HYPERTHERM 600 VS HYERTHERM 45

[james.davis]

Jim,
I'm interested in finding out what your thinking is on up-grading from a hyperthrem 600 to a hypertherm 45. Will it work that much better? Will the cuts be cleaner? I'm operating a Plasma Cam DHC2 with an air dryer.Will the work it produces look that much better? 95% of my work is done with a fine cut.
Thanks,Jim

[jimcolt]

The Powermax45 was the replacement for the Powermax600....it has more power, cuts thicker and faster, has a higher duty cycle rating and the torch produces better cut quality on materials above 3/16", not to mention longer consumable life. It does not have the same FineCut consumables.....but has an available set of 30 amp unshielded consumables for cuttimng materials thinner than 3/16" with similar quality as compared to the 600's Fine Cut process.

If you are only cutting thin materials with the FineCut parts....there probably will not be much of a cut quality difference between the two systems...if you cut materials thicker than 3/16" you will experience much better performance with the 45.

If you 600 is in good shape....and you trust its reliability...then you could consider the Duramax torch upgrade (I recommend going with a machine torch, and a breakaway torch mount (www.snapncut.com ). You can find details about the Duramax torch upgrade on the Hypertherm ( www.hypertherm.com ) website.....it is the same torch that is used on the newer Powermax65. 85 and 105 systems, and will provide better cut quality and consumable life as compared to the 600 or the 45.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

Jim,
I'm interested in finding out what your thinking is on up-grading from a hyperthrem 600 to a hypertherm 45. Will it work that much better? Will the cuts be cleaner? I'm operating a Plasma Cam DHC2 with an air dryer.Will the work it produces look that much better? 95% of my work is done with a fine cut.
Thanks,Jim

[james.davis]

Thanks Jim,I have two hyperterm 600s and they both work good so I'll look into changing the torch out .Thanks alot.Jim

[james.davis]

Jim,
I called hypertherm and they gave me a quote on both the hand held and machine torches. both use the same consumables, but the machine torch is about $200. more. I asked the person I was talking to if there was any differences other than one was hand and the other was machine he said no.My question to you is can I use the hand held on my plasma cam and will it give me the same results as the machine one.Thanks Jim

[jimcolt]

The machine torch is straight and is designed to fit in industrial machine torch mounts...the same ones that are used for mechanized oxy fuel torch holders. The torch barrel is made of materials that can hold up to refected heat and sparks from high duty cycle cutting operations. The torch is manufactured in much lower quantities as compared to the hand torch (about 100 hand torches to every machine torch)....which dramatically increases manufacturing cost. I know because I have personally reviewed our manufacturing costs as I did not believe the cost should be that much more. It is.

The hand torch can cut exactly the same as the machine torch, however you need to wire the system to bypass the torch trigger switch, and you need to use the machine torch consumables. Mounting the hand torch is difficult.....especially to ensure that it is perpendicular to the plate. The materials used to mold the handle on the hand torch will not hold up as well under tough conditions.

To me...and many others...the machine torch is worth the extra money....which over time is saved in setting up the torch and squaring it to the plate. I use a magnetic breakaway mount on both of my cnc machies as well.....allowing me to remove the torch easily (for consumable inspection and change) as well as for protecting the torch in the inevitable plate collision. I commonly nest many parts on a full sheet and walk away and let the machine cut.

A picture on my Powermax85 torch with a magnetic breakaway on my PlasmaCam machine.

Jim Colt

new pics 013.jpg (58.19 KiB) Viewed 1794 times

new pics 013.jpg (58.19 KiB) Viewed 1794 times

[james.davis]

Thanks agian for your input.Jim

[james.davis]

Jim,
One more question. When I called hypertherm they gave me a part number of 228920 and told me it wasn't the same torch that goes on the 65 or 85.The only reason I bring this up is if I deside to up-grade to a newer hypertherm in the future I would like to use the machine torch that I'm thinking about buying now.I think you said it was the same torch used on the 65 and 85.Was he mistaken when he said it wasn't?Is this machine torch only used on the 600?
thanks, Jim

[trucutcnc]

Jim,
One more question. When I called hypertherm they gave me a part number of 228920 and told me it wasn't the same torch that goes on the 65 or 85.The only reason I bring this up is if I deside to up-grade to a newer hypertherm in the future I would like to use the machine torch that I'm thinking about buying now.I think you said it was the same torch used on the 65 and 85.Was he mistaken when he said it wasn't?Is this machine torch only used on the 600?
thanks, Jim

Tech is right. The Dynamax torch you're looking at has a back end that is compatible with the older style machine. The new PowerMax product like has a different back end. The new ones are more of a quick connect plug where the older style took a little more effort to swap out. I'm not sure if it's only used on the 600. It may be compatible with all older PowerMax machines, but it will definitely not fit the new machines. (45, 65, 85, 105).

[james.davis]

Thank you I think I'll wait until I up grade to a newer machine , before putting out that much money on a machine torch that is only good with the older style machine.
Thanks, Jim

[makoyz400]

Hi Jim,

What did you do when you added the machine torch to your plasmacam as far as cutting the full sheet on a 4x4 table. I want to add a setup like yours put need to be able to cut a full 4x4 sheet,


Thanks
Mike