Not cutting through on straight lines

[Marvinight]

14g steel hypertherm 65 finecut ~80v 70/75 psi 45a mach3 candcnc precision plasma gantry. Does not cut through on all straight lines but some cut perfectly. I'm stumped new to this also. Thanks

[Marvinight]

I'm guessing has something to do with mach3 CV?

[jimcolt]

Almost everyone that first uses the Finecut consumables reports this same issue. I can almost guarantee that the issue is height related if you are cutting at the recommended book cut speed and amperage.

Shut off the height control and do a rectangle large enough to achieve full speed. The torch height to the book spec with a feeler gauge (book spec is .060" off the surface, (anywhere between .060" and .075" is good, I prefer about .070"), then do a cut. It will look very nice. Now activate your height control and see if the cut looks the same....if it doesn't....adjust the arc voltage preset until the physical height is correct.

The finecut consumables are much more sensitive to height than the regular shielded consumables. The arc voltage suggestions in the cut chart are starting points....on different height controls you often have to adjust the voltage (lower for closer, higher for more height) in order to achive the correct physical height.

Make sure as well that you are using the shield for the Finecut consumables.....it will increase the nozzle life and provide better overall cut quality. Attached is a picture of the available FineCut consumables. Use the first row of consumables, although if you don't have the ohmic sensing (aka Feather Touch) you can use the standard retaining cap.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

all finecut cons.jpg (25.59 KiB) Viewed 1695 times

all finecut cons.jpg (25.59 KiB) Viewed 1695 times

[Marvinight]

Thank you! So far so good. I was .06 height moved it up to .07 cutting alot better. when I had it at .06 it still didn't cut through with height control off only in some places maybe warped material though. I thought that too close would still go through. Thank you for the help! I have my voltage set to 85 now it sits about .07-.073 above the mat with the on

[Metriccar]

I cut almost exclusively with Fine Cut, and I use book settings. I have noticed that when I start getting problems where it doesn't cut all the way through, I have to change the desiccant and let it keep cutting for a while. Fine Cuts seem very sensitive to moisture in the line compared to the other consumables.

I recently bought a refrigerator so I'm hoping to cut back on the desiccant use. But I literally go through an entire 4x4 sheet when it starts doing this. Then it cuts good until I have to change it again, right now, about once a month.

[steel 35]

I will be trying Jims test today! 14G is my preferred thickness but I sure hate running it

80 Volts is right between the Fast and slow fine cut mild steel book settings ? not saying its wrong, or won't work because I struggle with cutting 14G everyday, and hope to find a cure as well.

[Marvinight]

I'm getting it to cut through not too happy with the taperd edge. As if it was too high. But we will see how that goes when I get my refrigerated dryer I ordered from here on plasmaspider.

[tcaudle]

14g is about all we cut. Same setup. sometimes we cut 10G and 3/16" Taper is largely dependent on cut height. Flame is wider in the middle than at the top or bottom (like me) Too high and you get top taper, to low you get bottom taper. The closer you get the more intense the arc so it should cut BETTER (as far a penetration). Clogged tips cut poorly. Bad nozzle openings cut poorly. Something else is going on when you don't get reliable penetration. Fine cut is a LOT more tricky to cut with. Everything is more critical. We cut 14G with a 45 tip and current setting at 225 IPM and .060 arc gap.

[steel 35]

If you would like more of a description then given for the taper see page 4-22 In your 65 operation manual there is a nice drawing

[aopenshaw]

I also found out air quality is critical with finecut. Humidity is high here in Alabama and I was having more and more issues with cutting through. Solved the air problem and everything went back to normal using book settings.

[steel 35]

We cut 14G with a 45 tip and current setting at 225 IPM and .060 arc gap.

Thank you!