Will the PowerPlasma 60C cause hi-frequency interference on a CNC table?

[Tacoma747]

I had issues on my CNC table frying boards because the ESAB unit I have is hi-frequency start, I was talking to Oleg on the phone and he said the 60C will not fry boards or cause interference issues. A rep for another company is claiming otherwise (here: http://www.plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6549 ), not saying he is right or wrong, BUT I don't want to have the same issues with the 60C, I bought one yesterday, and it should arrive next friday. I liked the idea of the 60C as it was designed for CNC systems, just wondering if I should have bought the PowerPlasma 50 instead since it is non-HF start.

Any precautions I should take when hooking it up? Is it safe to run the plasma torch lead and the drive motor cables in the same tracking?

Thanks!

[Rodsmachineshop]

thats why i bought the PowerPlasma 50 for the cnc reason love the machine works so good and come with the cnc plug on the machine and switch's 50 is more than you will ever need on a plasma table The HF Contact type uses a high-frequency, high-voltage spark to ionize the air through the torch head and initiate an arc. These require the torch to be in contact with the job material when starting, and so are not suitable for applications involving computer numerical controlled (CNC) cutting.

The Pilot Arc type uses a two cycle approach to producing plasma, avoiding the need for initial contact. First, a high-voltage, low current circuit is used to initialize a very small high-intensity spark within the torch body, thereby generating a small pocket of plasma gas. This is referred to as the pilot arc. The pilot arc has a return electrical path built into the torch head. The pilot arc will maintain itself until it is brought into proximity of the workpiece where it ignites the main plasma cutting arc. Plasma arcs are extremely hot and are in the range of 25,000 °C (45,000 °F).[1]

[Tacoma747]

I guess my hope is, that if they advertise it to work with a CNC machine without issue, then my hope is that it will work as intended.

Seems I read somewhere they have a 30-day guarantee? I guess if it fries a board before 30 days I may send it back and get the 50.

[Rodsmachineshop]

I would go with the power ultra 250p nice unit then you have a stick welder and dc tig to boot and comes with a s45 torch head that works good with a plasma table plus has a cnc connector on back of unit . was thinking mite ask tech support if there is a way to make your 60 a pilot ark with a s45 torch also found a article were this guy got a hf to work http://www.cnczone.com/forums/cnc_pl...pilot_arc.html another article this guy has the torch come down and touch metal then raises before cutting with hf plasma http://www.super-tech.com/root/grp.asp?p1=assoc-jaan it makes sense to me check out bobcad also been playing with it cool program . they have a free test software at there site

[SeanMurphy265]

I was thinking it was blow back start, but this is what the website says.

High Voltage/Inductor Start is excellent choice for CNC operation with the fastest pierce times. This is different than HF starting as the frequency is lower, reducing the risk of interference associated with typical HF/HV starts.

[Rodsmachineshop]

blowback start and pilot arc are the same here is some more information on a 50p https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...e6IrzESvq8C7OQ

[geezer]

Most of the problems are owner related,,bundling torch & control cables together, not having opto isolators in their circuit design, not using ferrite chokes on their cables,,,using non shielded cables,,,parking the laptop or control box on top of the plasma unit to save space....and many other thoughtless put togethers that don't take into account the issues...like grounding ,,inductance values,,etc....There are many people out there using HF start units that don't have problems...so the question is....what is different about your setup....there is video on UTUBE of the PP70 being used in production,,,if you get to see it,, notice the distance between the unit and the computor....that is a good hint...as to how to solve a problem,,,boards loading up and blowing ...seperate them by distance...

