Torchmate 3 works OK with thick metal but won't cut sheet metal.

[Galane]

I've cut 1/4", 5/8" and 1" steel plate without problems. Saturday I put a piece of 1/16" sheet steel on the table and the torch won't go down and touch it to set the height. It drops to the same height as for 1/4", fires then quits.

It's not a mechanical issue, it can go down all the way to the tops of the slats and I'm using a water table. The THC is the newer one with the blue screen.

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[TM_Nightmare120]

It sounds like the AVHC torch mounting block is bottoming out on the bottom of the lifter station. With the thicker material its fine but the torch is not able to go down as far with the gauge material. I would lower the torch in the AVHC torch mounting block and it should be fine. You can also send pictures of the issue to support@torchmate.com so that we can confirm that is the issue. Let me know how that works.

-Daniel

[Dennie]

When you say it can drop all the way to the top of the slats, how are you doing this, are you using the Jog Slide feature on the AVHC box or are you using the Aux Menu and pressing the Plasma Off button to turn it on. If the latter which is the correct way using the Plasma Off Button the torch should be able to travel all the way down to the top of the slats, if it is stopping a 1/4" above them then make sure the lifter station is clean and moves freely. To test it turn Plasma On under the Aux Menu and if it stops short then turn off the AVHC box and test the movement of the lifter station by turning the spring coupler just below the motor with your finger, should be very light pressure on your finger to make it spin down. If you have to apply more resistance to make it drop then you have an alignment problem. Make sure the rods are clean and free from oil and that the machine screw is also clean and free from any oil residue. A drop or two of 3 in 1 oil can be used on the bronze nut that the machine screw rides up and down on.

- Dennie

[Galane]

It's not a mechanical problem. The table was built with an open bottom, using slats taller than what's in it now. I had metal welded to the underside of the 4x4 steel frame to make it a water table and switched to shorter slats - which required lowering the torch in its mount so it'd reach the lowered height.

It will go all the way down with cut disabled and using plasma on in the Aux menu. It also touches off properly and will run the g-code at the correct height with cut disabled.

Enable cutting on the THC and it tries to cut too high then times out.

[Dennie]

Still not quite sure what you are describing you tell me it drops down the the same height as 1/4" material then times out, but you don't mention if it comes down and touches the plate first and fires at the correct pierce height. If it fires at the correct pierce height then times out, then the Ok to Move signal is not being transferred, make sure the ground cable is connected to the material being cut. And since you are saying with the cut disabled it takes off correctly then that tells me all the wires are connected correctly, but you may want to check your Ok to Move wires on the back of the AVHC box.
If it is piercing at the correct height and takes off after it pierces then raises up to 1/4" off the material then that describes your voltage is to high on the AVHC box, try lowering the voltage, or try cutting a straight line in manual mode at the correct height off of the material and observe the Current Voltage reading and adjust your Set Voltage to that value then set it to Auto mode.

- Dennie

[Galane]

Found the problem. The coil spring on the torch cable was hanging up on the top of the Z axis motor. A piece of metal and a couple of hose clamps fixed it.

Some sort of curved shield attached to the mount would fix that.

[Dan_IN_MN]

Looks like some of this thread is missing.

I've never used the blue screen AVHC only the red one. I've been running a Torchmate 3 since 2008 so I might have a few ideas.

I wonder if you increased the delay before the torch fires the torch might get to the material? (just guessing here)