fine cut problems hypertherm powermax 1000

[Countrylane]

Questions for Jim Colt
I purchased and installed a Duramax machine torch on My Dynatorch 5 x 10 table a few months ago. I've cut a lot of 3/8 inch plate since, great job, cut angularity much improved, much smoother cut, less dross etc. I followed recommended settings that came with the torch, seems to work very well. I cut some 1/4 inch aluminum plate with a company logo for a header on a ladder rack, almost no dross, what was there I could run my bare hand over and dross fell off, great!!!
My issue is with the fine cut consumables. On the 65 amp nozzle I can assemble tapered cone retainer, nozzle,electrode and everything is in perfect alignment. Without removing the tapered nozzle retainer the nozzle will drop out, the new one is dropped in place, electrode is dropped in and everything is tight, no wobble and seems like in perfect alignment. There is no movement sideways at all of nozzle inside tapered cone retainer. When I try to assemble the fine cut nozzle with the appropriate retainer which is different from the 65 amp retainer, the nozzle can swim around in retainer. measuring the hole in retainer cap and the corresponding diameter on nozzle there is a difference of 50 thousands. the hole in nozzle is .570, the OD of nozzle at corresponding height is .520 inch. I was having so much trouble with not cutting properly I put in new consumables, cut one short cut and instead of piercing and cutting, it scarfed out to the side just like a gouging tip! This was cutting 11 gauge material, all settings like chart instructed except for speed of travel,which I had slowed down a little. I stopped the machine, removed the bottom end of torch and found the new nozzle had a narrow slit cut out to the side from the orifice hole and upon inspecting the electrode it appeared that the arc had come off the very edge of the dark grey center which I believe is hafnium or something like that. Even before this happened with a previous new set of consumables there was an incredible amount of angularity of cut, some places more than others, depending where in cut path it was, like in cutting a curve or circle etc. I wonder if it's possible to tighten the nozzle retainer with the nozzle inside cocked off to one side a bit? It even refused to light up at all upon contacting metal in a previous cut file, so I reinstalled the 65 amp consumables and finished cutting, no problem except that is way over kill for 65 amp consumables. Any ideas anyone? Hope this does not sound like a Hypertherm bashing thread, not meant to be, just very puzzled and frustrated! I am wondering if somehow I have a nozzle retainer cap that is not the right one? i.e. center hole over sized etc?
Thanks, Country lane Metal Art Work

[B Holmes]

I think Jim will want the part #s of the consumables and shield you are using to be able to help better.

[Francisco]

Hi there!

These are the correct Duramax Finecut parts, in their correct assembly order:



I assume what you're calling the "tapered nozzle retainer" is the shield. I'ts not meant to retain -not even to touch with- the nozzle. The nozzle is held in place by being sandwiched between the retaining "cap" (the one shown or part No. 220854, w/o the ohmic sensor clip), which is better described as a tube, and the swirl ring.

[jimcolt]

The picture shows the correct parts. If they are all in place and the nozzle is "swimming around...or not on center....then one or more of the parts is defective.

The swirl ring acts to align the nozzle to the electrode, the retaining cap snugs them in and holds them all in place. If I found this I would first: read the part numbers that are laser etched on each part. Verify that they are the same exact numbers as the ones in the chart in the operators manual.

If the numbers are correct, I would then compare them with another (new set of parts) to see if there was anything glaringly different. It is possible that something is mislabeled......although when we make mistakes like that they would be done in rather large batches....and get caught very quickly and are traceable to the manufacturing date code that is also etched on each part. We currently have no other reports similar to yours.

Make sure your parts came from an authorized dealer.....there are Chinese copies out there in original looking packages....often incorrect parts or incorrect dimensions.

Can you take photos of each part and post them?

Jim Colt

[Countrylane]

I think that the duramax machine torch I bought is the real thing, I still have the original box it came in. and closely examining it looks like original genuine hypertherm, but who knows, it came from a large welding supply company in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. Here are the part numbers that are etched on parts. Wish I knew how to take and post pictures, because there is definitely something amiss. The part numbers are all right as in above post except for the shield, numbers are as follows.
The first piece you take off the torch from the contact business end of torch doesn't look like in the picture and the number etched on it is 220955.
Retaining cap is 220854
Nozzle is 220930
Electrode is 220842
Swirl ring is 220857
Before I unpacked the new Duramax torch I emptied out the drawer where all my old Hypertherm consumables and various pieces were kept to make sure i didn't mix up the old and new. I placed the old torch in the new torch box after I had installed the new one. just now I dug out the old one and tried the new shield on the old torch and it fit. Somehow the old style shield must have inadvertently got shipped with the new torch, it came in the little plastic case together with sample parts for the new one. This new shield looks just like I remember the old one looking and not at all like the one pictured in the previous post.
Thanks to all those who have read my post and offered your help and suggestions. Especially to Jim Colt who we can so reliably depend on. Some day I hope we can meet, there would be a lot to discuss about plasma cutting systems, they have evolved so fast it is hard to keep up. If this is the biggest mistake Hypertherm has ever made, all is good!!!!
Thanks again !!!

[Countrylane]

Sorry i overlooked in my last post that the grey retaining cap that came with the new Duramax torch number is 22084
Thanks, hope this helps

[Countrylane]

My typing skills are terrible, I left out one digit on my last post, should read 220854!!!

[jimcolt]

all finecut cons.jpg (25.59 KiB) Viewed 1593 times

all finecut cons.jpg (25.59 KiB) Viewed 1593 times

The 220955 is a correct part, however the shield will work better for you than the deflector. Did you solve your problem? You did not elaborate on what you found when you disassembled the torch?

If you use the correct names for the consumable parts (there is no "retainer" or "tapered cone retainer") I will be able to understand better. The torch parts as listed in the operators manual are: shield, deflector, retaining cap, nozzle, electrode, swirl ring.

Jim Colt