@WadeStar. I run my cutter at slightly less than 30A, and 50ipm seems to work pretty well for 1/8" CRS.
@greywoodmills Thank you for that! I am definitely running much slower as I had it at 20ipm. I will change it to your settings and give it a go. Thank you!!
Sorry to hijack the topic, what do you guys have for kerf width on it? Cant.find any info online… thanks
@Veetek I’ve been using .050 as the value in Fusion 360. I made a few cuts at different feeds and amperage levels, then measured the actual kerf with calipers. The measurments consistently landed between .040 - .045. I’m just too lazy to go back in and adjust it again. +/- .010 is close enough for signs, brackets, etc. If I ever get into precision work, I’ll go back and tweak it more, but good enough for now.
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@greywoodmills thank you for the answer , now.when you cut with it do you use the 1/16" to set the gap?
Thanks
@Veetek Yes, I have been using the 1/16 spacer to set the gap. I have to pull my table out from a corner whenever I want to use it, and I almost never take the time to re-level once it’s in position (unless it’s grossly out-of-whack), so I almost always have a varying gap across the length and width of the part I’m cutting. I usually set the gap in one corner, jog to the other corners, and then manually re-adjust so that I average out at 1/16 (roughly). It has worked well enough for hobby cutting purposes. So yes, 1/16 gap works pretty well.
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Hey greywoodmills, do you remember which wires you tapped into on your Air30? And which barrel connector numbers you solder the wires to? I am copying your idea for the barrel connector and don’t know which wires to tap. Thanks.
Hi everyone, new guy here.
I have had my Powermax 30 Air for a little while and it has always worked and cut nice by hand. I am struggling to get clean cuts when I use it on the crossfire. I read in another thread that the drag cup and the 0.060 shim may be causing some of the problem because the torch is to high. Has anyone removed the drag cup for CNC cutting? I will try making a thinner shim, maybe 0.030 to use tomorrow but I am curious what others have done. I know that this does not seem to be a popular plasma cutter for CNC cutting but I already owned one and it works get by hand. Basic problem is "Ant hills and/or a lot of dross on the bottom also. Thanks
Correct. The drag cap is already moving the nozzle tip away the correct distance from the material. Any further shimming will just move it further away. You should use a standard nozzle & cap and the 0.060 shim.
If you must use the drag cap, don’t use a shim at all - it’ll be like you’re doing a hand cut and dragging the tip.
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Thanks James, I will try the 0.060 shim without the drag cup tomorrow.
I never used the drag shield with my 30 Air on the crossfire table, I used the small shim for up to 16ga and had very good results. I tried to cut 1/8" and 3/16" using the small shim and the dross would hit the nozzle and damage it, when using the thicker shim it wouldn’t hit the nozzle but had a very hard time getting cuts all the way through the material, and I tried many different cut speeds to no avail.
I absolutely love the 30 Air and I had been using it for about a year before getting the crossfire table, I have cut 100’s of feet of metal with it in varying thickness, much of which was 1/4" no complaints whatsoever. with all that being said, I knew that I wanted to cut 1/8" and thicker so I ultimately got an HTP 45 amp cutter with machine torch (and a set of mounts from Lil_Abners_Kustoms!) I couldn’t be happier with this setup for the crossfire!
I have no plans to get rid of the 30 air and still use it almost daily for hand cutting though.
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Thanks Lokan,
I tried it today with no drag shield and a 0.035 shim on 3/16" 1018 steel. Not perfect but 300% better than with the drag shield and the 0.060 shim. I had some dross on the bottom that cleaned up fairly quickly. A little bit of “Ant hill” at the pierce but not enough to matter. I will probably mess with the in/out leads so that the chances of torch passing over the start point go away. I can see why a larger plasma cutter would lend itself well to CNC cutting though. It did cut all the way through but I am at 30A & 25 in/min.
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Very interesting comments about not using the drag shield. It never occurred to me to remove it. Definitely going to have to try cutting without it now. I’m very curious to see if there is an improvement in cut quality on thinner material (14ga and 16ga).
I too have a PM 30 Air. Is the drag shield the “Deflector”?
It is the outermost part on the torch tip; in other words, it’s the first part you would remove to change consumables (it is actually a consumable itself). I can’t remember the official name and unfortunately I don’t have manual handy to check).
I removed the drag shield and it was a game changer. I cut 1/4" plate 25ipm pierce delay at .94s.
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Good advice for newbies. Drag shields (they look like nozzles with crenellations - like battlements on a castle wall). They’re intended to be used by sliding the torch on the material in contact with the metal. If you put the shim under that you’re now running twice the torch height that is recommended. You want nozzles that are smooth on top.
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It’s been a while since I’ve been on the forum, but curious how those with PowerMax 30Air cutters have been fairing? I’ve cut a handful of pieces since I bought the table (maybe 50 or so pieces), and find myself fighting the plasma cutter a lot. The torch will just cut out and the machine throws a torch error. I suspect it’s due to the non-shielded consumables. Seems like anytime a little bit of water gets on top of the sheet and the torch passes through it, it shuts down (motion control continues). Likewise if any metal splatters onto the cutting tip. I’ve wasted so much metal due to this issue it’s driving me crazy. I’m to the point where I’m thinking about selling the 30Air and switching to a 45XP. Anyone else having similar issues?
@DRoe sorry I never replied to your question, haven’t been on the forum in a while. You’ve probably already figured it out by now, but the orange and purple wires are the ones you want.
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Hey guy’s, just read through this forum… I also have a PM 30air. and have a crossfire pro table on order.
Thank you all for the info on setup wiring and changing the consumables… But has anyone set up the new THC control with a 30air? is is possible? I ordered my new table with the THC.