how long should my consumable last??

[WyoGreen]

All my work is one off stuff, so I don't cut near as much as some of the guys on here, but I do run the table a few times every week, doing so for the last 5 years or so, and I'm still on the 5 pack of consumables that came with my HT45. I cut everything from 16 gauge to 1/2", depending on the job. So I'm very pleased with the life I get out of my consumables.
The OP's pictures seem to show the consumables are still good, so the question is why are the cuts turning ugly so soon. The things going thru my thought train are the variables beyond the consumables, like air supply and voltage to the Plasma cutter. Could it be the compressor getting hotter, putting out more moisture in the air supply? Could it be the AC supply wiring is heating up causing a voltage drop? Or maybe the Plasma cutter itself is heating up and causing a problem?

Have you tried putting the consumables back in when everything is cooled down to see if they work then?

Just trying to think outside the "box", Steve

[davek0974]

Hmm, maybe i should lift the pierce height a bit, but how much?

[whiskeymike]

I have a PM65, and using 65 amp consumables, on .250 mild steel, I get about 1600 pierces, 8000" of cut length. That's in one 4x10 sheet. At that point or little bit more, I start getting stuck errors or the torch cutting out. With such small pieces and thick steel, it's better for me to replace it than fix it. I replace both the nozzle and electrode at the same time. If I don't, it seems to get stuck not to long after. When I used the extended life, it lasted longer.

Occasionally, it does cut out before the numbers above, but it's always because crap blew back into the shield and fouled the nozzle. I've wire brushed them and picked out the crap, but it seems down hill from there no matter what.

The nozzle picture you posted above looks fantastic. I'm surprised it's giving you issues.

[leadsled71]

I do notice that when I first cut while my air line and compressor are cooled off I seem to get better quality untill the compressor keeps running and seems to get worse as I go. but my Schulz refrigerator purges out all the moisture before it gets to my filter system. those are bone dry when I open them. otherwise I would suspect the moisture from the compressor heating up while running causing my issue.

I throw away probably 20 hypertherm electrodes and nozzles a month that look like in the picture, and I only cut about 2-3 hours a month. I'd just like to get it figured out.

is there a way to test the air quality, for example where I can test it cold and Re test it after 20 minutes of cutting and see if I have an issue im not seeing?

[motoguy]

Those consumables look nearly new to me. I'd be replacing my worn out consumables with those. Seriously, I'd look at that and think "ah, looks like these only had one pierce!"

[Bigrhamr]

Do you have an air pressure gauge on the inlet to the plasma?
I would stop throwing away those consumables, when you get the problem fixed you can run them all for 10 times longer.
Or send them to me

[leadsled71]

i have a full 5 gallon bucket of them, some only had maybe 20 peirces on them. Probably about 5 grand worth of consumables from 24 months of running . I was going to just take them to the scrap yard for a few dollars of copper. anyone is welcome to them for cost of copper

I do not have a pressure gauge on the machine. I have one right at my hose that goes over to the machine. it's pretty much 150 on the high side. 120 is about as low as it gets.

it's frustrating as hell not finding an answer. everytime I've made an expensive upgrade to my air system in hopes that will cure out. now im.about out of gadgets and filters I can add to give me clean dry air.

[motoguy]

I seem to remember Jim Colt saying pressures in excess of 125 can cause the plastic bowl on the Hypertherm filter (on back of machine) to develop leaks. Have you checked the bowl, gaskets, seals, etc?

How is your plasma work lead ("ground" cable) making contact with the plate? Directly connected to part being cut, or through slats?

Can you post photos of some of the "bad" cuts?

[tnbndr]

I was going to just take them to the scrap yard for a few dollars of copper. anyone is welcome to them for cost of copper

Where are you located? I would take you up on that offer if I could pick it up! Shipping could get costly.
Sent you a PM

[WyoGreen]

One thing you always see when talking about air pressure at the plasma cutter, is to have a pressure gauge right at the back of the cutter. I put a "T' right on the air inlet to the cutter, with a gauge on one side of the "T" that I could see over the top of the cutter. That way you know what the pressure is right into the cutter.

Steve

[acourtjester]

I have one right at my hose that goes over to the machine.

That is not a good place to observe the air supply to your plasma cutter.Having on at the input to the plasma as described above if the way to go.
This give you the info as to exactly how the supply is working at the point of use, If your hose is not large enough or has an obstruction you gauge will not show it. If there is a gauge at the plasma and the air supply in not enough you will see a drop on that gauge as the cutting operation is being done.
This will not be seen on a remote gauge!

[davek0974]

I have no gauge but the PM45 has an LED display on the front for pressure and the centre light is always on when cutting. I don't think my issue is a pressure drop.

[Mac]

We had similar problems with a running a HT85. When cutting thick stuff we changed to a shielded tip instead of not, this solved our problem. Think unshielded tip just gets too hot in thicker plate.

[jimcolt]

Sorry....have been away from my office for a number of days...so could not reply. The consumables in the picture....assuming they are Hypertherm genuine parts....should go right back in the machine and cut beautifully. I would expect mine to look exactly like that after 6 ot 7 minutes of cutting.....but then I would use them for another few hours and thousands of feet of cut.

I don't see a picture of the shield. A damaged shield can cause widely varying angularity. I don't see the swirl ring or the retaining cap either...both of which can affect angularity and overall cut quality. Pics of your cut parts will help us diagnose what is going wrong as well, as well as your cutting specs (pierce height, cut heigfht, cut speed, material type and thickness, part numbers for the consumables you are using.

