victor td 120

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starr1
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victor td 120

Post by starr1 »

I have a victor td 120 if I switch to a hypertherm will I be able to cut more detail and smaller parts?
srp
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Re: victor td 120

Post by srp »

That is a loaded question. I am able to get good detail with my TD and I cut small items - 4" ornaments with smaller images on the inside. I cut 20 - 16 gauge with the 30 amp tip(nozzle for you HT folks) at 30 amps. 85-100 ipm depending on phase of the moon at a ht of .13". I don't know what the voltage is. TD does not recommend using a 30 A tip on a machine torch setup and will not even talk to you if you have problems with it. Try that first.
Brand X
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Re: victor td 120

Post by Brand X »

You could use a 20 amp tip too. Same orifice size as the 30 amp. From what I have seen with the A-120, seems to have a lower bottom end then rated.. It will run the smaller SL-40 torch 20-35 amp consumables as well as the Cutmaster 42 will down low.. (20 amps low-end on that machine) If you run a water table, you can really get some great detail, without burning the small stuff up. Plus no need to run your table at one zillion ipm.. Now if you want detail on 1 inch mild steel, the Hypertherm will have a smaller Kerf in general. cutting at the same speed.. Can't really compare amps between those machine.. Hypertherm cutting at 85 amps is similar cut speed to a Victor cutting at 100 amps... Just the way life is.. but I do miss my A-120 even with a Cutmaster 52 (A-40 specs) and Hypertherm 65.. :lol: Reason?? 70 amp consumables are just excellent for many things.. Just like the 50-55 ones I use in my 52.. Odd ball stuff works really good in Victors.. no specs, but who cares when they are all over the board anyway.. :lol: Same with the 30 amp stuff..
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starr1
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Re: victor td 120

Post by starr1 »

Thanks for the info I will try some 30 amp tips
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Re: victor td 120

Post by jimcolt »

You can get decent cuts with the Thermal, but you will have shorter life (unshielded vs Hypertherm shielded parts), and you will likely spend a bit more time experimenting to develop the amperage....cut speed, cut height, etc., with the Hypertherm you can set it at the specs in the 25 or so pages of cut charts included in the operators manual.

The top pic is as cut, bottom after cleaning off some dross, hole diameter is 3/16", on 1/8" steel using Finecut Hypertherm consumables. The kerf width is .051", cut speed is 95 inches per minute. I posted these parts as you asked about details....not just edge appearance. These show the bottom of the cuts. If you can let me know what thickness and what parts you need to cut better....we could probably show you some similar cuts. Jim Colt
Powermax .125 samples 001.jpg
Powermax .125 samples 002.jpg
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Re: victor td 120

Post by Brand X »

Here is something I cut with a Thermal, and low amp stuff. You want see much difference in consumable life with fine cuts, and 30 amp Thermal tips The Thermal cut much higher so it's really a non issue on most stuff. My machine was set to really slow acceleration at the time, Had many other issues too. Was about.9 years ago.. .055 aluminum.. I could do better now with either my Hypertherm or Victor.

Last thing I would worry about is consumable life at 20-30 amps. Just a total non-issue with either machine.. In fact it mostly a non-issue because of the much cheaper, more available on the net factory Victor stuff. Now 40 amps exposed tips with the Thermal can fail pretty fast, but they have shielded consumables for them. Works great too.. I swap back, and forth between my A-40 spec Cutmaster 52, and Hypertherm 65.. (Did I say I miss my victor A-120) :lol: I bought it from Ebay for $1,408.00 never used..Sold with a hand torch,and kept the SL-100 SV machine torch. Which I then rolled over into a Hypertherm 65 hand/ machine package, and Victor Cutmaster 52. Then I bought the voltage divider card to turn it into the A-40 with machine, and hand torch.. 8-)
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starr1
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Re: victor td 120

Post by starr1 »

Thanks again for this info I teach at a high school and the students and myself are cutting at 55 amps on 3/16 plate and we are burning out the letters ....example the a in stacy would just be a hole there . I have some 30 amp tips on the way and will keep trying .
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Re: victor td 120

Post by srp »

30 amp nozzles may not help you. You may have other issues
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Re: victor td 120

Post by jimcolt »

The key to cutting lettering is to use the lowest power possible...this keeps the kerf width as small as possible. It is also necessary to properly set the actual kerf width in your software....this allows the cutter path to shift properly to compensate for the cut width. When this is all done correctly...the centers that are bridged on letters (like the a) will look good and stay attached.

Do a sample straight line cut at the same height and speed that you will cut lettering, measure the kerf width of this cut....and use that for the CAM software kerf. Note that on some software you enter 1/2 the kerf width, while others you enter the full kerf width. Jim Colt Hypertherm
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Re: victor td 120

Post by tnbndr »

Note that on some software you enter 1/2 the kerf width, while others you enter the full kerf width. Jim Colt Hypertherm
Which do you enter in SheetCam?

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Brand X
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Re: victor td 120

Post by Brand X »

Full kerf in sheet Cam..

I think 40 amp shielded tip will give some of the best overall cuts on 3/16. As far as dross/ etc.. Thermal's will be all over the board here..just depending which cutmaster chart you use.. That's screwed up right there, because the 52 will cut the same speed as a A-120 at the same amps, (Up to 60 anyway) It has the same torch exactly, and consumables.. Even Air pressure can vary between manuals.. 50/55 amp tip is much better then the 60 amp(@55 amps) tip by far.. when using on .190 MS.. Use 50 amps mostly. Cut speed is very close to a best quality 45 amp Hypertherm cut..(standard consumables) One of the few times..

The 40 amp un-shielded says it cuts something like 15 inches per minute faster then the shielded tip setup.. Not true, and the 30 ipm is the correct best quality speed when using the shielded consumables. Try 35 amps, and 27 ipm on 3/16.. 75 psi.. That's for a different option over the 30 amp tips.. You have to work at a thermal to get it to cut nice, but man it does a sweet job when all said, and done.. These machines are not for everyone, but they are for some people that have time to figure it out . The 40 amp shielded on ..120 MS (35 amps) turns out some real nice cuts too.
srp
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Re: victor td 120

Post by srp »

back to your original ? IMO you would be better off with the Hypertherm Especially from the technical support end.
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Re: victor td 120

Post by Brand X »

There is plenty of info on how to cut thinner metal well. Most of it is learned by experimenting. A machine change, and tech support will not get you much more farther along that path. The machines make the least difference in doing this kind of stuff. If it did, then I would say buy a Esab, and run their 20 amp tips..(nice...) :mrgreen:
srp
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Re: victor td 120

Post by srp »

They don't have Jim Colt!
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Re: victor td 120

Post by Brand X »

srp wrote:They don't have Jim Colt!
Last time I checked they had Mike (Also here) Knows their product about as well as anyone can.. Just does not post very much.. :lol:
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