Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

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TrinityFabworks
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Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by TrinityFabworks »

I've been fighting a horrible bevel with my powermax 65 for the last few weeks. On thin/non-dimensional material it doesn't matter as much, but on anything that needs to be accurate or that is thicker than 1/8" it is very noticeable. I have been told by so many people that my torch is crooked. I've checked and rechecked and it's definitely not. I even tried to purposely tilted the torch in the other direction to see if it would straighten out. Finally tonight I just fired the torch in the air and noticed that the arc coming out of it is pretty crooked. I'm getting a 15 degree one sided bevel on the positive y-axis side and about an 8 degree bevel on my positive x axis side. The torch is square to the material in both directions. Here's a picture of the arc and you can see very obviously that it's coming out crooked. The swirl ring and shield orifices are both free of blockages. Any ideas?
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djreiswig
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by djreiswig »

Check the o-ring between the retaining cap and torch body.
Also, make sure you are cutting in the correct direction.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by TrinityFabworks »

djreiswig wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 8:47 pm Check the o-ring between the retaining cap and torch body.
Also, make sure you are cutting in the correct direction.
I checked it and it looked fine. I put some dielectric grease on it and it didn't seem to make a difference
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by adbuch »

Have you replaced your consumables including swirl ring with brand new OEM Hypertherm parts? It seems to me I remember someone who had a similar problem and it was a cracked swirl ring.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by TrinityFabworks »

adbuch wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 5:50 am Have you replaced your consumables including swirl ring with brand new OEM Hypertherm parts? It seems to me I remember someone who had a similar problem and it was a cracked swirl ring.
David
I have not replaced the swirl ring. I've only gone through 3 sets of consumables with this hypertherm so far so I don't know why it would already be bad but who knows
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by acourtjester »

How long has the system been used, you may have a problem with an obstruction in the air path inside the torch itself. AS in another post there is also a small "O" ring in the swirl ring.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by weldguy »

Most often I find it is moisture and/or oil in the air supply which can deform the hole in the nozzle before the arc even contacts the plate for the first time. Folks will replace the consumables after pulling their hair out over bad cuts and do it all over again.

Have a look at some used consumables, is the hole in the nozzle PERFECTLY round? Use a magnifying glass if needed to confirm. If its not round that's the problem.

Are there black/grey swirling stains inside your nozzle and around the shaft of your electrode? If so these stains are deposits from the contaminates in your air burning up and a sure fire indication that your air is not clean and likely your problem.

Is your compressor too small and running all the time creating a lot of heat which will produce plenty of water? Do you drain your compressor tank often? How large is your compressor tank?

Let us know and check out this dryer which is popular among many here and combines 3 levels of filtration in one affordable unit https://www.plasmaspider.com/shop/dryer_sharpe6760.html
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by TrinityFabworks »

I've got a 60 gallon 5hp Quincy compressor. It doesn't run continuously, but does cycle often. I ran it for three years on my Miller. I have a refrigerated air dryer inline before the compressor and a 3 stage filter between the dryer and the hypertherm.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by weldguy »

TrinityFabworks wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:00 pm I've got a 60 gallon 5hp Quincy compressor. It doesn't run continuously, but does cycle often. I ran it for three years on my Miller. I have a refrigerated air dryer inline before the compressor and a 3 stage filter between the dryer and the hypertherm.
Sounds like a good air setup and if your consumables are burning clean then it must be mechanical. Crack swirl ring, plugged holes in your shield cap, etc.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by TrinityFabworks »

weldguy wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:07 am
TrinityFabworks wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:00 pm I've got a 60 gallon 5hp Quincy compressor. It doesn't run continuously, but does cycle often. I ran it for three years on my Miller. I have a refrigerated air dryer inline before the compressor and a 3 stage filter between the dryer and the hypertherm.
Sounds like a good air setup and if your consumables are burning clean then it must be mechanical. Crack swirl ring, plugged holes in your shield cap, etc.
I ordered a new swirl ring and o ring just to rule those out. I'll let you know if it made a difference when they arrive.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by weldguy »

Plugged holes in the shield will also cause this problem, happens to me when slag blows back at the shield during the pierce. I just use oxy/fuel torch tip cleaner to push the crap out of the holes.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by c_rossman »

I recently purchased a XP85 and was having the same issue. I thought my machine wasn't any better than the Everlast I replaced it with. I noticed my torch volts was only running about 105v at 85 amps. That was about the same as my Everlast at 60 amps. I fought it for a few days and noticed my ground lead was getting warm at the power unit. Turned out I had a bad ground connection.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by acourtjester »

Make you feel good when you find an actual fix.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by adbuch »

TrinityFabworks wrote: Wed Oct 28, 2020 7:45 am
weldguy wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:07 am
TrinityFabworks wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:00 pm I've got a 60 gallon 5hp Quincy compressor. It doesn't run continuously, but does cycle often. I ran it for three years on my Miller. I have a refrigerated air dryer inline before the compressor and a 3 stage filter between the dryer and the hypertherm.
Sounds like a good air setup and if your consumables are burning clean then it must be mechanical. Crack swirl ring, plugged holes in your shield cap, etc.
I ordered a new swirl ring and o ring just to rule those out. I'll let you know if it made a difference when they arrive.
I'm hoping a new swirl ring will fix your problem. I keep a selection of spare swirl rings and caps, along with a supply of new electrodes and nozzles and some shields as well.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by AREA »

c_rossman wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 4:06 pm I recently purchased a XP85 and was having the same issue. I thought my machine wasn't any better than the Everlast I replaced it with. I noticed my torch volts was only running about 105v at 85 amps. That was about the same as my Everlast at 60 amps. I fought it for a few days and noticed my ground lead was getting warm at the power unit. Turned out I had a bad ground connection.
This just reminded me of the same experience I had years ago! The ground lead connection on the machine is like a half turn quick connect and can come loose. With my setup it can be easily bumped into which likely worked it loose.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by TrinityFabworks »

I replaced the swirl ring, the shield, and the o ring all at once. It fixed my problem. I can't see anything wrong with any one of the three things that I replaced, but there must have been something, because it's cutting great again.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by adbuch »

Glad to hear you're up and running again! Perhaps a microscopic crack in the swirl ring. Check under high magnification with good lighting and you just might find it.
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Re: Powermax 65 CROOKED Arc

Post by acourtjester »

A positive result from the OP will help those who search at a later date for this type of a problem.
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