any changes at all?
is there a chance your consumables are used up? how much cutting have you done with your current set?
I just added the aftercooler back in. Consumables were at 177 pierces, threw new ones in and no change. At this point i think its got to be air related but not sure what the issue would be.
The only other variables are that I got more electrical ran in my shop. Nothing more than what was running before.
My laptop recently decided it wanted to update to windows 11. Not sure if that could really effect anything.
I don’t see that. Looks to me to be a settings, plasma or air issue.
They remind me of what mine looked like when I was playing with bad consumables and had moisture. That is the latest pictures you shared.
Which all those have been discussed.
Do you have 110-120 air psi supply to plasma machine and 70-75 psi to torch while it is cutting, if not adjust so that you do. make sure you are getting good air cfm to plasma machine supply air inlet (not choked down with small air line and fittings). will get bad dross and cuts if air supply is not right.
Currently I have my regulator set to 80 psi and the plasma is showing 65 psi while cutting. The way I had it set was working consistently for a bit. My tank pressure never drops below 100 psi from what I’ve seen. The compressor does run during the majority of the cut, but it will recover and shut off occasionally during cutting.
You may try to crank that up a notch around 70 to 75 while cutting my rw45 likes it high.
So have you confirmed cut height since you changed out you z axis?
Has it been more moisture in the air lately rain snow and such?
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I’ve had the same Jekyll and Hyde syndrome going on. I can cut the same thing twice, same settings, and get very different results including torch/FControl freeze up.
I was also seeing really good results with 65psi, but so many people on here said bump it up, I did. Even though it didn’t solve the problem, enough more experienced people suggested it that I am staying at 75psi.
I drained my table so I would stop wasting steel. I am going to get my DIY air drying additions done this month then back at it. I am adding a AT cooler w/fan & separator between the compressor and tank, then a 1/2" copper pipe w/ gate valve drains system, then into another particle and silica bead set at the table. Total I’ll have two oil/particle separators, three water separators, 4 gate valve drains on my copper pipe, and at least one silica bead canister.
Hoping for the best. If that doesn’t get it done, I am going to by a Harbor Freight refrigerated dryer.
what regulator is set at 80 psi. For torch or at rear of plasma machine where air supply attaches? You want 110-120 going into plasma machine and 70-75 psi going to torch while cutting. Two separate air settings on plasma machine.
You are freezing up due to a ground loop. Are you use a ground isolating plug adapter on your computer?
I have a regulator on the outlet of my tank thats set to 80-85 psi. From there it goes to my hf air dryer, then to my dessicant/filter and motorguard filter and then into my plasma which reads 65 psi during cuts. The internal regulator is opened all the way.
65 at torch is not enough… You need to increase your regulator pressure to 110-120 at air compressor and would be better to move regulator from air compressor to plasma cutter inlet. You won’t get any good cuts until you fix /adjust your current air pressure issues.
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Ill move my regulator and give it a shot.
Your air dryer and stuff could cause fluctuation in air pressure.
Keep your eye open for someone with a small air compressor. People are bad to burn them up. Put it in line after all your air drying equipment. It will help keep from starving your plasma for air .
Oh good luck selling this weekend!!
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Still on the fence about going to the show. I have some smaller stuff but was going to bring a bunch of bigger signs. I still may go to try and get my name out there.
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Just don’t give up I actually went to two show that well let’s say I would have been better off hunting and fishing. Then the next one I ended up making money also taking in a few custom orders.
I hope your issues is as easy as your air. I do recommend putting in a dry air tank if you can’t get pressure any higher than that the way you have it. Everything that we use to dry the air also restricts. Your pressure may not drop bad but the volume you need may not be there.
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Moved my regulator from off my tank to my plasma cutter inlet. No change in dross. Changed my cut speed and played with amperage witn no real noticeable difference when changing any variable.
My switch on my compressor is set to 125 psi, and kicks on around 100 psi. I adjusted my regulator and was not able to get above 80 psi while cutting.
I just completely bypassed everything drying related in the system. Noticed low dross in the first portion of the cut, but the last portion had heavy dross. This was cutting at 75 psi. Just wonder if theres some restrictions in my air setup that im missing.
80psi is way to high.
More pressure causes more heat. So it should be controlled. If you increase the pressure by more than five psi, then the electrode will wear faster and this creates the possibility of damage to the nozzle.
Also, if the pressure is lower than five psi, it will cause poor cut quality. So, it is best to follow the prescribed cutting chart while setting the gas pressure.
- TOP DROSS AND SLAG
In top dross, spatter appears on the top edge of both pieces of the plate. This can be caused by using worn consumables including cutting tips that have outlasted their usefulness. Cutting the piece too fast can also introduce top dross. Incorrect torch height (or standoff) will also result in top dross accumulation.
Solutions:
- Replace worn cutting tip
- Decrease the speed of your cut incrementally until dross in minimized
- Lower the torch height incrementally
- Lower voltage incrementally
- HIGH-SPEED DROSS AND SLAG
High-speed dross occurs, as its name implies, is when the cutting speed is too high. Higher speeds causes the CNC plasma arc to fall behind the torch, leaving hard globs of uncut metal on the bottom of the plate and requiring tenacious cleanup.
Solutions:
- Replace worn cutting tip, especially if the orifice shows signs of wear
- Decrease the speed of your cut incrementally until dross in minimized
- Lower the torch height incrementally
- Boost current, being careful not to exceed 95% of your nozzles AMP rating
- LOW-SPEED DROSS AND SLAG
When your cutting speed is too slow, the plasma arc becomes like an hungry animal, looking for more metal to keep itself alive. The arc becomes wider, which in turn widens the cut to a point where the gas velocity from the torch can no longer blast the molten metal away. As a result, thick slag that would have been blown away forms on the bottom of the plate.
Solutions:
- Incrementally increase cut speed until dross in minimized
- Raise the torch height incrementally
- Reduce current incrementally
I feel as if I’ve tried every variable to try and change dross. But nothing has ever improved it. Well, improved and stayed consistent. Its just hard to pinpoint what the root cause is when nothing changes, or stays consistenly.
I just don’t know if I should stick with my air set up, and change cut setting until I get better results. Or continue blindy changing my air setup. Either way both is chewing up time and money.