Plasma Cutter Question

admin

Not welding, but cutting.For years I've cut everything on 50 (amps?) for no other reason than I'm to lazy to change settings according to metal thickness.What are the pros and cons of doing this?
Reply:

Originally Posted by In Utopia

Not welding, but cutting.For years I've cut everything on 50 (amps?) for no other reason than I'm to lazy to change settings according to metal thickness.What are the pros and cons of doing this?
Reply:Tip life is way better at lower currents.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:Match the current with the material thickness. It is no different from any welding process. The nozzle and electrode will last much longer, the kerf will be more appropriate as well. Sent from my SM-G996U using TapatalkMillermatic 252 MIGMiller Dynasty 200DX TIGMiller Spectrum 625 PlasmaAltas 12x36 Metal LatheBridgeport Milling Machinewww.psacustomcreations.com
Reply:

Originally Posted by In Utopia

Not welding, but cutting.For years I've cut everything on 50 (amps?) for no other reason than I'm to lazy to change settings according to metal thickness.What are the pros and cons of doing this?
Reply:One of the good reasons for it is light work on sheet metal.  Its a trade off to run it at a manageable speed.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:Well designed torches, and consumables will last pretty long either way.. Meaning you will get about as much fpm cutting with 40 amp consumables as you will with 50 amps on thinner metal. You will get much better Bevel management matching the amps cut to thickness being cut.. Manual cutting works best at the speed you can pull smoothest at in general.Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyEsab CV353Thermal LM-200/ Lincoln feedersThermal 60i- 3phase Pak 50Thermal 35CThermal 15cINE 1500 Klutch 220iBlue Demon/140 msi/90sti
Reply:Never thought about turning amps down, but I have a thermal Dynamics 45.   Sure does nice cuts with new tips.We've done so much, for so long, with so little. Were now qualified to do anything with nothing !
Reply:The arc density will be better with the correct nozzle size.. I have a old school Pakmaster 50 (35 amps) I run a SL-60 and SL-40 torch on it.. It's quite surprising when i run the 20-35 amp nozzles in it.. (9-0091) Much better cut speed then the 40 amp SL-40/ 9-0094 nozzles. Life is the same really, better results then either the 40 amp SL-60 nozzles too.. It's all about energy in the plasma stream. Now the 40 amps SL-60 have a advantage in having a shielded nozzle, and shielded cup, and gouging nozzles. It's also about applications that have different setups that work best.. Shoot the SL-40 torch is not rated to work with the old school machine, but turns out it's one of the best matches there is for it. Way better then the SL-40 torch on a Cutmaster 42 by far.. (factory for years)Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyEsab CV353Thermal LM-200/ Lincoln feedersThermal 60i- 3phase Pak 50Thermal 35CThermal 15cINE 1500 Klutch 220iBlue Demon/140 msi/90sti
Reply:I wonder why they put a dial on it?www.urkafarms.com
Reply:To match the nozzle size you are cutting at.. Thermal has 20/30/40/50-55/60/70/80/90-100/120 amp nozzles to match that said dial.. You can dial it back a bit to fine tune things but more for cnc work than anything..Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyEsab CV353Thermal LM-200/ Lincoln feedersThermal 60i- 3phase Pak 50Thermal 35CThermal 15cINE 1500 Klutch 220iBlue Demon/140 msi/90sti
Reply:I running the 2nd cheapest plasma i could find on Amazon (it is 230 volt, 50 amp Cut 50) and recently found the 2nd cheapest consumables ( I like the nickel plating, it shines, and just over $1/set Cdn) so I was a little hesitant that I may have pushed my luck. Fired it up on a 28" cut of 3/8 checkerplate and I must say it worked well. Like others, I started out cautious but now I just crank it up to 50 amps and adjust my speed by the direction of the sparks underneath... if they are going "almost" straight down, I'm through. Cut was reasonably straight, very little kerf that was easy to knock off with the grinder, and the consumables still look like brand new after the cut. Since I have a pretty good stash of consumables now, I think if it does lose it's magic smoke, I'd buy another one, maybe with pilot arc next time.



The harder you fall, the higher you bounce...250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes