tech support for TD

[Dustan]

Hi all was just wondering if there is a tech guy on this forum for ?'s concerning Thermal Dynamics plasma cutters I see Jim Colt has the Hypertherm machines covered which is still all good info for me but would be nice to have the same knowledge with the TD units as I have some settings I am unsure about thanks all.

[admin]

I don't know of any Thermal Dynamics reps who are actively answering questions on the Spider.

[Dennis]

I run a TD machine maybe I could answer your question for you!

[jimcolt]

I would be happy to help as well. Jim Colt

[Feckless]

Thats what I call "Above and beyond the call of duty", Nice one Jim

[jimcolt]

I have used almost every T-D system over the last 33 years....at one point or another.

Jim

[Scratch]

I would be happy to help as well. Jim Colt

I have a TD right now, and I don't need to replace it yet, but I have a question for you Jim.... do you actually "sell" Hypertherm units? If so, I want to buy my next machine from you.

[jimcolt]

I work for Hypertherm.....we sell out products through OEM cutting machine builders and through welding distributors.....so no, we do not sell direct. With over 400,000 end user customers throughout he world using Hypertherm plasma systems there is no way we could support our customers directly as well as our large distribution network does.

I work on a bunch of user forums on my own, but with Hypertherm's blessing. I have my own small metal fab shop at home with a bunch of equipment including a cnc machine with plasma as well as some hand plasma torches, I also work closely with Hypertherms engineering and Research and Development teams to make sure they (we) understand all of the competitive plasma technology that is available....so I am pretty familiar and have used many of the other brands of plasma cutting equipment for the last 33 years.

So, while I cannot sell you anything without getting myself fired....and I like my job...I can offer advise in regards to choices of plasma, cnc and other related plasma equipment that will best fit your needs (accuracy, price, productivity, thickness, etc.). I occasionally suggest other processes such as laser, waterjet, oxy-fuel......and on occasion suggest brands other than Hypertherm when we don't have a system that perfectly fits the need!

So I am here to helpin any way possible!


Jim Colt

I would be happy to help as well. Jim Colt

I have a TD right now, and I don't need to replace it yet, but I have a question for you Jim.... do you actually "sell" Hypertherm units? If so, I want to buy my next machine from you.

[Dustan]

excellent Jim thats great I will im sure have some ?'s for you in the near future thanks alot.

[jmsrbrt]

I have a question for anybody willing to comment...why can't I cut at the speeds shown in the tables that come with my cutter? I have clean, dry air, everything is lubed (no binding in the gantry, rollers or anything else), etc., etc., but the book says 100 ipm and I'm lucky to get 40% of that. I'm beginning to think their numbers are nothing more than WAG's.

[jimcolt]

Good question, and I have heard it asked many times over the years. The problem...not being able to achieve advertised cut speeds....generally is only a problem with air plasma systems. Their large industrial cousins that are designed strictly for high duty cycle cutting, 3 shifts a day....will cut with very nice quality at the advertised specifications, however it is common for these industrial systems to cost as much as 10 times more than an air plasma system with similar thickness capability.

The air plasma system market has many competitors.....and often the potential buyers of these systems spend their time online shopping for the best "bang for the buck". Often, the manufacturer that has the lowest price, the thickest cut capacity and the fastest speed will get the order. This is the primary reason that the absolute maximum speeds that a plasma system can cut at (under ideal conditions) are in large print on the product brochure!

I can say that the major manufacturers are not generally lying, if they say you can cut 3/8" steel at 42 inches per minute...you can (I know you can with the Hypertherm advertised speeds, and all of the T-D units I have tested can achieve their advertised speeds as well)...but just barely. These speeds were developed in labs at their respective companies....under perfect conditions. New consumables, accurate torch height, accurate air pressure, perfect air purity (no moisture), clean steel plate with low carbon and silicon levels. After a few minutes of cutting at these speeds the natural wear on the nozzle orifice actually will cause these machines to not be able to meet the speeds.....put a new nozzle in, and you can repeat it!

In recent years Hypertherm has started listing two speed ranges for all of its hand held air plasma systems: "Optimal" or "Best Quality" speed and Maximum speed. For all of my mechanized plasma cutting I use the optimal speed settings right out of the manual....and get excellent cut quality even with consumables with hundreds of starts on them. There also are listings now for "recommended" cut thickness as well as "maximum" and "severance" cut thicknesses that Hypertherm started doing a few years ago, and I notice other manufacturers have started doing the same.

Recommended is the cut thickness that under normal conditions you can cut (mechanized) without exceeding the duty cycle, and can maintain a produtive speed. Maximum is the thickness that the machine can cut while maintaining a cut speed above about 10 inches per minute, yet could exceed the duty cycle so you don't want to do it all the time....and Severance is the max thickness you can possibly sever. (I find that a good hand with the torch can sometimes exceed this, a fun contest for trade shows!)

One other thing to consider when looking at air plasma systems that are going to be used for mechanized applications is the maximum piercing capability. The best rule of thumb for mechanized piercing is that most plasmas can pierce 1/2 of the severance thickness.....if the proper procedure (pierce height, pierce delay times) are followed when piercing.

Hopefully this helps, and deters simply "brochure shopping" for plasma systems. Make sure you read the fine print on what the true plasma system capabilities are. I am one that likes to buy products that are used in the middle of their capability range the majority of the time....so that when you need that extra boost of power and speed...it is available.

Hope this helps explain the advertised speeds for plasma cutting systems.


Jim Colt Hypertherm