My Cuts

[Plasron]

Gone form bad to worse,

[robertspark]

Using / waiting for ArcOk signal BEFORE pierce delay?

Have you checked.... If you disconnect the arcok signal from the plasma cutter or THC does the machine stop moving? If so it is working correctly.

[acourtjester]

When cutting do you see the voltage changing do you see the torch moving up/down following the voltage. What amps are you using, have you done test runs to see what the voltage you should be using is correct.

[Plasron]

Using / waiting for ArcOk signal BEFORE pierce delay?

Have you checked.... If you disconnect the arcok signal from the plasma cutter or THC does the machine stop moving? If so it is working correctly.

Sorry for being so ignorant, don’t know how to check arc ok signal.
Thank
Don

[Plasron]

When cutting do you see the voltage changing do you see the torch moving up/down following the voltage. What amps are you using, have you done test runs to see what the voltage you should be using is correct.

About the best I can answer is cutting at 30 amps.

[robertspark]

Sorry for being so ignorant, don’t know how to check arc ok signal.
Thank
Don

Don, is this your plasma cutter?

https://www.everlastgenerators.com/site ... 2016_0.pdf

If you look at PDF page 29,
If so, have you wired pin 9 and 10 (Ok to move) to you CNC breakout board?

Which THC are you using is it the Proma SD (I communicate with so many users it is all a blur).....

[Plasron]

Sorry for being so ignorant, don’t know how to check arc ok signal.
Thank
Don

Don, is this your plasma cutter?

https://www.everlastgenerators.com/site ... 2016_0.pdf

If you look at PDF page 29,
If so, have you wired pin 9 and 10 (Ok to move) to you CNC breakout board?

Which THC are you using is it the Proma SD (I communicate with so many users it is all a blur).....

It’s a everlasting 60 amp, promo thc .
We cut a bunch of a Yorkie dog file and the right eye and the tail didn’t cut out completely, I noticed that it should have been cutting the eye counter clock wise but it was cutting clock wise, reprocessed to and the eye and the tail cut completely but some of the other inside parts were now not cutting out completely, the other inside part cut fine before reprocessing.

The laptop computer has 4GB of memory, is that enough memory.

I found a website that sells guarantees ready to cut DXF files, it talks about their files are closed loop and if my software or machine wouldn’t handle closed loop then their files wouldn’t work. Haven’t bought any of their files yet.

I looked at Mach 3 and read that Mach3 was closed loop so could this be my problem?

Thanks
Don

[acourtjester]

What software are you using to create you G-codes. When you create a G-code you can tell it to cut on a line (no closed loop) works fine, with that said if you are cutting a circle if the start and end are not connected that is an open loop that will give an error. This is generally when you tell it to cut inside or outside of a part that is not closed. This is using SheetCam

open loop2.jpg (16.02 KiB) Viewed 1793 times

[Plasron]

What software are you using to create you G-codes. When you create a G-code you can tell it to cut on a line (no closed loop) works fine, with that said if you are cutting a circle if the start and end are not connected that is an open loop that will give an error. This is generally when you tell it to cut inside or outside of a part that is not closed. This is using SheetCam
open loop2.jpg

Thanks
I’m using Sheetcam for processing, I know some of my cuts are dirty DXF files, with lines not meeting, broken lines.
But the ones I payed for from Designshop are guaranteed cut ready but they are worse than some of the broken line files that I know will give me trouble.

I saw a YouTube video today, and he was having trouble with a DXF that left pieces uncut, he said that the torch/ pierce height delay wasn’t set high enough to allow the torch to fire before the X and Y axis moved. Could that be my problem?

Thank You for the information
Don

[robertspark]

Sorry for being so ignorant, don’t know how to check arc ok signal.
Thank
Don

Don, is this your plasma cutter?

https://www.everlastgenerators.com/site ... 2016_0.pdf

If you look at PDF page 29,
If so, have you wired pin 9 and 10 (Ok to move) to you CNC breakout board?

There are 2 delays in plasma starts...

1) the arcok or arc transfer signal. This indicates when the arc has transferred from "start" to cutting.... Or the torch is no longer providing the (+) but the table is so the electrons are flowing from the torch electrode to the table and not from the electrode to the nozzle inside the torch.

This can be found out several ways.... But if your plasma cutter has a machine / CNC interface then it should be able to provide the arc transfer signal internally. If not then the THC will normally tell when it happens and provide a signal to the motion controller.

The arcok signal is a "no go" or "go" signal..... If the arc does not transfer the machine should not move (that is the visible part).... But before the move (the invisible part) is the pierce delay..... A short timed period from when the arcok signal is received to allow the torch to pierce the material BEFORE the torch actually moves.