[Rodsmachineshop]

good one geezer cables also not shielded and stuff like that can cause lots of problem and why would you want your computer close to the machine while it working. here is the pp70 utube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otdkuluv334

[zoama]

and two more... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otdkuluv334 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR8qonq68VA

[Tacoma747]

I know it will work with CNC, I just want to know if I need to take any special precautions, I already have a ground rod for the control box, plasma cutter itself, and for the plasma table grating. Will I need to do anything further? I want to hear an answer from someone with Everlast, that way if something fries, I will have done everything I needed to do to prevent it. I could have done more with the ESAB to prevent the issues, but I was never impressed with the cut quality of the ESAB, which is why I just decided to buy something new. Thanks for the info everyone, I am really looking forward to trying out this unit.

[performance]

I know it will work with CNC, I just want to know if I need to take any special precautions, I already have a ground rod for the control box, plasma cutter itself, and for the plasma table grating. Will I need to do anything further? I want to hear an answer from someone with Everlast, that way if something fries, I will have done everything I needed to do to prevent it. I could have done more with the ESAB to prevent the issues, but I was never impressed with the cut quality of the ESAB, which is why I just decided to buy something new. Thanks for the info everyone, I am really looking forward to trying out this unit.

The 60C does work fine with CNC and does not cause the interference that an HF start does contrary to the biased and innacurate report of Jim. Torchmate used it in that video without precautions. It's been tested at length. The start does not produce the noise or interference of HF. It's a faster start as well, over the blowback.

[Rodsmachineshop]

only thing i see in all the articles on the internet they recommend keeping the plasma cutter not close to the plasma table is that true - Mark is that true this place is in California cool place to get cable shielding wrap and protector sleeves for cnc wires http://www.zippertubing.com/?gclid=C...FQRgTAodLDDFMw

[performance]

For HF yes.

[Tacoma747]

The 60C does work fine with CNC and does not cause the interference that an HF start does contrary to the biased and innacurate report of Jim. Torchmate used it in that video without precautions. It's been tested at length. The start does not produce the noise or interference of HF. It's a faster start as well, over the blowback.

Sounds good. Believe me, if it works great I'll be posting in the thread on plasmaspider to say so. On the Everlast it says it is a HF machine, you say it does not produce interference, I am just going to assume it is a different style HF type that has been designed differently to not cause problems or something.

I do not have ferrite chokes on the motor cables, do I need them?
The way I have my computer/plasma/table setup, and with only a 25' lead on the torch, the torch basically sits underneath the computer (about 4' over and 4' under computer). Will this be a problem? I plan to eventually build an enclosure for the computer to help keep it 'clean'.

Thank you!

[zoama]

Sounds good. Believe me, if it works great I'll be posting in the thread on plasmaspider to say so. On the Everlast it says it is a HF machine, you say it does not produce interference, I am just going to assume it is a different style HF type that has been designed differently to not cause problems or something.

I don't see HF listed in the description... Source: http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Po...0C-366-pd.html

Features & Benefits
- High Voltage/Inductor Start is excellent choice for CNC operation with the fastest pierce times. This is different than HF starting as the frequency is lower, reducing the risk of interference associated with typical HF/HV starts.

[Tacoma747]

I don't see HF listed in the description... Source: http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Po...0C-366-pd.html

Look @ link below.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/pr...tegory-57.html

[zoama]

Look @ link below.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/pr...tegory-57.html

I see that one... it needs to be fixed.

[performance]

I see that one... it needs to be fixed.

Fixed...Again. It was fixed before, but at some point, the web guys did not back up the right version of the page.

[geezer]

I do not have ferrite chokes on the motor cables, do I need them?
The way I have my computer/plasma/table setup, and with only a 25' lead on the torch, the torch basically sits underneath the computer (about 4' over and 4' under computer). Will this be a problem? I plan to eventually build an enclosure for the computer to help keep it 'clean'.


YES,,,you do need ferrite chokes,,,they are on just about every computor and TV device you buy,,,a simple cheap prevention device that wraps around the cables,,,try relocating the computor or control box further away from the torch head,,,,building a farraday cage as you refer to is another help,,,I can see no valid reason your Esab cutter won't work if you take the time to fix the layout of the units...and protect the cables..

[zoama]

Be sure to put the chokes at the cable ends.