Problems with plasma cutter

[Jef_Replogle]

Ok Ive already posted a few times about my new machine, just very very new with this and please dont tear me open when i ask what im about to ask. I already have NOOB written on my forehead

ANyways so i was excited to start on a new project making steel shooting targets out of 3/8 AR500. Well since that stuff is $$$ I decided to start out with a plate of just 3/8" mild steel. (think they call it AS36?) anyways got home all excited and powered it up for a test run. I would have been better off taking a lighter to that steel... (overexagerated) but it just wouldnt peirce it all the way through and when it did it took repeated passes. After 20 minutes of playing with it and ruining my consumables with all the back splash of slag i got i gave up and assumed the 50 amps werent strong enough to get through it. Then I saw peoples videos with the same machine on youttube blowing through 1/2" steel with 40 amps like it was butter! Whats goin on!?!

Ive looked for stickys on the psi/amperage settings and didnt see much, and the owners manual didnt help after a quick scan. Can anyone tell me what im doin wrong? I was running it on about 42amps with the psi from 80-100. Im getting the feeling im not getting enough air pressure from my compressor but the main gage never dropped the whole time. Its just a 20 gallon 1.5 horse 150psi but surely it could handle cutting for a few seconds.

Also here comes the newb question. Do you need the ground clamp for this machine. I just realized I wasnt using it but it still was melting away. Im going to feel like an idiot if the answer is yes but i though that maybe the pilot arc was taking its place since u dont use that when you tig and stick. Thanks for whoever helps me on this. I really appreciate it.

[zoama]

Ok Ive already posted a few times about my new machine, just very very new with this and please dont tear me open when i ask what im about to ask. I already have NOOB written on my forehead

ANyways so i was excited to start on a new project making steel shooting targets out of 3/8 AR500. Well since that stuff is $$$ I decided to start out with a plate of just 3/8" mild steel. (think they call it AS36?) anyways got home all excited and powered it up for a test run. I would have been better off taking a lighter to that steel... (overexagerated) but it just wouldnt peirce it all the way through and when it did it took repeated passes. After 20 minutes of playing with it and ruining my consumables with all the back splash of slag i got i gave up and assumed the 50 amps werent strong enough to get through it. Then I saw peoples videos with the same machine on youttube blowing through 1/2" steel with 40 amps like it was butter! Whats goin on!?!

Ive looked for stickys on the psi/amperage settings and didnt see much, and the owners manual didnt help after a quick scan. Can anyone tell me what im doin wrong? I was running it on about 42amps with the psi from 80-100. Im getting the feeling im not getting enough air pressure from my compressor but the main gage never dropped the whole time. Its just a 20 gallon 1.5 horse 150psi but surely it could handle cutting for a few seconds.

Also here comes the newb question. Do you need the ground clamp for this machine. I just realized I wasnt using it but it still was melting away. Im going to feel like an idiot if the answer is yes but i though that maybe the pilot arc was taking its place since u dont use that when you tig and stick. Thanks for whoever helps me on this. I really appreciate it.

Yep, gotta have the ground clamp on your work and it's gotta make good contact. You were only using the pilot arc. Set your machine to mantain 60psi while cutting.

[Jef_Replogle]

Damn... Figures haha i had just been cutting very thin sheet metal and the pilot was enough to get through it. Well thats a relief! Thanks again zoama, ill clamp that sucker on and give it a go

[acourtjester]

Also check to see that the air flow from the torch is enough (60PSI) is what you need. But if your not putting out that at of the torch find out why. Your compressor is big eough unless its running all the time to keep up. But that will show in the tank gauge if it drops less then 60.

[Jef_Replogle]

Ok now Ive got it grounded but for some reason my amps arent staying where I want them. I have it at full 50 amps but when i start cutting (had my wife watch the digital read as i was cutting) it drops to 22 and hangs there causing the cut to take longer. What could be the cause of this?

[zoama]

Ok now Ive got it grounded but for some reason my amps arent staying where I want them. I have it at full 50 amps but when i start cutting (had my wife watch the digital read as i was cutting) it drops to 22 and hangs there causing the cut to take longer. What could be the cause of this?

Possibly poor ground.

[Jef_Replogle]

Possibly poor ground.

Its latched on there tho... ugh frustrating.. it jumps to 22amps then as soon as i let go of the trigger it creeps back up to 52. Ill play with it some more but that ground is on there and metal is clean.. shouldnt matter that its on hot rolled right? I didnt think the carbon coating would really take away from the ground.

[performance]

Yes, it will drop to 22 amps as long as the pilot arc is in play. When the arc transfers to the metal during the actual cut, it will jump back up. IF not, you may have done damage to the torch or the pilot arc circuit trying to use it without the clamp for so long. The Pilot arc is NOT designed for running continuously as you had done previously.

[Jef_Replogle]

Yes, it will drop to 22 amps as long as the pilot arc is in play. When the arc transfers to the metal during the actual cut, it will jump back up. IF not, you may have done damage to the torch or the pilot arc circuit trying to use it without the clamp for so long. The Pilot arc is NOT designed for running continuously as you had done previously.

I did it without a clamp for mere minutes. I didnt continualy use it for days or something without. Ive already emailed customer support I really dont think this is from user error. Im going to be really disapointed if my warranty is voided because i didnt have it grounded for a few short occasions (a mistake every noob makes along with forgetting the gas is not turned on)

[sportbike]

Its latched on there tho... ugh frustrating.. it jumps to 22amps then as soon as i let go of the trigger it creeps back up to 52. Ill play with it some more but that ground is on there and metal is clean.. shouldnt matter that its on hot rolled right? I didnt think the carbon coating would really take away from the ground.

The mill scale is likely insulating the clamp quite a bit Should be ground off.

[performance]

Mere minutes, is enough to melt down a consumable and possibly a torch head. The arc is being carried through the torch body on tiny wires and the being fed back through a sensitive series of circuits. The pilot arc is designed for mere SECONDS of continual use. OE is a large cause of issues. Having a work clamp left over is a should be an immediate warning that something isn't right. 80-100 psi is way too high, and that is discussed in the manual I believe as well as some of the basics. The coating on the steel is mill scale, and probably oil. It can interfere, but not usually if it is fairly clean metal. What model do you have?