Plasma Cutter Trouble

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I have a Hypertherm 900 and am having starter flame trouble with it. The flame will start but goes out after you start cutting with it. Also after starting to cut it seems I'm only getting about half the cutting flame. I have changed the electrrode , the cup and tip on the machine. The pieces that I have have replaced in my torch don't look that bad. It seems to be going through the consumables way to fast. I'm cutting 3/8" steel. Has anyone experience a problem like this?
Reply:usually when i have had this problem there is too much water build-up in the air hose.  i would bleed the air hose of all water and try again.  also you might not have it grounded that good.  just what i have experienced.jake
Reply:Thanks for the info. I checked my dryer last night and it was past time to change my dryer filter. Right now I have a paper dryer filter system. I'm not so sure this is adequate for my plasma cutter. Does anyone have any suggestions of a dryer system that is working for them?
Reply:I was having a similar problem with my Lincoln machine and the welding shop I deal with has an air filter made specifically for a plasma cutter. It contains a roll of brown paper and costs in the middle $80's. I have not gotten one yet but will have to do something when the humidity goes up.I have this mental picture of a piece of large tailpipe that a roll of paper towels will fit in with some 1/4" fittings, an o-ring seal on one end. Hmmmm!Howard
Reply:A company  called  " Frantz" , used to make a toilet paper oil filter as an add on for cars, it was set up with 1/4" fittings. It was an auxiliary unit, not full flow. I believe they ventured into the air filter type use also. They did have a "special" filter roll you could buy, but a standard roll of TP worked fine. Do an eBay search, or on the net, for TP filters, who knows?!Last edited by tessdad; 07-19-2005 at 02:16 PM.Just my  opinion, not from a book, just from the road.Howes Welding Inc.www.howesweldinginc.com
Reply:I have a powcon starcut that had similar problems.  It has a filter on the back of the machine, but in GA the air is humid pretty much all the time.  I read a few posts on news groups about cheap ways to eliminate water and most said to build a big moisture trap out of a peice of thick steel or copper pipe maybe 4 feet long.  Cap both ends and weld shut.  Drill and tap three holes: one about 4 inches above the bottom end of the pipe, one about an inch below the top of the pipe and one in the very bottom.  In the bottom put a moisture removal valve like on the bottom of the compresser (or a pressure release valve).  In the next hole, going up the pipe, run your air in.  Near the top run a hose out.  Put it in a cool place in your shop.  I made one and attached it in a cool spot and it did wonders.  My consumables started lasting more than just a few hours.  I figure I doubled the life of tips and trippled the life of electrodes.  I have been thinking of a dessicant filter in addition, post-trap.  You can get a one from tractor supply for around $110, but I figure I can make a better one with scrap and a bag of the dessicant.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Make sure the air pressure is correct and does not drop as you are cuttingTom Baileyweldingsupplies
Reply:Just had a similar problem with my Powermax 900.  I downloaded the service manual and troubleshooted accordingly.  Mine was only gouging the metal and not peircing.  Turned out to be a bad work cable as I tested the cable and there was no continuity.  Replaced with some 10 gauge from a car audio shop and it is like new.  Best of luck to you.
Reply:really want to take the water out--do as the professionals car painters do---refrigeration coil. Best cheap method is an old water cooler--seal the canister and have inlet and outlet--surprize yourself with the amount of water it obsorbs.
Reply:Originally Posted by snowcruiserJust had a similar problem with my Powermax 900.  I downloaded the service manual and troubleshooted accordingly.  Mine was only gouging the metal and not peircing.  Turned out to be a bad work cable as I tested the cable and there was no continuity.  Replaced with some 10 gauge from a car audio shop and it is like new.  Best of luck to you.
Reply:Well I got the star cut plasma cutter hooked up today and tried it . Im using the standoff for the torch but not sure if its the right one or not as it holds tip away from workpiece approx .25" not sure if this is normal or not you have to understand this was all bought at an auction so really had no idea if this thing worked or not. Ok the machine will cut but on lower amps only i guessing around 30 amps anything above that the arc goes on and off . im just cutting some .125" material to try it out . i set air at reccomend flowing pressure of 70 psi and air is very clean so i know that is not the problem . also seems to go through the tips very quickly so might be a torch promlem i dont know . also there are two parts to the torch tips the inner copper piece and the outside piece that has a .055 hole in it . when tighening the outer piece sometimes its like im tightening against a spring sometimes it just bottoms out . I have polarity set right this runs off and external welding powersource and im giving it 375 amps of dc power . machine is a powcon starcut . when trying to cut let say at 40 amps you have to cut really fast or the arc goes on and off .but on 30amps it stays steady .machine goes to 80 amps .  there also seems to be two scales on the machine for amperage settings  one goes to 50 the other to 80 amps im powering the machine off of my aerowave and have it setup with the negative going to the powcon and the positive to workpiece . its an original powcon torch as i got some new consumable at the auction with the machine . I cant cut half inch but it will cut .25" no problem though the cut isnt straight its off about 15 deg or so and i know im holding torch straight . anytime i try turning up amperage the arc goes on and off . im putting 375 amps to the machine . I really wonder if one of the newer style retrofit torches would be the answer as ive only cut about 15 ft and i went through 5 tips already . i ground the stand off down a bit and this seemed to help quite a bit but hasnt fixed the problem . this email should be read by smithboy as he has same machine
Reply:Your welder probably doesnt put out enough dc volts (I think volts matter more than amps and I should know why, but I honestly dont).  I have used mine with both a miller dialarc 250 and a powcon 300ss.  It works fine at lower amps (30-40) on both, but if I really crank it up, the dialarc doent have enough umph the keep it going either.  I always run at max amps on either machine.  Even at the de-rated 200 amps in single phase, powcon power supply provides much better cutting power than the dialarc does.  It will cut continuously at 65 amps and for short periods at 80.  I have cut half inch steel at a pretty good rate of speed.  The difference in performance between the two power supplies might be related to the inverter vs transformer designs of the two machines.  The starcut can operate on two different range settings (high and low).  I think you have to set this internally, but I have never changed mine over...so, I dont know much more to tell you there.  Arc Products might tell you this if you phone or email them.  I dont do much thin sheet metal so the lower amps are really no use to me. Right now, I have several powcon power supplies that I got for cheap, so I am trying to get a couple of them wired to provide 400 amps of input power.  More on that if and when I get it working provided I survive the experiment.The only problem I have had related to consumables is moisture (and I have greatly reduced that problem with a few really cheap fixes), but I do know that the different amperage ranges generally require different tips and electrodes to function properly.  I have a PCH102 thermal arc torch that works great...but they aint cheap.  I lucked into a great deal on a perfect machine...otherwise I'd still be without one.  I dont have a manual, but I have a brochure somewhere that I can scan and email you that tells some of the info about it.  If you are interested, send me a personal message with your email info and I will try to dig that thing up tonight.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:well i got it working it was the power source i ran it off my 300 powermig no problem for some reason it wont run off the aerowave very well . i did order a new torch for it today  from weldmart online has anyone had any experience with there torches either good or bad ?
Reply:I took it apart to clean it and get it ready for the new torch and on the circuit board in the bottom of machine there was a broken wire on a resistor that went into the fiberglass board . How do you fix this as im not an electronics guy looks like you would have to drill either a tiny hole in the board as it was soldered on the backside of where it went through or peel the wire back a bit and try melting the solder and sticking through the hole there ???
Reply:Originally Posted by dandimandI took it apart to clean it and get it ready for the new torch and on the circuit board in the bottom of machine there was a broken wire on a resistor that went into the fiberglass board . How do you fix this as im not an electronics guy looks like you would have to drill either a tiny hole in the board as it was soldered on the backside of where it went through or peel the wire back a bit and try melting the solder and sticking through the hole there ???
Reply:I'd say get one that is fairly standard.  Like I said earlier, the torch I have is a thermal dynamics (thermal arc).  Tips and electrodes are easy to get and are not too expensive.  There are several aftermarket torches that will work.  There is also an original powcon torch on ebay right now...just fyi.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:I got a torch today from weldmart online . I got the resistor resoldered and machine works like new . cuts half inch plate no problem though the kerf on backside isnt as clean as O/A cutting . IM sure on thinner plate it would be fine and that is mainly what i got it for . the new torch makes a huge difference and the consumables dont wear out like the old ones . im into this machine for a total of 900.00 now and im happy .
Reply:Originally Posted by snowcruiserJust had a similar problem with my Powermax 900.  I downloaded the service manual and troubleshooted accordingly.  Mine was only gouging the metal and not peircing.  Turned out to be a bad work cable as I tested the cable and there was no continuity.  Replaced with some 10 gauge from a car audio shop and it is like new.  Best of luck to you.
Reply:Go here and register for an account:http://xnet.hypertherm.com/Following the registration process, you can download manuals for most machines.-Heath