Consumables getting too hot?

[SJDrummond]

Hello! Looking for some advice around some issues I’m having with my table. It’s home built with a Powermax45xp.

I’ve just dropped some brand new consumables in today, cut about 10 meters or around 400inches/50 pierces on 10mm steel and my consumables look like this. I read somewhere that if your consumables have heat colour changes then it can mean your torch isn’t cooling properly, but I can’t for the life of me find the article again. I’ve attached some photos of the consumables and the pieces cut, both cut out in the same program. The one with the most dross was cut around 15 minutes after the other.

I think I may be fighting a few different problems but wanted to see what other people thought.

I live in a residential area, so I have housed the compressor in enclosure to reduce noise. It works fantastically from an acoustic point of view, however, even with fans it’s still getting warm in there, which I know is not good for compressors and can Introduce extra moisture into the system.

In terms of air filtration I have a 10 micron filter and a 0.1 micron filter, which I thought would be suitable for drying the air at least temporarily until I could afford a drying system. However the rate in which I am getting through consumables is worrying.

So my question is, can moisture cause the nozzles and electrodes to look like this or do I have two separate problems here?

In addition to this, I have some other strange behaviour - the torch misfires every single time for the first pierce then works flawlessly for the rest of the pierces/cuts… also not sure if that’s related to the above issues.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks & all the best,
Sean Drummond
Nottingham, UK

[adbuch]

From what I can see, your edge quality looks good. Maybe post a few photos showing the edges. Are you cutting using the recommended settings (cut height, pierce height, cut speed, pierce delay time, amps) from the Hypertherm mechanized cut charts? Does the dross remove easily? Here are some photos of the consumables I have been using for cutting steel from 1/4" to 1/2" in thickness. My electrode looks about the same as yours, but my nozzle certainly looks like it has not heated as much. I am cutting with a Hypertherm Powermax 85. This is the first time I have heard about the possibility of moisture in the air supply causing the torch to potentially overheat. I wouldn't recommend totally enclosing your compressor. I would at least put a ducted air inlet and air exhaust attached to your enclosure to allow fresh air circulation.

David

[acourtjester]

Few off the wall thoughts. Are these true Hypertherm consumables? If memories serves me right I think moisture in the air causes nozzle burnouts not overheating. Have you checked the air temperature at the plasma unit, if your compressor is running hot in the enclosure.
The air must cool down for the moisture to drop out of suspension. There is a test on the Hyperther where is will blow only air, have the air blown into a glass to see if there is water traveling with the air. If so that may be why you get arc fail on the first pierce in a cut routine.

[adbuch]

Few off the wall thoughts. Are these true Hypertherm consumables? If memories serves me right I think moisture in the air causes nozzle burnouts not overheating. Have you checked the air temperature at the plasma unit, if your compressor is running hot in the enclosure.
The air must cool down for the moisture to drop out of suspension. There is a test on the Hyperther where is will blow only air, have the air blown into a glass to see if there is water traveling with the air. If so that may be why you get arc fail on the first pierce in a cut routine.

Tom - that's a good idea. I remember reading that someone had also suggested blowing the air from the torch onto a cold mirror to see if there is any fog or condensation that accumulates on the mirror.
avid

[SJDrummond]

First off thanks so much for your replies! Love this community!

I’ve attached some pictures of the edges below so you can see.

I ran some test cuts using the recommended settings for my torch and 10mm steel (780mm/min) and 60% slower for the holes, but found that I was getting more dross underneath so I increased the speed. The images from my previous post were at 950mm/min.
All other specs were as per the book.

Yes the dross removes easily, some can be picked off with fingers, others need a gentle tap with a chisel.

I’m glad to see that the electrode discolouration is normal.

I also checked the PSI to the back of the PM45, it stayed steady at 95psi. For the compressor I do have vents and a PC fan pulling air in, however I may have to rethink this and beef up the air flow.

I assumed the consumables I purchased were genuine hypertherm but they arrived in a clear plastic bag with no hypertherm branding so I’m now wondering if they aren’t. They do specify on their website that they are ‘authentic hypertherm consumables’.
http://www.ultrawelding.co.uk/product.p ... ull_site=1

I have not checked the air temperature at the entry to the unit, but I will try the glass/ mirror air only test once I figure out how that’s done.

Thanks again,
All the best,
Sean Drummond
Nottingham, UK

[djreiswig]

All of the Hypertherm consumables I've every purchased came in the clear plastic trays. I would be suspicious if they were just tossed in a bag.

[acourtjester]

I'm with djreiswig on the packaging, also I would check with a local welding supply for real Hypertherm consumables and compare the laser etching on the parts you have. I buy my consumables online but they come from a known Hypertherm dealer, the one I bought the unit itself from. Your cuts look very nice so you just need to fine tune you speed and maybe cut height. The dross in the second image may be about right. Good work on your DIY table too.

[weldguy]

I think things are looking pretty good. If air contamination was an issue for you I would expect to see black or gray swirling marks around the electrode and inside the nozzle. I think you may be cutting a little slow and/or a little high when I look at your parts. I would keep doing what your doing but pause your torch mid cut (pause on a long straight stretch of the design) to measure the distance between the torch and the metal and be sure it .060" Once you confirm that is good start increasing your cut speed to try and get rid of that dross, go as fast as you can until you lose the cut then back it off a bit. Once that is complete re-check your cut height which will likely have a changed a little due to faster cut speed. Once you do that it should be dialed in and then just keep an eye on your consumables for those black/gray carbon deposits that swirl around inside the nozzle, once you see that its too late and you have contaminated your torch lead which can take time to clear out. As for the consumables some dealers may be buying them in bulk and sending them to you without the blister packs, that's pretty normal.

[adbuch]

I assumed the consumables I purchased were genuine hypertherm but they arrived in a clear plastic bag with no hypertherm branding so I’m now wondering if they aren’t. They do specify on their website that they are ‘authentic hypertherm consumables’.
http://www.ultrawelding.co.uk/product.p ... ull_site=1

I have not checked the air temperature at the entry to the unit, but I will try the glass/ mirror air only test once I figure out how that’s done.

Thanks again,
All the best,
Sean Drummond
Nottingham, UK

Those look like pretty nice clean edges to me. Perhaps post a photo of the topside of the part. In general, I think your part looks fine. And I see no reason (based on cut quality) to suspect non-OEM consumables. How many cuts do you have on that set of consumables? There is a wear limit for the Hafnium insert in the end of the electrode, which I don't know just off the top of my head - but is specified at one of the Hypertherm sites.

David

https://www.hypertherm.com/en-US/learn/ ... electrode/

https://www.hypertherm.com/en-US/learn/ ... en-plasma/