First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

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liamfmvt
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First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by liamfmvt »

Hi all,
First time user here, so bear with me.

I'm at a makerspace using a hypertherm powermax 1000 and a langmuir crossfire CNC with Mach3.

Yes, I know... No THC and not the best table.

I'm working on cutting 10ga steel plate. Many of my cuts were fantastic with very little slag. A few were worse. And I'm having some issues I'm hopeful people can help me with. My hope is to inform and educate the folks at the makerspace so we can get this dialed in. It generally sits unused.

I'm cutting at 40A at 50 in/min cut speed. I have the air pressure turned up all the way (80 psi?).

1) The compressor we're using seems to be able to keep up, but the pressure starts to drop off on the plasma after about 60-90 seconds of cutting. If I go back to the compressor gauge, it is at 80 psi, and the compressor has kicked back in, but the lights on the machine show it dropping down into the 60-70 psi range. Seems odd since the compressor still shows a higher amount. Also, it is currently set thus that there is no regulator on the compressor, just full pressure running into the stock filter on the back of the hypertherm machine. Seems like there should be a regulator on the compressor going into a dryer, then into the hose, then into the hypertherm dryer.

2) I'm getting an overheat error/shutdown after cuts over 2 minutes in length (guessing here). So currently I'm waiting for the torch to turn off for the head to move, then pressing pause, and waiting for a cool down. I read there is the need to clean the power supply, but found no documentation on how to do that. Anything else to check? How long SHOULD this machine run before needing to cool down?

Happy to share photos of the good cuts and bad, but please let me know if I'm just not doing it right based on the above.

Learning (and having fun!).

Thanks in advance.
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by weldguy »

I would say that your compressor is too small and not keeping up. 80psi won't cut it (no pun intended). I regulate my pressure from 120psi down to 90psi and plumb it into my Hypertherm which is the suggested inlet pressure. Your seeing pressure drop from the compressor to the plasma which is normal but you want to keep it to a minimum with proper sized air lines and clean filters.

At 40 amps I would guess that your PM1000 should run 100% of the time or at least close to it. It is possible that it is full of dust inside the unit which is insulating everything and allowing heat to build up. Not sure this is the right thing to do but I just blow mine out with compressed air, you'll be sursprised how much crap you can blow out of these.
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by acourtjester »

If you are able to remove the outer cover from the Hypertherm, that will allow you to see if and where the inside needs to be cleaned.
Remove the unit from input power so if you need to poke around you will be doing it safely. There may be a sensor on the heat sink and if the heat sink is covered (no clear air flow around it) can give a overheat condition, not good.
You do need a larger compressor and a pressure gauge at the input to the Hypertherm to monitor the input pressure to be sure it does not drop below the recommended pressure while cutting, that also will give an alarm, and stop cutting.
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liamfmvt
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by liamfmvt »

Thanks all! I'll do some more digging and see what I find.
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by adbuch »

liamfmvt wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:21 am Hi all,
First time user here, so bear with me.

I'm at a makerspace using a hypertherm powermax 1000 and a langmuir crossfire CNC with Mach3.

Yes, I know... No THC and not the best table.

I'm working on cutting 10ga steel plate. Many of my cuts were fantastic with very little slag. A few were worse. And I'm having some issues I'm hopeful people can help me with. My hope is to inform and educate the folks at the makerspace so we can get this dialed in. It generally sits unused.

I'm cutting at 40A at 50 in/min cut speed. I have the air pressure turned up all the way (80 psi?).

1) The compressor we're using seems to be able to keep up, but the pressure starts to drop off on the plasma after about 60-90 seconds of cutting. If I go back to the compressor gauge, it is at 80 psi, and the compressor has kicked back in, but the lights on the machine show it dropping down into the 60-70 psi range. Seems odd since the compressor still shows a higher amount. Also, it is currently set thus that there is no regulator on the compressor, just full pressure running into the stock filter on the back of the hypertherm machine. Seems like there should be a regulator on the compressor going into a dryer, then into the hose, then into the hypertherm dryer.

