Apology / New PM85 / Duramax Torch review

[Shane Warnick]

Well, I received my new PM85 and Duramax machine torch (50') yesterday. With the help of some custom cables supplied by Jim Colt I hooked it up Sunday and started making little pieces out of big ones.

Speaking of Jim Colt, I have to say I owe him an apology. I have seen post after post from him and picture after picture of his that show plasma cuts with zero dross. After awhile I chalked it up to him being a salesman, and figured he was whacking the parts to get the dross to pop off then taking pictures. I actually figured there was just no way to get cuts that clean and he was full of the caca-del-toro if you will. Well, I was WRONG. That has happened before, but I divorced her and called it a mulligan. Anyways, all I can say is WOW.

I am cutting 14g mild steel with finecut at 212ipm at 45 amps, and my cuts are dross free with the exception of where the machine slows down for corners etc. I also cut some 1/4" plate at 45 amps, I think it was 45 or maybe 43 ipm. The edges were SQUARE and I don't mean sort of. Dead nuts on square. The hole quality is leaps and bounds far better than my old T80M torch with my powermax 1250 as well. I cut some 5/16" holes in 1/4" and the holes were out 12 thousandths (yeah 0.012") top to bottom. SHAZAAM BATMAN. Unfortunately, I forgot to get pics of the 1/4" as I had a customer standing there waiting. The 1/4" is not completely dross free, but all that is there pops right off no problem, just a quick whack or two and it's gone. I don't know if I can dial it in enough to get rid of all the dross on 1/4", but I am so happy with the way it is I may not waste time trying. I sped up as fast as 65ipm in 5ipm increments, and around 60 ipm the dross turned into high speed dross (hard, thin line of dross that was HARD to chip off), I slowed down a little at a time down to 40 ipm and the low speed dross just got heavier. Anyways, I think it was 43ipm where it was the least noticeable and just falls off when you touch it.

The nozzles stay super clean, and I am impressed at the increase in consumable life as well.

If you were wondering about the new copper plus electrodes, go ahead and get yourself a few. I say a few, as I have something like 4500" of cut on the first one I put in, and it still looks barely used. I am not sure it will ever wear out. It seems to be like the energizer bunny. Going and going and going.

Here are some pictures of some 14g I took this evening, straight off the table. Still has the smoke crap on the backside. All I did was flip it over.

If you were thinking about maybe upgrading to a Duramax torch, I would say go ahead and get on it. I don't see how you could go wrong. I can't quit grinning, as my cut quality was already better than my competition when I was using the T80M torch, now I doubt anyone of my customers would be able to tell the difference between my cuts and a laser cut, unless they were looking at the bill

Hats off to Hypertherm for being such an innovator and leader in the industry.

Shane

[illusivedf]

Thanks for the reply on my other thread, can you post up some pictures on some thicker material when you get a chance? I know you had mentioned running at 45 amps, if you have a chance can you cut a part at 60-65 amps and see how the quality changes? Also do you have any parts you can post pics of the edges from your old setup for comparison as well?

[Nacs Fab]

Shane,

I notice the absence of the dreaded torch delay dot. You have that sucker dialed in! I noticed that my kerf on 14 gauge is so narrow that sometimes paint sticks to both sides of it, making the gap almost nonexistant.

Nice Cuts!

illusive

here is my thread about the torch - I also posted in your question under the Hypertherm Thread with more information thatn below, so be sure to read it too.

http://www.plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14303