ESAB GANTRY Ingntion Fault

[choover73]

I have an ESAB Sabre gantry. I don't have all the details, but will get if needed. We have been getting an ingnition fault for the past year on almost every pierce point. We use shop air with an industrial size air compressor ran through an air dryer into a holding tank. We ran a test trying nitrogen and had no ignition faults at all. So we took the plasma table off the plants air and isolated it with it's own compressor, again it is industrial sized. Still ignition faults. Our new plasma doesn't have this issue. It is a new Hyperthem plasma. I need the older one to work due to production needs...HELP

[ccrayjr]

Has your compressor gone out before? It almost sounds like the torch leads may be contaminated since no fault while running nitrogen.

[Stout]

What model Esab power supply is it? PCM1000?

The Esab unit I had used hi frequency for arc ignition. Sometimes it caused faults and sometimes not. They were X or Y errors mostly but sometime other errors would display on the Vision controller. It was all related to the grounding. If I could get a better ground, then the problems would stop.

I had the start capacitors replaced at one point and it helped. They also replaced the start contact set. I have no idea why a different shielding gas would change anything.

[choover73]

We have the ESP-100i. We have replaced everything on the machine trying to fix it. Grounding is good. Torches have been replaced. Since it runs on nitrogen just fine, but not plant air then we have eliminated it being machine...or so we think. Need more ideas. Thanks.

[Stout]

I have no idea why changing gases would make the problem go away. It's just a different solenoid in the machine. I'd still bet on a hi freq interference issue from the power supply and a grounding issue. Did you do the light bulb test they recommend?

Esab has a great customer service center. They can do only so much via phone line...

[choover73]

We have been trying to go through ESAB. We paid them $7000 to come and still didn't fix it. He was a knucklehead. We also had a Hypertherm Tech check it out while installing our new plasma. I guess that's why I'm finally on here, hoping someone has seen this problem before. To make sure, how can I check to see if it's high frequency interference?

[I Lean]

I know it won't help solve the issue with your ESAB, but I have to ask...wouldn't it have been easier to "fix" the problem by buying a new Hypertherm rather than spending $7000 on the existing ESAB? It looks like a Powermax 85 would be fairly comparable in cutting capacity, or a Powermax 105 if you needed more...

[choover73]

They are still paying on the ESAB. (it is out of warranty and didn't extend the service plan) Hypertherm could do a retrofit for around $20,000. Which still may be an option after all possible solutions are exhausted. I'm running at 70% on a good day and 40% efficiency on a bad day. With having just bought the new plasm table, they won't buy another new one. lol plus I'm hoping for a new super duper 24' press.

[Stout]

The point about upgrading to Hypertherm was not the entire control unit and drives, but just the Powermax system. Because the Esab uses hi frequency to start the arc, that is probably what is interfering with the system. Hypertherm Powermax does not use hi freq for ignition, so no ignition faults. A PM 105, which is probably more power than a 100i, is about $5000 with the machine torch. No need to upgrade the control unit to change to Hypertherm power.

FYI, not sure which controller you have, I had Esab Vision something, but I could not use my Tig while the Esab was running do to hi freq causing errors on the controller.