Hypertherm PM65 piercing thick metal.

[762frmafr]

So I read on one of the boards I am on an explanation from Jim Colt on how to pierce thicker than rated steel. It basically said to use old consumables and run through your pierce points at a certain height and certain pierce delay then change out consumables and run through the rest of the code. Does anyone have a link to said explanation or Jim if you read this could you possibly re-post? Thanks.

[jimcolt]

The Powermax65 is factory rated to pierce 5/8" steel, meaning that if you follow the cut chart specs for pierce height and pierce delay you can expect at least 300 pierces before the nozzle is affected.

Since I work for Hypertherm, I do have to stick with the company line on pierce thickness, that is what the system is designed to do, and it will perform well.

If you need to pierce thicker, it is likely that you can pierce 3/4", maybe 1" material with the 65.....expect shorter consumable parts life, especially the nozzle and shield. I would recommend a higher pierce height (maybe .022" to .025", too high and the arc will not transfer to the material) and experiment with pierce delay time (longer) so that the arc has fully pentrated the material before there is any x or y machine movement.

If you need to pierce a lot of holes on a nest of parts (thicker than the plasma is rated for)....use the above technique, but program your nest so that the torch pierces all of the holes only.....then switch to a new nozzle (and maybe shield) and have your program "edge start" on all of the prepierced holes.

Remember, cutting thicker than your plasma is "production" rated for will also affect duty cycle. Thicker material cutting requires a longer arc, meaning higher arc voltage. Higher arc voltage will make the power supply work harder, creating more heat and lower duty cycle expectations. The Hypertherm duty cycle ratings are based on the maximum factory recommended pierce thicknesses.

Jim Colt

So I read on one of the boards I am on an explanation from Jim Colt on how to pierce thicker than rated steel. It basically said to use old consumables and run through your pierce points at a certain height and certain pierce delay then change out consumables and run through the rest of the code. Does anyone have a link to said explanation or Jim if you read this could you possibly re-post? Thanks.

[Capstone]

Thanks for reviving this topic and to Jim for providing a clear explanation.

[abmagrum]

if you have sheetcam you can use the wiggle setting .

http://arclightcnc.com/training.html

its on video 9 sheetcam start around 5 minutes the wiggle part is around 7

[762frmafr]

Well that was a good learning experience. I tried it both ways. The way Jim Colt said, and the wiggle pierce method. Seems like the wiggle pierce method works better and is easier to set up. There is more wasted material because the lead-ins are so long, but cut quality was surprisingly good. You like dross? Try cutting 1" steel with a PM65. The piece was basically "welded" to the slats with dross. But I got it all off. Will post pics of the finished test piece later. Thanks again for all the great information.