If any of the consumables are not Hypertherm parts....expect varying cut quality. Stack up parts tolerances as well as copper alloys and the method of thermal bonding the hafnium emitter to the copper electrode are extremely critical under the 25,000 degree plasma arc temperatures that these parts are subject to.

Your operators manual has a section on inspecting the consumables.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

here is a picture after about 6 or 7 minutes of cutting with a new electrode and nozzle.







there was no visible moisture in any of the traps in the 3 stage desiccant system. the water seperator and coalesor are bone dry.

[jimcolt]

I would never recommend cutting with unshielded parts as they do not have the conical flow advantage. Conical flow uses the outer shape of the nozzle in conjunction with the inner shape of the shield to inject secondary air flow around the arc as it exits the nozzle orifice...further increasing its energy density as well as increasing the cooling effect on the nozzle orifice. Shield technology on the consumables also protects the nozzle (there is no part called a tip in a Hypertherm torch) from double arcing during piercing and on contact with the material. Cutting unshielded produces about 1/5th the consumable life and more edge angularity and bottom dross.

The only reason we offer non shielded consumables is for applications where you need to get the front end of the torch into tighter places....better clearance for beveling, etc.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

We had similar problems with a running a HT85. When cutting thick stuff we changed to a shielded tip instead of not, this solved our problem. Think unshielded tip just gets too hot in thicker plate.

[davek0974]

Hi Jim,

Is there any possibility it could be cutting with a shielded nozzle but no shielding air flow??

I always use shielded parts but still suffer short life.

[exapprentice]

Hi Jim

I would like to add another question to your list as well and would also like to understand how the different 30amp and 45 amp consumables differ in operation when used in the same machine torch?

How does your statement above relate to using 30 amp consumables in a Hypertherm T45M Machine Torch 088010:
220478 electrode T30
220480 nozzle T30

Looking forward to your response

[leadsled71]

Thanks for the info jim. Here is a picture of a few parts I cut. The first one is on bottom or left in top picture. this was a brand new electrode and nozzle, hypertherm parts not aftermarket.

By the time I got to my 3rd piece after a minute of cutting, in top picture, it was cutting terrbly. I had to bust it loose from my plate sheet to get it out..you can see the rough tapered edge.

That was cutting on 65amp, .23 Pierce height, 1 second peirce delay, 100 Ipm spend, and 130 voltage.

After the picture I slowed the cut down to 80 Ipm, the parts weren't as bad as that one but they still had ugly tapered edges.







What all is involved in switching to shielded consumables? This was what came with my machine I been using the whole time. I will get pictures of the other parts on my torch head

[Bigrhamr]

Are you getting those cut parameters out of the book? I don't have it in front of me now but 80-100 IPM for 1/2" at 65 amps sounds way too fast.

[leadsled71]

Yes, that is 1/4" material, not 1/2".

[motoguy]

To me, it looks like a mechanical or torch height issue. Have you replaced the torch with a pen, and drawn several of the parts (as you would cutting them)? Maybe there is a memory, or buffer, or heat issue causing the table to go to hell after multiple parts? The botched holes and rounded corners make me think this.

The deviation from programmed path could also be due to a hunting/wandering arc. Incorrect (too high) nozzle height, poor work clamp connection, etc. The partial cut penetration and large, wavy kerf is what happens to me when my torch raises up too high (.25" or more).

If it were me, I'd run the pen test first. Run a lot of parts, quickly. See if it's a heat related issue in the motors or wiring, or maybe some kind of buffer/computer issue. See if the pen lifts for some reason, or deviates from the correct path.

If repeated pen tests look good, you can move away from a machine/motor/wiring/computer issue, to an arc issue. THC, voltage, work clamp connection, air supply/water, maybe even hook up a different machine or torch to test.

Those consumables look damn good. I would think moisture would manifest itself as damage to the nozzle interior, and/or electrode tip. I would expect to see metal in the nozzle if it were a pressure issue (happens to me when air supply runs out, when I forget to open the air line valve).

Just thoughts from a new guy.

[davek0974]

This is the sort of failure i get....



Thats after about 30mins on 3mm steel at 45A

[leadsled71]

I may have found my issue or part of it anyway. I usually just replace the nozzle electrode and swirl ring on occasion. I unscrewed the round unshielded cap I been using, and there was quite a bit of plasma Slagl between it and the body it screws to. I'm gonna try to clean it out or replace it, and may just start trying the shielded one.

[jimcolt]

The shield airflow is determined by the retaining cap. If the passages in the cap are blocked then you could block the shield flow. This could also happen if you are mixing aftermarket and genuine consumables.....as the aftermarket suppliers pay little to no attention to critical tolerances. Shielded consumables should last a lot longer than non shielded when working as designed.

Jim Colt

Hi Jim,

Is there any possibility it could be cutting with a shielded nozzle but no shielding air flow??

I always use shielded parts but still suffer short life.

[jimcolt]

Sure looks like steel particles around the orifice of the cop[per nozzle. If so...there will be steel particles inside the shield orifice as well. Piercing too close, too thick or with inadequate pierce delay is the cause. When steel blows back between the nozzle and shield they can short or arc between them....which affects cut quality and damages the nozzle orifice. Height control functions (done correctly) are dritical to the life of consumables in any plasma torch. Jim Colt Hypertherm

This is the sort of failure i get....



Thats after about 30mins on 3mm steel at 45A