Hypertherm Amperage?

[CNCCAJUN]

OK, somehow I have gone blank . . . brain fart . . .

How do I know what amperage to set my PowerMAX85 to for different thicknesses of metal?

Is it 45 amp for 45 amp consumables as a start point or is there a chart I am missing in the manual?

Steve

[Metriccar]

The cut speed charts will tell you what amperage to use, but generally, yes, you stick with whatever amps the consumables are rated for.

[Largemouthlou]

Should be a users manual on the disk with all the cutting charts.

[CNCCAJUN]

Cutting charts do not give amperages . . .

Only FINE CUT LOW SPEED CHARTS have AMPs.

Steve

[rikduk]

Yes, you set your amperage at what the consumables are rated.
Dont forget to turn it down when you switch from high amperage to low amperage consumables:
VERY short nozzle life

[CNCCAJUN]

Yes, you set your amperage at what the consumables are rated.
Dont forget to turn it down when you switch from high amperage to low amperage consumables:
VERY short nozzle life

Thanks . . . I thought so . . . but us newbies are always cautious with our new toys . . .

Steve

[jimcolt]

All of the consumables except for Finecut will operate best at their rated amperage (45 amp nozzle at 45 Amps, etc.) ...this provides the highest energy density, a stiffer arc with more velocity. If you look at the Finecut charts....there are some amperage variations to allow for reasonable cut speeds on thin materials.

You can set any amperage you want....as long as you do not exceed the max amperage for each nozzle, results will vary!

Jim Colt

[CNCCAJUN]

Thank you Jim

Kind of what I was thinking . . . but wasn't 100% sure.

While on the subject of quality cuts on a PowerMAX85 . . .

I just realized that if the GREEN LED IS ILLUMINATED you are NOT IN AUTO GAS/AMP MODE

That should make my cuts a little better . . .

Steve

[jimcolt]

My 85 has been in the Auto Gas mode for over 3-1/2 years....to me there is no need for manual mode.....you cannot beat the air pressures that the engineers designed for it!

Jim Colt

Thank you Jim

Kind of what I was thinking . . . but wasn't 100% sure.

While on the subject of quality cuts on a PowerMAX85 . . .

I just realized that if the GREEN LED IS ILLUMINATED you are NOT IN AUTO GAS/AMP MODE

That should make my cuts a little better . . .

Steve

[yeomansjon]

All of the consumables except for Finecut will operate best at their rated amperage (45 amp nozzle at 45 Amps, etc.) ...this provides the highest energy density, a stiffer arc with more velocity. If you look at the Finecut charts....there are some amperage variations to allow for reasonable cut speeds on thin materials.

You can set any amperage you want....as long as you do not exceed the max amperage for each nozzle, results will vary!

Jim Colt

This never occurred to me, I tried to get all my settings to match exactly what the manual has stated. I run fine cut consumables on my Pmax 1000 and cut 11ga CRCQ steel. Would dialing the amperage down to maybe 30 or other help get me a narrower kerf width? I typically have a kerf of about .06" now. Maybe I'll try a few pieces this weekend.

[jimcolt]

The best cut quality starting points are when you follow the specs in the operators manual for each material and thickness. Pierce height, pierce delay, Amperage, physical cut height and cut speed are all listed. The Finecut charts show a few different amperage seetings that work best.....some are as low as 30 amps....some as much as 45 for Finecut consumables.

So start by using the exact consumables listed at the top of the cut charts....set the specs exactly as the chart suggests. If you have dross experiment with speed....faster will get rid of dross, slower will produce dross but maybe a more desirable edge quality in terms of smoothness and "easy to remove" dross. It is recommended that the physical distance (after piercing is done at the pierce height) remains exact and constant between the torch and the top of the material. Too high and you will get dross, warpage and more edge angle. Some height controls use arc voltage as the reference for height.....start with the voltage listed in the chart and adjust lower or higher to maintain the physical cut height for best results. The chart listed voltage will likely be close....but it will vary depending on calibration accuracy of your machines height control as well as the condition of the consumables and the cut speed.

Jim Colt Hypertherm