This is 2) the pierce delay..... The second delay

You can try to guess the transfer delay and add that time to the pierce delay.... Hypertherm approximates the transfer delay at about 100mSec (0.1 sec).... But that is an approximation.... If your pierce height is too high the arc may never transfer. ..... If you are not using an arc transfer / arcok input and your pierce delay is too short the torch may missfire and again never transfer.... Because you are relying on some slow devices to actually fire your torch.....

You are supposed to use a "dry contact" to fire your torch.... I.e a relay not an optoisolator!.... Relays take time to energise and de-energise.... An additional 0.1 second added to the pierce delay may not allow for your slow relay coil to build up magnetic flux / energise and close the contacts plus start the plasma compressed air flow and initiate the igbt or transformer to actually behind the plasma cutting..... All while the machine has started to fly off because it is not using an ARCOK / transfer signal.....

Stop!!! VARIFY how your plasma cutter is wired to the motion controller.... Draw out a rough wiring diagram. Only you can VARIFY how it is wired the rest of us are guessing....

[Plasron]

Sorry for being so ignorant, don’t know how to check arc ok signal.
Thank
Don

Don, is this your plasma cutter?

https://www.everlastgenerators.com/site ... 2016_0.pdf

If you look at PDF page 29,
If so, have you wired pin 9 and 10 (Ok to move) to you CNC breakout board?

There are 2 delays in plasma starts...

1) the arcok or arc transfer signal. This indicates when the arc has transferred from "start" to cutting.... Or the torch is no longer providing the (+) but the table is so the electrons are flowing from the torch electrode to the table and not from the electrode to the nozzle inside the torch.

This can be found out several ways.... But if your plasma cutter has a machine / CNC interface then it should be able to provide the arc transfer signal internally. If not then the THC will normally tell when it happens and provide a signal to the motion controller.

The arcok signal is a "no go" or "go" signal..... If the arc does not transfer the machine should not move (that is the visible part).... But before the move (the invisible part) is the pierce delay..... A short timed period from when the arcok signal is received to allow the torch to pierce the material BEFORE the torch actually moves.

This is 2) the pierce delay..... The second delay

You can try to guess the transfer delay and add that time to the pierce delay.... Hypertherm approximates the transfer delay at about 100mSec (0.1 sec).... But that is an approximation.... If your pierce height is too high the arc may never transfer. ..... If you are not using an arc transfer / arcok input and your pierce delay is too short the torch may missfire and again never transfer.... Because you are relying on some slow devices to actually fire your torch.....

You are supposed to use a "dry contact" to fire your torch.... I.e a relay not an optoisolator!.... Relays take time to energise and de-energise.... An additional 0.1 second added to the pierce delay may not allow for your slow relay coil to build up magnetic flux / energise and close the contacts plus start the plasma compressed air flow and initiate the igbt or transformer to actually behind the plasma cutting..... All while the machine has started to fly off because it is not using an ARCOK / transfer signal.....

Stop!!! VARIFY how your plasma cutter is wired to the motion controller.... Draw out a rough wiring diagram. Only you can VARIFY how it is wired the rest of us are guessing....

Thanks Robertspark
I’ve been cleaning up corrupt DXF files, joining line, simplifying etc., I think that is most of my problem, we are going to cut the files that I re did, to see if they eliminate half of my problems.

I will trace the wiring for the torch this weekend.

Thank You
Don

[robertspark]

No problem,

If you are using AutoDesk AutoCAD you can use a command called "overkill" that may help you out removing overlaid lines.

Not in AutoCAD LT, need full blow autoCAD

[Plasron]

Thanks guys, I think we found the problem, on the lead in and out screen, I had them set to None, changed the lead in and out to arc and they cut 99% better.
Still left in some not fully cut places, but, they are about 25 gauge verses a 13 gauge uncut.
Robertspark I’m sorry, so excited that we finally got something to cut that I forgot checking the wiring.
Thanks again for all the help you guys provided.

[Plasron]

A few that we cut yesterday

[acourtjester]

Looking good one thing I see is the d and o in the Air Force you may look to have connection at the top of then for more support, to keep them from breaking off
Another thing that may help is in SheetCam there is a "overcut" box where you can extend the cutting a slight amount at the end of the cutting before the lead out.

over.JPG (64.02 KiB) Viewed 1632 times

[Plasron]

Looking good one thing I see is the d and o in the Air Force you may look to have connection at the top of then for more support, to keep them from breaking off
Another thing that may help is in SheetCam there is a "overcut" box where you can extend the cutting a slight amount at the end of the cutting before the lead out.
over.JPG

Thanks Acourtjester
I will surely check that.
I really appreciate all the help from all you guys

[bkrcows]

Are you willing to share that Air Force DXF? I have a customer wanting it.

[acourtjester]

if you check here they have been posted before, you can also use the search function in the upper right to look for earlier post for subject you want.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23556&p=183230&hili ... ry#p183230