard on consumables. I seen that the 2 options for mark process were 15 and 18 (i think) amp, or is that just chopper output not consumable size.

Thanks again,
Kevin

[nakodasteel]

I have a problem with my hypertherm 1250
my hypertherm cpu that reads microedge often shuts down and i have to wait for a while to get it started. i am unable to find a reason behind the same. It works properly for about half and hour and then it shuts down itself. then i cannot restart it again. i have to wait for about 15 to 20 odd minutes and then again when i try to restart, it works. i am facing this problem since last few weeks and i m not able to find the reason behind it. can you please put some light on it.

[jimcolt]

The best solution is to contact Hypertherm's tech service department....they are very skilled at over the phone troubleshooting of issues such as this. Depending on the model of your Hypertherm CNC control...they may be able to do a "Remote Help" session with your controller online to determine the issue. It sounds like an overheating issue....could be an internal fan that has failed...or something similar.

Best regards, Jim Colt

[nakodasteel]

Originally Posted by jimcolt The best solution is to contact Hypertherm's tech service department....they are very skilled at over the phone troubleshooting of issues such as this. Depending on the model of your Hypertherm CNC control...they may be able to do a "Remote Help" session with your controller online to determine the issue. It sounds like an overheating issue....could be an internal fan that has failed...or something similar. Best regards, Jim Colt

can i get the number through which i can get in touch with the tech department?

[jimcolt]

Hypertherm has tech service centers in a few areas of the world...go to the Hypertherm | Plasma Cutters | Plasma Cutting Equipment | Metal Cutting Equipment site.....go to the "contact us" tab, and you will find contact information that will help you out. The direct connection to Tech Service in the U.S. is:

Technical Service
technical.service@hypertherm.com
800-643-9878 Tel - Toll Free in USA
and Canada

603 643 3441 is the line accessible from outside of the US or Canada.

You should also be able to make contact with the machine builder or integrator that sold your machine...as they are trained in the service an support of our products.

Jim Colt

Originally Posted by nakodasteel can i get the number through which i can get in touch with the tech department?