2) I'm getting an overheat error/shutdown after cuts over 2 minutes in length (guessing here). So currently I'm waiting for the torch to turn off for the head to move, then pressing pause, and waiting for a cool down. I read there is the need to clean the power supply, but found no documentation on how to do that. Anything else to check? How long SHOULD this machine run before needing to cool down?

Happy to share photos of the good cuts and bad, but please let me know if I'm just not doing it right based on the above.

Learning (and having fun!).

Thanks in advance.
I would not rely on the integrated regulator (if indeed there is one). You probably need about 100 psi minimum at the machine continuously. This means as measured with a gauge at the inlet to the machine while the machine (plasma cutter) is cutting.
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liamfmvt
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by liamfmvt »

I'll take a look at pulling the cover off to clean out.

The compressor seems to be a pro-grade compressor, capable of 12 SCFM @ 90 psi (so says the label). It is absolutely not doing that, so I need to check into why it isn't filling fast enough. It is probably 20 minutes to fill the tank (maybe 60 gal) up to about 110-120 psi (forgot to check).

Likely what I need to do is check the intake (?) to see if it is clogged, and also maybe mess with the low/high limits on the compressor to get it to stay around 110-130 psi at all times.

Sorry, I forgot to take photos of the compressor unit.
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by OffRoadDevilDog »

Seems like mainly a compressor problem but your cut speeds/amps seems way off from book settings. I had a Crossfire original with PM1000 and the upgraded Duramax MRT torch up until I recently upgraded (it's still sitting in the garage waiting for the new owner to pick it up). The book speeds were spot on. 10 gauge specs for the Duramax torch are 45amps 100ipm with air pressure at 70psi on the internal regulator. Book speeds for the T60 torch are 40amps at 98ipm. It's best to have a gauge T'ed in at the back of the machine to watch to make sure the air supply doesn't dip while cutting. Air supply shouldn't dip below 90psi but I keep mine at 110psi.

Having no THC sucked, but other than that, I loved learning on that machine. It would cut 16 gauge fast and clean with no dross all the way up to 1/2" AR500 with virtually no bevel.
liamfmvt
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by liamfmvt »

Thanks

Do you happen to have that cut speed chart for your old Powermax 1000? That is almost double the cut speed I was using - which would be amazing! (not saying it isn't true, just amazing!)

Perhaps that is the reason for the larger amount of dross I was getting on some cuts. Speeding up should help that bottom dross right?
OffRoadDevilDog
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by OffRoadDevilDog »

Thanks @robertspark.

And yes @liamfmvt cutting at the proper speed will virtually eliminate bottom dross if you have completely dry air.
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by liamfmvt »

Thanks, I guess where I'm confused is in that first link, it says that you could run 10 gauge at 40 amps at 50 in per minute. But it also says you can run 10 gauge at 50 amps at 90 in per minute.

I totally get that you could run more power and theoretically cut faster, but how do you know which one to choose? I ran it at 40 amps at 50 in per minute, and I ran as much pressure as I could into the unit. So I was probably between 75 and 100 lb. Working through compressor issues as you can see from above.
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Re: First time CNC user - Hypertherm PM 1000

Post by OffRoadDevilDog »

liamfmvt wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2020 8:44 pm Thanks, I guess where I'm confused is in that first link, it says that you could run 10 gauge at 40 amps at 50 in per minute. But it also says you can run 10 gauge at 50 amps at 90 in per minute.

I totally get that you could run more power and theoretically cut faster, but how do you know which one to choose? I ran it at 40 amps at 50 in per minute, and I ran as much pressure as I could into the unit. So I was probably between 75 and 100 lb. Working through compressor issues as you can see from above.
It's either or. You'll have a better duty cycle at a lower amperage. At 40 amps, it's probably 100% so you can theoretically cut all day with a healthy machine and air supply. That's for fine cut nozzles too, make sure you match the nozzles you're using to the cut chart.
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