Very poor cut quality after installing air dryer, Help!

[Shram]

Ok I have a torchmate with avhc and Hypertherm 12550. I put all new consumables on. I just installed a air dryer and cut quality is horrible. Is it possible that to many regulators or hard 90's can mess up the volume of air but not the actual PSI. I am pulling at straws here. I went over all my setting with Torchmate tech support but now thinking it is the plasma or air source.

Another thing that confuses me is Torchmate recommends a 1/8 off plate for all cuts when Hypertherm recommends .06. What setting are you using?

Also I have a water table and have seen Jim Colt say the fine cut consumables should not be used with a water table. Are most of you using shielded consumables with a water table. Which last longer? Sorry for the rambling! But have a lot of questions and iuf I get a few figured out maybe I can figure out my problem. Thank you in advance! Kurt

[drakus]

mine is set up like this

compressor (175 psi) -> .010 particulate filter -> air dryer -> .001 particulate filter -> oil/water filter -> regulator (100 psi)

yes i know 2 particulate filters, if you have the extra money well worth it to save air dryer. I put larger one before it and smaller one after it.

might want to check some of the settings on your dryer or regulator. maybe your compressor isn't set high enough psi.

those are just my recommendations as I am sure some one here knows more than I do & I hope they chime in to help you.

as for the 1/8 inch off. I am 110% sure Jim will tell you to follow the hypertherm manual for the correct specs.
I cut with my 45 or 65 at .060 no problems.

Ted

[Gamelord]

Use the Hypertherm settings not the torchmate ones. Hypertherm settings are made exclusively for their cutters. The table settings are generic.

Another thing to check is pressure drop once the machine is in operation. Fire the torch and watch your pressure readings and make sure you don't have 100 psi when torch is idle but it drops to 50 psi after it fires.

[beefy]

There's a very simple answer to checking your pressure. Install a pressure gauge right at the inlet to the plasma cutter. Good to also have one before all the filters too, so then you can work out how much pressure drop across the filters. So long as you have got the pressure to the inlet of the plasma cutter you should be fine, unless there was somehow a restriction AFTER that point which would mean withing the plasma cutter/lead/torch itself.

To get technical FLOWRATE is really what you are after, pressure is just a pushing force which makes the air flow IF there's no blockage or restriction reducing it below normal (there's pressure in a gas tank or a car tyre but no flow). Hypertherm even have air flow specs as well as air pressure, and if I had a spare $250 I'd like to install an air flow meter in addition to my pressure gauges. I did hear one story of a guy that had cut problems and it ended up that somehow a peice of rubber or something was in his torch causing a restriction. So he had the correct pressure but flow was reduced because of a partial blockage in his torch.

Keith.

[Marty]

I use Fine Cut consumables with a water table, with exlnt results.....and the water level is up almost touching the material, I cut 10,12,14 ga cr steel and 1/8 aluminum, and even brass


on your cut quality question.....was your cut quality good before you installed the dryer??

does your dryer have an automatic water drain plumbed to it?

if you supect air pressure problem, plumb in a gauge at the back of you plasma cutter air line port......see what the air pressure at that point is.....

[Shram]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It did not come out to be a air pressure issue! After about another full bad plasma day we finally got it figured out. I took the ground clamp apart and cleaned it well with a new nut and bolt. Then my cut quality completely changed. I guess it doesnt like being partially submerged in water. I didn't think it would make a difference.
But still after messing with cut heights and amperages if I follow hypertherms setting for 14 gauge fine cut consumables 270 ipm seems stupid high. Is anyone cutting this fast? with the torchmate while setting up with the line spped test it doesnt go over 130 ipm. What do you think?

[Marty]

Schram
To many a long story short, I reduce by 20% hypertherm's recommended cut speeds when I am using Fine Cut consumables
I cut mostly 14 gauge cold rolled steel and I cut at about 175 ips and get exlnt results consistently
i keep the water level high to help prevent warping at the slower speed. This combo works like a CHAMP for my table anyway. I said 175 ips but please check your hypertherm manual suggested speed and reduce by 20%. I am out of town now so I am going by memory BUT the 20% reduction is definitely the ticket. Some have tried just 10% but 20% is my joy zone
Good call on the grounding , I had forgotten, but grounding should be on "The Checklist"
My checklist is speed check,ground check,air pressure adequate check, air DRYNESS check,consumables not overly worn (especially the electrode) final check. Take off!

[jimcolt]

I'm not so sure that I ever said you could not use FineCut consumables with a water table....I probably said that the cut speeds and cut quality would be affected if used with a water table....as it is with all sets of consumables. The cut specs in the Hypertherm Powermax manuals are all developed using a downdraft table with no water. Cutting in water will often result in rougher cut edges (this is because the water breaks down into oxygen and hydrogen, and the popping from hydrogen production physically moves the arc...making a rougher cut edge) and more dross. Often you need to slow the speeds down in water table applications to get acceptable results.

The high speeds in the cut charts are 100% correct for best cut quality on the listed materials....unfortunately most low cost cnc machines will not maintain speeds above about 150 ipm with any level of stability and accuracy. Most of the cut specs for the original torch as used on the 1250 (with FineCut consumables) will keep you in the range of 150 ipm, however if you have upgraded the 1250 with the Duramax torch...there is a set of "Low Speed" cut charts specially developed for machines that work better at speeds of 150 ipm or less.

And yes....the Hypertherm torch designs.....different by far than other brands....like to run close to the plate for best cut quality. most of the cut specs have a higher pierc height, but a cut height of .06" for steel. Run higher and you will get more dross and more edge angularity.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

Ok I have a torchmate with avhc and Hypertherm 12550. I put all new consumables on. I just installed a air dryer and cut quality is horrible. Is it possible that to many regulators or hard 90's can mess up the volume of air but not the actual PSI. I am pulling at straws here. I went over all my setting with Torchmate tech support but now thinking it is the plasma or air source.

Another thing that confuses me is Torchmate recommends a 1/8 off plate for all cuts when Hypertherm recommends .06. What setting are you using?

Also I have a water table and have seen Jim Colt say the fine cut consumables should not be used with a water table. Are most of you using shielded consumables with a water table. Which last longer? Sorry for the rambling! But have a lot of questions and iuf I get a few figured out maybe I can figure out my problem. Thank you in advance! Kurt

[Shram]

Thank you for your responses. Are the torchmate tables considered a low cost table. Just wondering. I would love to cut at higher speeds to increase production. As far as consumables I have been going through nozzles about twice as fast as electrodes. Is this normal?

[jimcolt]

In the world of Plasma CNC machines.....industrial machines that are designed to cut metal 3 shifts a day, seven days a week can typically cost from about $80,000 to as much as a million dollars. I consider any cnc plasma that is upriced under about $25k as a low cost or entry level machine. They are of lighter construction, typically use a PC or Laptop as the cnc control and are nowhere near as productive as the large industrial machines.

Most Torchmate machine fit into my "low cost" category.....although they produce a few of their "X" machines with industrial cnc controls, high definition class plasma's and servo drives......which puts them in the $75k and higher priced category!

On a properly running, good quality air plasma system yoiu will use 2 to 3 times as many nozzles as you will electrodes.


Jim Colt

Thank you for your responses. Are the torchmate tables considered a low cost table. Just wondering. I would love to cut at higher speeds to increase production. As far as consumables I have been going through nozzles about twice as fast as electrodes. Is this normal?

[Shram]

Jim, thank you for replies. You have been a great asset to me and your company. I did some shows in the past few weeks and have told many people that in no way shape or form would I ever buy a machine other them Hypertherm or Torchmate. Cause of the tech support and help way surpasses my expectation!