powermax 30

[otisa2007]

after going through 3 chinese plasma cutters in the last 6 months i finally scraped up enough money to buy me a powermax 30 i wanted a 45 but had to count pennies for the 30 its working great but i still have some dross issues im cutting 14 ga at 100ips .06 cut height and a .08 pierce height at about 25 amps im running this on a plasma cam table im just looking to see if anyone has any pointers on the settings. so far this cutter has done awesome and my consumable life has went up by at least 10 times

[weldor2005]

Without looking at the manual, isn't the pierce Height typically 0.15?

[jimcolt]

Use the cut chart from the Powermax45 for use with the Powermax30 consumables. These specs will provide the best mechanized cut quality.

The best cut on 14 ga is at .02 cut height at 120 inches per minute, cutting any slower will produce dross. Pierce height should be twice the cut height with this torch. It likes to run close to the plate as the Powermax 30 was designed for drag cutting by hand.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

[otisa2007]

thankyou the 30 didn't come with a cut chart like that or I just haven't seen it yet but i'm not much for instructions so far other than some dross it cut great thanks for the help much better than the chinese junk i've been trying to run with i will try these settings tomorrow and see how it works out

[jimcolt]

The 30 does not have mechanized cut charts in the manual as it is designed for hand cutting. Our design engineers have strict protocol that determines what we should recommend for cnc machine cutting, and what should be recommending for hand cutting. Our plasma systems that we recommend for machine cutting are available with special torches designed for machine cutting....so the chart I posted is from the machine torch cutting specs for a Powermax45 when used with a machine torch....which just happens to use the same torch consumable parts as a Powermax30.

There are a fair number of users that have adapted the 30 for machine cutting, and I suspect it works well on these applications for cutting on materials thinner than 1/4".

Jim Colt

thankyou the 30 didn't come with a cut chart like that or I just haven't seen it yet but i'm not much for instructions so far other than some dross it cut great thanks for the help much better than the chinese junk i've been trying to run with i will try these settings tomorrow and see how it works out

[otisa2007]

thanks jimcolt your setting chart works great i know the 30 was not intended for cnc cutting but due to the money i couldn't afford the the 45 with the cut chart this thing cut awesome and my consumable life is 10 times what i was getting with my cheap cutters i'm running this cutter at full amperage could i slow it down and decrease the amperage, i don't like to run at full amperage i want this to last as long as possible it has never overheated but just want it to last i guess what im asking is will it hurt the cutter to run it at 30 amps constantly

[jimcolt]

If you cut thicknesses under 10 gauge it will be difficult for your to ever exceed the duty cycle, even at 30 amps output. Thicker material requires more arc voltage from the power supply....the voltage multiplied by the amperage is the amount of work (watts) that the power supply has to do to do the job. More volts equals more wattage and more heat produced in the power supply. If you cut thicker than 10 gauge....especially on days when the ambient temp in your shop gets over 70 degrees, then you will get closer to the duty cycle. Exceeding the duty cycle a few times will not hurt the Powermax30. If you exceed it every time you use it....then you need a bigger plasma!

Jim Colt

thanks jimcolt your setting chart works great i know the 30 was not intended for cnc cutting but due to the money i couldn't afford the the 45 with the cut chart this thing cut awesome and my consumable life is 10 times what i was getting with my cheap cutters i'm running this cutter at full amperage could i slow it down and decrease the amperage, i don't like to run at full amperage i want this to last as long as possible it has never overheated but just want it to last i guess what im asking is will it hurt the cutter to run it at 30 amps constantly

[plascutart]

Hi Jim,
Does the consumable chart for the TV30 come in metric?
regards
plascutart

[jimcolt]

Metric chart. These are in the Powermax45 manual, there are charts for stainless as well. The manual is available in 7 different languages and is downloadable from http://www.hypertherm.com

Jim Colt Hypertherm

Hi Jim,
Does the consumable chart for the TV30 come in metric?
regards
plascutart