Question for Jim Colt

[bob49]

Jim, I have a TD cut master 82 with hand torch. It all of a sudden is going thru start cartridges and faulting to shorted tip code often, any ideas would be helpful. My air supply seems to be fairly dry, with no black deposits on electrode. it will not start a pilot arc.

[I Lean]

I'm of no help, but I have one question and one comment:

(a) What is a "start cartridge"?

(b) It's really cool that Jim is able and willing to help people with their plasma machines, even ones made by a competitor to the company he works for.

[jimcolt]

A couple of things I would look for:

1. Even though you say your air is fairly dry....during this time of the year....close to 50% of the tech service calls that come in to the Hypertherm tech service lines turn out to be related to moisture in air systems. Make sure you drain your compressor tank daily....better is to install an auto drain (Harbor freight has one that adapts to most compressors for less than $15) that drains moisture on every compressor cycle. The T-D torch with its start cartridge design is very susceptible to moisture.

2. If you have some sort of a filter (such as a Motorguard) in your airline upstream of the plasma...ensure that the element is not saturated with water, or plugged....which would create an airflow restriction to the plasma. There also is an onboard filter on the T-D unit that could be restricted.

These two tips are the most likely causes....especially during humid months.

Jim Colt

Jim, I have a TD cut master 82 with hand torch. It all of a sudden is going thru start cartridges and faulting to shorted tip code often, any ideas would be helpful. My air supply seems to be fairly dry, with no black deposits on electrode. it will not start a pilot arc.

[jimcolt]

Thermal Dynamics developed a Start Cartridge type torch so that they could eliminate high frequency start in their air plasma system torches. Hypertherm had patented the blowback start technology....and in order to design a torch that started without high frequency...like the Hypertherm, and without infringing on patents...they developed this slightly different technology. Basically a start cartridge is an extra consumable part that acts as the insulator between the electrode and nozzle inside the torch....and has an internal spring that allows the consumables to move, creating an ionizing spark to get the plasma arc started. Hypertherm torches have this technology built inside the torch in the form of a plunger mechanism. The newer Hypertherm 65/85 and Duramax torches have a "spring electrode" design...so that when the electrode is changed the mechanism is changed as well.....no moving parts in the torch body.


Jim

I'm of no help, but I have one question and one comment:

(a) What is a "start cartridge"?

[bob49]

Thanks Jim, I have a spitter filter system as well as 2 desiccant dryers in line with my plasma but i understand that this time of year with humidity at insane levels only a re-frig air dyer will do the trick.
I got curious and tor the old start cartridges apart and found that all the bad ones had the SPRING fused and burned.
thanks for the input Bob