Tips and electrodes blow out after 14 minutes of cutting

[Heavychevy]

Hopefully someone has some ideas or answers or maybe it's just normal?
So today I was cutting a fairly large sign out of .250 plate and is was a total of about 15 minutes of cutting and 6 pierces. Everything was going great until the last maybe 10 inches then the electrode blew out and cup has a huge hole in it and it sprayed copper all over the steel. They were brand new when I started the cuts.
I'm running 60 amp 42 ipm on .250 plate if that matters?
I have had this happen before but I do mainly small runs or one off parts so dont really know my consumables lifespan.
I have a homemade plasma table with a everlast 80s plasma with 100 amp machine torch using 65-70 amp consumables and a proma thc. Maybe the consumables are just junk? I dunno but I would think I should get more than that out of them. I have been buying them from plasmadyn.

[sphurley]

Are you sure your compressor is not building up water? I drop of moisture will cause that in a heartbeat.

[Old Iron]

Water in the air lines was my first thought too

[jimcolt]

I get about 1000 to 1500 starts at 65 amps with my plasma. I have never had an electrode or nozzle blow out, rather I change them when the cut quality deteriorates. Though I paid more up front for the Powermax plasma is cost me a lot less to use.

[railmaker]

Almost alway water. sometimes it could be a shorting from the material but most likely water. I do not have a refrigerant dryer but I use three stages of dry rite descant that I can change out and re dry. For the most part, it has worked well for me over the years.

[Railmen]

Most likely water .

[bigcreek]

Id agree most likely water in the line.

[john527]

Buy an air dryer, it was the best think I ever did!

[Mr. Fixit]

Buy an air dryer, it was the best think I ever did!

I agree with that comment and also suggest that you buy the best one that you can justify/afford that will properly handle the cfm flow at pressure of your compressor. I have a refrigerated dryer at the compressor and also have a 4 stage desiccant dryer just prior to the plasma machine air supply. The desiccant has not been changed or reactivated in over a year and it is still blue (showing 0 moisture in the lines). I also live in humid South Florida which previously played havoc with my consumables.

[john527]

Same here, I have a moto filter (looks like a toilet paper roll) at the machine 25 feet ahead of my refrigerated dryer, its been a year now and the paper roll still looks like new!