Ya I do. I wouldn’t think you would want the tip touching the material as it may move it while cutting
A drag tip allows you to rest the head (drag tip) on the material without the actual plasma tip touching the material. Typically they provide a 1/8" standoff from the material. When cutting by hand it makes it easier keeping the tip to material distance uniform.
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So more help if cutting by hand rather then with a cnc? I just figure the part would move if you touch the nozzle tip to the material.
Yes. When you cut by hand a lot of welders will rest the torch on the back of one hand (& some gloves even have a patch sewn in & marked for it) and move with the support hand leading vs the torch hand. The drag tip makes it easier. Some of those have small wheels on them so they roll vs really dragging.
I’m interested in whether they’d work at all with the Crossfire. I think I saw someone mention a 1/16" spacer plate being used on the Crossfire (I don’t have mine yet). You’d not use that if you have a drag tip. But if the drag tip has a built-in 1/8" space then that’s twice the gap the Crossfire spacer would have you use.
Someone in Batch 1 could confirm that and if they have a drag tip we could see what the effect of using one is. But normally you wouldn’t need a drag tip for a CNC.
Well those are the tips I used this past weekend. I cut some 1/8” mild steel with the drag tip set at the 1/16 shim and it cut just fine. Now that I know that the 1/16 gap is built into the tip, I may purchase the other style to keep my torch to part clearance where it needs to be
Cool. That should mean you’ll get a cleaner/narrower kerf or be able to dial back the power using a standard tip. (That’s supposition though based on theory as I’m still a plasma CNC newbie 
- this is my last major tool to go computerized.)
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I hope so! My main reason for getting the bigger tips is because with the .8mm tips, I’m unable to get a cut on 1/8” aluminum without the cut having a lot of angularity. Seems like the higher amperage just blows out the .8mm tip
Did you get 1.0mm tips?
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Yessir I did. Hopefully they work out since aluminum is my main thing I need to cut
where did you find these tips? Do you have a PN to reference for the 1.0mm tips? It looks like Trafimet makes a .9mm tip that is a non-drag tip style for the S45 torch.
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I posted the link in the thread a few posts ago. I sent a message to the seller and he said they don’t sell any 1.0mm tips that aren’t drag tips. So I will keep using the drag tips and just keep the torch to part clearance as tight as possible.
Thank you, I looked right past it! Looks like that has solved a lot of your problems!
Also did you adjust the Kerf width value in your programming?
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I have not adjusted that at all. My main reason for the bigger tips is to cut 1/8” aluminum, which I have yet to try yet. With the .8mm tips, the opening was getting blown out almost instantly. So after I try a test piece, I may mess around with kerf adjustment
But I did use the 1.0mm drag tips on some 1/8” mild steel and it cut it just fine. No angularity
How does it cut the 1/8” aluminum? What are your speed/amperage settings?
I haven’t cut aluminum with em yet, hoping to today. I’ve just been to busy
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I’ve had good luck with 32 amps and 29 ipm with a 1 second pierce delay. Gap from material is .060.
I know it can be better than what I’m getting, but I have not had a chance to experiment further.
i NOTICED YOUR CUTTING ALUMINUM ARE YOU USING A GAS MIXTURE I BELIEVE YOU MAY NEED IT
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