Victor thermal dynamics A60 questions

[Yert42]

I'm looking to get a A60 and I have a few question for y'all first if I'm cutting 1/4"-3/8 what kind of amps am I drawing? And do the smaller tips(30-40amp) cut better in tighter spaces? Note I know nothing about plasma machines I'm just starting out thanks

[tcaudle]

1. YOu cut material based on the thickness. 1/4 to 3/8 needs at least 40A. ^0 would work too. You SET the AMPS you want to cut at it adjusts the voltage to keep it constant at a given arc gap. SO it boils down to WATTS. The avearge arc volts of a Thermal is about 105 VDC. At 40Amsp that works out to about 4200 watts. It takes 30% more going in than you are cuting at (an the AC side so about 5600 watts on the primary. Roughly 25A off the 229VAC ac side. at 60 amsp you will have about 45A .

You can only use smaller nozzles on thinner material. They do have a thinner kerf but they are the same physical diameter so they won't get in "tight spaces" any better.

I would suggest you do a little more research before you plunk down a couple of thousand bucks. Learn more about plasma cutting in general and the difference between different sizes and brands of plasma cutters

[Brand X]

Here are some # to compare too.. 40 amps .250 with shielded consumables was running over 130 volts on my machine.Book has it a 126 volts 25 ipm.. a bit over 30 amps input. Measured the input amps with my hand torch, and shielded drag setup.. .120-.375.ms.@ 27-32 amps input.. Running 50 /55 amp consumables,plus the 60 amp stuff will draw up to almost 50 amps on .750 ms..less on 375 but not by much.. Turned up to 80 amp output was pulling 73 amps on the .750.. (246 volt input) The machine was designed quite a while ago, and there is much better options out now for power input.. Also you get much better efficiency with other torches then the 15 year old one torch.. I like my victor machine, and can get some super cuts on my table.. Just remember you are not really getting great value compared to a machine like a Hypertherm 45XP.

Let me explain something.. The 45XP will not cut as fast on .750 MS as a the A-60 will, but that still might have little to do with the quality of the cut of overall The Hypertherm will cut the same .750 really nice with a hand torch, and so will the A-60 at 80 amps.. The difference in amp draw is less then half of the victor. 32 amps or so..
Lets look at your .250 ms. between both machines. Both can cut excellent and use similar power input..40 amps consumables for the victor, and 45 for the Hypertherm.. The difference, in cut speed is about 50 % faster for the 5 extra amps output using the Hypertherm. The newer torch design, and power supply has made the 45 xp really hard to overlook if you are buying new..The victor is really not a good machine for starting out with CNC cutting.. It just has a narrow range of where you get good cuts.. Yes.I can do it, and like my machine very well, but I have wasted a ton of steel to get there.. The 45XP will serve your needs much better in the range you were talking..

[jimcolt]

The big difference with the 45 XP (and the 65,85, 105 and 125 from Hypertherm) has to do with the interaction between the torch shield and the nozzle. The design and shape of each of these parts work together to use the shield cooing air flow to do a secondary squeeze on the plasma arc as it exits the nozzle orifice. This increases arc energy density and velocity, creating faster cut speeds, consistently square edges (well, as close to square as you can get with air plasma!) and sharper top edges. This is actually a patented design and the technology is called conical flow. An added benefit is that the design also improves nozzle orifice cooling, relating to longer nozzle life. My point, Power supplies play a big role in plasma cutting performance, however torch technology makes a difference as well! Jim Colt Hypertherm

[Brand X]

There is going to be help in the torch for Thermal-dynamics machines. Thermacut has some torches coming out with there patented consumables. Great stuff.. It will be a game changer for the victor machines,and maybe it will light a fire under Victor to do something with their consumables.(maybe)