Should I be using fine cut Consumables

[Justin89]

I've been trying to cut some detailed stuff out, and have a problem with the stuff falling out that is not supposed to fall out.should I be using fine cut.... I have a 4x8 table with hypertherm 45xp. Thanks in advance any help is appreciated

[2015cmax]

I guess It would depend on the material your cutting. I tend to do ok using fine cut consumables on stuff 3/16" or less. But 1/4" thickness does not work so good so I switch to the regular cut consumables. The other thing I originally did not take into account was the cut kerf and what side of the cut line I was intending to cut. On "paper" I used to use a fixed circle, say about .125" dia, as a check to make sure I had enough space between lines, but after the cut I would have unwanted drop outs. Took me a while to realize it was an issue of the cut not being on the center of the cut center line and depending on whether or not the cut was an open or closed path. If, in my case the computer "thought" the cut path was for all intents and purpose a circle, the cut was on the inside of the line. Open paths tended to be center on the line and the outside perimeter line was cut on the outside of the line.

So once the dim light in my head finally shined brighter after figuring this out I no longer had problems with unexpected drop outs- Unless I just flat out screwed up on the drawing. I just need to remember to take the width of the cut kerf into consideration when drawing a design with line close to each other.

[Justin89]

Thank you 2015cmax I have been cuting 16 ga

[acourtjester]

Another thing to be careful about is the thickness of you line in the drawing, I use about 0.005" when drawing with Inkscape. Also make sure you are cutting all the inside parts first then the outsides, open line do not have lead in/outs.

[jdh239]

I always use fine cut consumables on about 10-11 gauge and under.

[Davewynes]

For detailed work i always run fine cut consumables we run a hypertherm 102

[steel 35]

Sounds like a drawing issue, and the fine cuts are cutting good as they do!

[ben de lappe]

Fine cut consumables are great. Though honestly speaking not a "must". I do drawings for clients the world over and I'm positive not all of them run fine cut. So I agree with steel 35's thought, a drawing issue but could be a couple of things. A lot depends on where you cut. Meaning online, inside or outside the line and to which parameters you have set in your software. Just a general rule of thumb. Be absolutely sure you have AT LEAST .125" between any cuts or everything will fall out and depending on your kerf width (wold be interested to know) you can allow even more room.

[Russ K]

Hi Justin89. I have a Hypertherm 1000 and use fine cut consumables on anything 10G and thinner. It seems I am always pushing the limit for smaller, more detailed artwork. For general applications, draw a circle of .125 dia. to .13 dia. Move this around your drawing where ever lines are close together and use it as a gauge. When you find lines that are closer together than the circle, you need to move or offset to avoid burn through from one line to the next. If you are having whole pieces fall out than that is another problem entirely and indicates improper drawing to avoid details that drop away from the main piece.

[jimcolt]

Follow the cut charts in the operators manual for your Powermax45xp. The kerf width should be set in the software on your machine....that will compensate for the width of the cut and will improve your cut quality. The kerf width is listed in your cut charts for each material and thickness. Use the Fine cut consumables with the shield for everything thinner than 10 gauge (about 1/8"). for best results. Jim Colt

I've been trying to cut some detailed stuff out, and have a problem with the stuff falling out that is not supposed to fall out.should I be using fine cut.... I have a 4x8 table with hypertherm 45xp. Thanks in advance any help is appreciated

[MetalnTrucks]

+1 I agree this sounds like a drawing issue more so than your consumables. Double check

[acourtjester]

there is a function in SheetCam that may help to find kerf interferences, It shows the actual kerf width on the plan so you can ID where they are to close. Attached image shows a drawing with on line cuts with only the kerf differences, first is 0.068" second 0.035" kerfs. An outside offset would be worse.

aaa36.JPG (66.08 KiB) Viewed 520 times