Never mind 
Glad I could help.
Continuing from the other Issues Threadā¦ It wasnāt liking me to grab just the post for some reason.
The life span on the consumables vary on many conditions.
Those are
- Material being cut.
- Amperage of the torch.
- The air quality of the compressed air.
- Distance of the arc to the material, IE how high or low the head is to material.
When I cut the open house keychains, there were 208 of them. Thatās 832 pierces, 3,342ā of cutting. The consumables were still ok. I did have to clean them probably a dozen times due to dross/slag. This is the downside of the fine cut stuff.
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@coffeebean got her piece done but had to stop constantly to clean the tip on 1 medium size piece.
Is there anything we can to to prevent this in the future. Her 5 min cut literally took all afternoon. Someone mentioned they did not think the cutter was getting enough air, but the air is not adjustable.
I appreciate everyoneās input on this!
Would it be worth it to try some of the anti-spatter goo stuff that you can put on mig welder nozzles on the torch head? Could that help keep the nozzle clean?
Could we create links to these videos on the Plasma PC
Tips
When to Change Swirl Ring
When to change Powermax Electrode
When to change Powermax Nozzle
When to change Powermax Shield
When to change Powermax Retaining Cap
I guess Iāll ask what Iām finding to be an obvious question but which I havenāt seen discussed:
was the stock clean?
I know we donāt really talk about needing to clean stock with plasma cutting (unlike TIG), but dirty stock will spatter more, regardless the processā¦
This is a consumables chart that might be handy to have posted near the machine.
Powermax85 Consumables.pptx (373.1 KB)
Are we using the correct pierce height? Brian and I had problems with the tip snagging on the part, looked like it hit slag on the surface. I was going to try a larger standoff height, but it may just be a pierce setting. From page 4-23 of the manual it says 2.5X standoff height.
To pierce a workpiece using the machine torch
As with the hand torch, you can start a cut with the machine torch at the edge of the workpiece or by piercing the
workpiece. Piercing will result in a shorter consumable life than with edge starts.
The cut charts include a column for the recommended torch height when starting a pierce. For the Powermax65 and
Powermax85, the pierce height is generally 2.5 times the cutting height. Refer to the cut charts for specifics.
The pierce delay must be sufficiently long that the arc can pierce the material before the torch moves, but not so long
that the arc āwandersā while trying to find the edge of a large hole. As consumables wear, this delay time may need
to be increased. Pierce delay times given in the cut charts are based on average delay times throughout the life of the
consumables.
When piercing materials close to the maximum thickness for a specific process, consider the following important
factors:
ā¢ Allow a lead-in distance approximately equal to the thickness of the material being pierced. For example, 20 mm
(3/4 in) material requires a 20 mm lead-in.
ā¢ To avoid damage to the shield from the buildup of molten material created by the pierce, do not allow the torch
to descend to cut height until it has cleared the puddle of molten material.
ā¢ Different material chemistries can have an adverse effect on the pierce capability of the system. In particular,
high-strength steel with a high manganese or silicon content can reduce the maximum pierce capability.
Hypertherm calculates mild steel parameters with certified A-36 plate.
ā¢ Using a āflying pierceā (that is, starting torch motion immediately after transfer and during the pierce process)
can extend the piercing capability of the system in some cases. Because this can be a complex process that
can damage the torch or other components, a stationary or edge start is recommended.
I would like to explore this further, but have not invested enough of my time to do so with any experience. We teach the class as if every cut must start with pierce, but it doesnāt. What Iām not sure how to do it actually start the cut off the edge (i.e. no pierce, no material underneath the tip for the startup, then move over the stock).
Anyone tried doing this would like to share how itās accomplished? I know thereās a bucket load more experience on there than I haveā¦
We need to expand on the fact that we need to be sure when fine cut consumables are used, The fine cut swirl ring is used with it.
ALSO maybe we need to put some pictures up of the setups so they wont be confused.
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This has images showing proper assembly sequence, I also added the CopperPlus long life electrodes and resized it to 8.5x11 so it will fit in my binder.
Powermax85 Consumables8x11.pptx (389.4 KB)
PDF version
Powermax85 Consumables8x11.pdf (389.5 KB)
the Dynatorch software actually indicates what consumables are required and their assembly before you run a cut. Part of the class is instructing everyone to check them first.
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This is not fully accurate. They are sometimes not correct with the part numbers. I need to compare the CSV files for it to be sure. Additionally the images displayed are not accurate as well.
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Oh Joy; is this a config issue on our end for the software, or something that is as it came from Dynatorch?
I changed it last time, I think that possibly the CSV file was overwritten. I still have my copy of the file.
On Thursday Evening I Checked & verified that the CSV file was incorrect. I replaced it with the known good CSV file I created/modified in late January.
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WE, @procterc & myself did a lot of troubleshooting & fixed the machine. One thing we did notice is that someone turned on the G-code feedrate. This was causing some issues. Be sure you dont turn this on.
Also the Load position button, takes the head all the way to the back corner so larger materials can be loaded.
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Is the up and running now? Bought new consumables, cleaned up my metal and ready to cut something!!!