How to improve cut quality???

[wishiwastorching]

Hi Ladies and Gents! My quality seems to be deteriorating. It seems as though it was pretty rapid.

Here is a pic of a 1.5' square with a .75 inch hole. The outside is ok. I mean I'd like better but its ok. The inside however is not acceptable to me. I am running straight of the shop air with no filter but I have been set up this way for 3 years and no probe till now.

Thanks for your time and input.

Matt

[Gamelord]

Post more info. What plasma, what table, what torch. Have you tried brand new consumables? Did your temperature change? Why no filter? Do you have water or oil in your lines? Is your compressor leaking into the air lines?

[Largemouthlou]

Have you checked for any worn or parts that need re adjusting?

[jimcolt]

Info on all of your equipment, what consumables and power level......and a closeup of the cut edges with a description of the complaints about cut quality will help us help you. There are a thousand different combinations of plasma cutters and cnc machines.....and even more variables that are affected by the consumables, power settings, cut speed, torch height etc.

Attached is a picture of as cut 1/2" steel off my Powermax85 / PlasmaCam machine. Cut at book specs at 65 amps.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

IMG_2948.jpg (51.09 KiB) Viewed 1850 times

[wishiwastorching]

Post more info. What plasma, what table, what torch. Have you tried brand new consumables? Did your temperature change? Why no filter? Do you have water or oil in your lines? Is your compressor leaking into the air lines?

Hypertherm Powermax45, Torchmate table, Machine torch with AVHC.
Yes-Brand new consumables. I live in Oregon, temp always changes. Wet too. Never needed a filter, till now I guess. How do I test for water/oil. 3 years and all has been fine till now. How do I test for leakage in my air lines???

[muzza]

To test for moisture in your air purge your torch while holding a mirror directly below it in the air stream and see if it fogs the mirror, for oil do the same with a white cloth and look for discoloration.
You should know if you have air leaks by whether or not your compressor cuts in with nothing running but soapy water in a spray bottle will tell you if a joint or connection is leaking.
Air pressure is another thing you should check, maybe your compressor is tiring and struggling to keep. Jim has posted many time on how to check that.
Murray

[jimcolt]

With a Powermax45 and new consumables....good cuts are possible even if you have small amounts of moisture in your air lines. The water will cause more rapid erosion on the electrode, which will cause cut quality to deteriorate quicker than if you had clean/dry air.

I'm still at odds over what specifically you are concerned with on your cuts....as the picture doesn't show it and you have not described the cut quality other than "it is not acceptable to me".

Is it angularity, dross, excessive lag lines, concave/convex edge, varying angularity, other? Show close up pictures of the nozzle and shield orifices after getting a "bad" cut.

We can help with a little more detail.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

[wishiwastorching]

With a Powermax45 and new consumables....good cuts are possible even if you have small amounts of moisture in your air lines. The water will cause more rapid erosion on the electrode, which will cause cut quality to deteriorate quicker than if you had clean/dry air.

I'm still at odds over what specifically you are concerned with on your cuts....as the picture doesn't show it and you have not described the cut quality other than "it is not acceptable to me".

Is it angularity, dross, excessive lag lines, concave/convex edge, varying angularity, other? Show close up pictures of the nozzle and shield orifices after getting a "bad" cut.

We can help with a little more detail.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

Jim,
If you zoom in and look at the bottom inside edge you will see saw toothing. It seems always to be on inside cuts rather than outside cuts. So I think its more directional. As if it runs more shake or something while going counter clockwise.

[jimcolt]

I cannot enlarge the pic without losing resolution....then the edges are not in good focus.

Sawtooth edges can be caused by:

-Plasma cutter...worn consumables, incorrect flow or pressure, broken or missing torch oring, worn swirl ring or retaining cap, cutting too fast, too much power (use lower amperage and lower powered consumable set).

-Motion control issues....backlash or flex in machine (worn ring and pinion, loose motor mounts, loose belts), drive tuning too "hot", try readjusting acceleration and gain settings to lower numbers....especially if you see shaky cuts entering and exiting corners.

-Height control oscilation. Reduce z axis speed, check for backlash (mechanical), ensure torch mount is rigid.

Jim Colt