Help!! Plasma Cam height control and not cutting on start point

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n54sanders
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Help!! Plasma Cam height control and not cutting on start point

Post by n54sanders »

I have a plasma cam 510 machine I bought for our FFA program I'm learning the machine and can do a lot but still some things I'm struggling with.. My job is cattle, crops and shop not computers so please keep that in mind when posting.. Can someone post cut heights they use on 1/8" 1/4" type sheet metal.. My cam is cutting but it is not piercing when it starts just after it has began the cutting process.. When I recut it still is skipping those spots it didn't cut the 1st time.. Can do this 6-7 times and still same thing.. Thinking maybe voltage or cut height.. Then tonight my machine was not finding the metal to set the cut height when starting a cut.. It would hit the metal 3-4 times and then an error would pop up on screen.. I'm beyond aggravated cause I've had so much trouble w this machine and its 2-3 weeks old.. I feel like out of the hundred they sell w my luck I got the lemon of the group.. Any help would be awesome and appreciated.. We've done some cool things and like I said I can run the machine build a ton from scratch but these trouble shooting things are absolutely killing my enthusiasm for the machine.. I have a hypertherm 65.. Oh and I had cut with machine then tonight it wouldn't even strike up and arc w manual test or on the machine.. I've put three new electrodes in today on one sheet of metal have been getting 1 set of consumables for 6-7 sheets of metal..
PlasmaMac
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Re: Help!! Plasma Cam height control and not cutting on start point

Post by PlasmaMac »

It sounds like you need to make some really minor changes (like make sure a box is checked in your height control setting).
I highly recommend sure to review your video manual that came with the machine, because there are step by step instructions for solving these really simple problems that are usually due to not having things set up correctly according to the instructions. Also, plasmacams tech department can help out big as well! Make sure to give them a call.
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Joe Jones
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Re: Help!! Plasma Cam height control and not cutting on start point

Post by Joe Jones »

Where are you located?

What plasma cutter are you running? Are you using the hand torch, or did you purchase a machine torch? Do you have the Advanced Height Control DesignEdge software upgrade installed, or are you using only BASIC height control?

You need to make sure your material is GROUNDED properly. Simply laying it onto the grate and relying on the contact points of the grate itself is not sufficient for a proper ground.

Also, if the cut is not smooth, you might have water issues in your air supply. The air needs to be DRY, and that means either installing a desiccant air drier (the pellets) or a refrigerated air drier, OR BOTH. On top of that, your air supply needs to be able to keep up with the machine. If you are using a small garage compressor, there is not enough volume of air in the tank to do much more than a short cut a couple of inches long. You need a compressor with a large tank, such as a 60 gallon or 80 gallon Ingersol-Rand compressor.

I am available to help you with this if you have not solved the problem already.

Joe
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