Anyone in the So. Cal Area

Anybody in the Southern California area (Orange County)
looking for a little help… My razorweld 45 only creates scrap metal . I have tried just about everything you can think of to get the machine working consistently…
Someone suggested that I have “Dirty Power”
I don’t know anybody else with a shop . I would like to bring my plasma cutter and do some test cuts with your electricity at your shop or place you do work.

my only other hope is to take it to a repair shop and have them test it out.

Give us a stem to stern summary of your whole setup. Air supply, settings, material thickness, software workflow. Pictures of failed cuts. We can probably help.

To start with I am running the razorweld 45 off of a generator. there is no 220v in my shop
the Generator is 17500 watt.

software:
Mach3
Autocad
Sheetcam
Camotics, to verify g-code for piece of mind…

Air:
Craftsman 27 gallon compressor
desiccant air dryer harbor freight
70 lbs air pressure

material:
16 Ga. sheet
running about 80 inches per minute

when it cuts i get almost no dross sharp lines
the problem is when the torch needs to refire , it is 50/50 whether it will refire or not

I don’t have any pics right now but, commonly when cutting text say an “O” for example
half of the letter will cut fine but there is no refire of the torch when it moves for the other half of the letter on the other side of the bridges…
I will get some pics in a day or two

mach 3 move the the table correctly it move in the shape of the letter just no torch fire.

new consumables
resistor mod per the tech bulletin
all the pins in the torch plug are tight

you can feel the torch thump when the trigger is pulled and air flows and fires
you feel the same thing when there is no fire

if you fire the torch manually in succession it will only fire 10 out of 20 times

Well the compressor is likely too small (CFM/SCFM). Is it kicking on during or between cuts?

Are you running a Crossfire Gen1, Crossfire Gen2 or Crossfire Pro? A Gen 1 will use Mach 3, the other two will not - they use FireControl.

The resistor mod is applicable to the use of the RW with the Pro (or Gen 2), not needed for the Gen 1.

Is the torch cap screwed on snugly but not monkey fist tight?

the compressor can keep up with one thing at a time, say 12x12 “no dogs allowed” type sign.
I have a 60 gallon compressor that is next to be utilized …

using crossfire Gen1 ( old school)
I did the mod on the plasma cutter because the description sounded like my problem …

The torch cap is twisted hand tight snug…

Thanks
Tim

If you’re using any type of extension cord it will cause problems. Unless your generator is clean power I would say its part of the problem too. We had to go to clean generators st work, Honda 6500i, to run machines in the field.

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GENERATOR…

Is your generator a standard unit or is it an invertor generator?
Can you post the make and model of the generator?

Plasma cutters are heavy in electronics…and electronics do not like generator power…it is dirty power…unless it is an invertor generator.
a good website for information…

Also does your generator have an idle speed setting?..turn that off…run full power all the time…
The delay in a generator ramping up is extremely hard on electronics.
Also that split second delay on any generator to go from no-load to load will be enough of an issue for the plasma to not get enough juice to fire on time…you are talking milliseconds…

Generators are bad news for

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Generac GP17500

Always run on high idle

this still tells me that the generator is a split second behind in full power delivery to start the arc.

is there a way you can take your plasma unit to somewhere you can connect it to the power grid for the 220v you need?

if you connect it to the grid and can fire without issue repeatedly…then the problem rests with the Generator.

…I can do a little checking to see full power delay delivery.

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by the way…nice generator…
a couple of more things…

even in high idle…when you try to fire the plasma…does the generator ramp up at all?..does it speed up in any way…??

I do feel it is dirty power as it is a non-inverted generator…so it creates a messy sine wave that is ot stable…an invertor …coverts the power from AC…to DC…then back to a smooth AC wave.

something to try…load up the generator with running another power tool on it…drill…grinder…saw…then with the generator running underload…try the plasma torch by hand…see if you get more frequent starts…

that will tell you if it is the generator…

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This weekend my goal was to find a friend where I can plug into the grid…

Generator dies not ramp up when on high idle…

I Will have to try the suggestion to run a power tool simultaneously and try to fire the torch

Thanks guys

Here are some pictures of my problems


see how the half of the “O” was not cut… the machine went through the motions of cutting it . then re-fired on the other ‘O’…
IMG_2955
Outside cuts seem to work ok if the torch fires,
IMG_2960
IMG_2961

The cuts are very acceptable to me no major dross either side…

I agree…things look good for your cuts…I still think the problem is the Generator…
quote from Plasma Spider

Not all plasma systems work the same on a generator output. Plasma systems tend to have a relatively high inrush current…which often can cause a voltage droop as soon as the arc tries to fire, which will cause the plasma to not fire. Some plasma systems will produce a lower output cutting power (watts, which is amperage x load voltage) if the input voltage is unstable.

https://www.plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?t=10602

Yeah, this is why it helps to have a whole summary of someone’s setup when they need help. Just have to work through the variables. My absolute first move would be more air. Hook up the bigger compressor and run some programs, then eliminate the generator next if the problems persist.

Although @toolboy has pulled some good info. If you have a different compressor than that’s the easiest one to test and eliminate.

I use an extension cord, but I made it from SO cord and can’t tell any problems with it. It’s long too.

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well today’s adventures are not much better…tried a couple of things.
the longer it runs off the Generator the worse it gets…
more and more dropped cuts until no fire at all…
Good news I have gotten a new to me 60 gallon compressor…
that will be the next project.

image0

now the previous pictures looked good…the lines being cut are really clean…even the ones between the misfires…
This one looks like your torch is not turning off between some cuts now…

I do not want to seem like i am repeating myself…

  • only your plasma is running off the generator right…??
  • no other equipment is running of the generator right?

Yes only plasma cutter running off of generator

Was trying to test the “F -Bomb “ bottle opener.
The torch shuts off correctly it is a coin toss if it will fire again…

The extra cut was me holding the trigger
During a rapid…

I may be beating a dead horse…but…I keep going back to your comment…if your torch is hand held…and you are only going to freehand cut some metal (not use the crossfire in any way)…will it fire 100% of the time?

something you might want to also look into…read this thread…

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No, it will not fire 100% of the time
More like 40%