Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Information on plasma cutting nozzles, electrodes, and other consumables.
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bisonsolar
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Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Post by bisonsolar »

I went to cut some parts yesterday and forgot to hook the ground clamp.
The Hypertherm 45 made a really nice "etch" of the part.
Im wondering if I can use the hypertherm for marking like this?
Will ut hurt the machine or eat consumables?

Jim if your out there, please chime in.
muzza
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Re: Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Post by muzza »

A new machine should also come with gouging nozzle 220672 and gouging shield 220675, have a play with them. Handy for marking a design into a sheet for a different effect.
Murray
jimcolt
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Re: Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Post by jimcolt »

Etching the plate without the ground clamp on the cutting bed is ultimately going to cause a high current flow from the plasma through some of your machine drive electronics. You are asking for a fried drive board or drive motor. If you want to "etch"( known as "arc writing") you simply turn the power down to minimum and set the cut speed as fast as the machine can move with any level of accuracy. You could also use argon (instead of air) for a lighter mark.

Our high end industrial systems can switch automatically from cutting at high current to marking (using argon and nitrogen) at about 10 to 15 amps.

Jim Colt
garyroushkolb
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Re: Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Post by garyroushkolb »

How will low setting work with a auto height control? I have a torchmate "blue screen" height control?
jimcolt
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Re: Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Post by jimcolt »

Using the AVHC with the plasma set on the lowest amperage setting should work fine. You will have to experiment with the voltage setting to get the height where it works best for marking. Lower voltage equals lower height.
Jim Colt
garyroushkolb wrote:How will low setting work with a auto height control? I have a torchmate "blue screen" height control?
abmetal
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Re: Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Post by abmetal »

Jim,
Isn't that supposed to be hard on nozzles when it's moving and the torch isn't blowing through. Someone, maybe Pcam folks or your people, once told me the nozzle orifice becomes elongated if the torch starts moving before it has pierced. ???

Allen

By the way, I really enjoyed your latest webinar.
jimcolt
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Re: Hypertherm 45 for marking.

Post by jimcolt »

No, It will not hurt the nozzle any more than regular cutting, especially at minimum amperage.

Jim Colt

abmetal wrote:Jim,
Isn't that supposed to be hard on nozzles when it's moving and the torch isn't blowing through. Someone, maybe Pcam folks or your people, once told me the nozzle orifice becomes elongated if the torch starts moving before it has pierced. ???

Allen

By the way, I really enjoyed your latest webinar.
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