24 gage cutting issue sheetcam mach powermax

[gary42095]

so i guess its my turn for some more issues. never cut this material before.
i set up to book spec with powermax 85
40 amps fine cut
.06 height .15 pierce 0.0 pierce delay (tried .01 got same result)
325 ipm 78 volts with thc on

ground clamp is directly on material
.20 leadin
hit go and i get pierce then torch goes out before it makes a move no fault code on plasma unit
air pressure is good i have no problems with thicker material 16g is thinnest i have cut so far and have no issues up to 1/2 inch

it seems to me i am getting too much delay from pierce to cut.

should i lower in initial pierce height to like .08?
is there any way to lower the delay in mach?
don't know what to try any ideas i am open to

[JJsCustomDesigns]

What amp setting do you have on the Plasma cutter itself? Ive cut 22 gauge like your above settings but i turn the plasma to 25amps with 0.0 pierce delay.

[gary42095]

i was set at 40 amps fine cut consumables as per book spec. lower the amperage? ill give that a try tomorrow.
never actually new it would go lower DOH

[I Lean]

Lower your initial pierce height. The time moving from there to your cut height counts as "pierce delay". It takes approximately no time at all to pierce material that thin.

[BTA Plasma]

Alot of times folks forgeet to raise their homing Z percentage in Mach3. What happens is you pierce then travel down and the torch will be turned off before it ever gets to cut height. Also if you have a floating Z axis you want to be carefull setting initial cut height from book settings. Typically if you start .08-.1 and have your THC delay timed right you will hit that .060 cut height based on tip volts. The danger here is if you set a .060 cut height and your using a floating Z touch off with a dual slide the torch can actually bend the material and give you a fasle pierce and drag the tip on cut height. You can always go into sheetcam and change your pierce ref distance higher in your post. If your using CandCNC electronics there is a ohmic add on you can use for soft touch offs (best for thin material)

[beefy]

Has anyone ever heard of this issue with Mach and pierce delay. Some time ago I came across a thread regarding Machs supposed inability to pause LESS than a certain time. There was talk of around 0.4 - 0.5 of a second so even if you put the pierce delay at 0.2 second it would still pause for the (longer) minimum time.

I thought this could be an issue on materials that need a very short pierce delay so I even built an electronic counter circuit to test this and see if it's true but got pulled away on more important things and never got back to it. I've hardly cut anything thinner than 3mm anyway.

Keith.

[jimcolt]

On materials thinner than 3/16" you can actually set pierce and cut heights the same (.06" is good). If your machines inherent delay is too long for reliable starting on thin material.....switch the Powermax85 mode switch into the continuous pilot mode....the arc will stay on.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

so i guess its my turn for some more issues. never cut this material before.
i set up to book spec with powermax 85
40 amps fine cut
.06 height .15 pierce 0.0 pierce delay (tried .01 got same result)
325 ipm 78 volts with thc on

ground clamp is directly on material
.20 leadin
hit go and i get pierce then torch goes out before it makes a move no fault code on plasma unit
air pressure is good i have no problems with thicker material 16g is thinnest i have cut so far and have no issues up to 1/2 inch

it seems to me i am getting too much delay from pierce to cut.

should i lower in initial pierce height to like .08?
is there any way to lower the delay in mach?
don't know what to try any ideas i am open to

[BTA Plasma]

.060 initial cut height will lead to many drags if your material bends. Jim's advice is spot on for ohmic sensing but thin materials and a floating Z are very dependant on the slat spacing. A spacing of 4"s and 26ga a z axis of even 2 lbs will allow the material to flex more than .030 so if it already had a convex shape you may be dragging your tip right away. There isnt one solid answer for every type of machine and every type of thickness. Something you need to be aware of or pay for in consumables.

[jimcolt]

As long as you are using the shield for the fine cut consumables....contact with the plate will not hurt consumable life or cut quality at all.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

.060 initial cut height will lead to many drags if your material bends. Jim's advice is spot on for ohmic sensing but thin materials and a floating Z are very dependant on the slat spacing. A spacing of 4"s and 26ga a z axis of even 2 lbs will allow the material to flex more than .030 so if it already had a convex shape you may be dragging your tip right away. There isnt one solid answer for every type of machine and every type of thickness. Something you need to be aware of or pay for in consumables.

[BTA Plasma]

Yes Jim but often the material will drag with the torch. I have seen 5x10 sheets of 26 gauge move from the torch dragging. Just something additional to watch for when cutting thin material. If the entire dimension is critical and you cannot allow a drag then you have to learn to make the good part using some of the advice in this thread.

[plain ol Bill]

The best solution for light gage material is the omnic sensor. That is the best add/on I have made for my table - love it.