@mechanic416 recommendations are based on his and his customers real world experience.
This is your best source of information right now.
As far as hypertherm literature goes you’re outside of their playbook.
In mild steel if you’re within hypertherm operational manuals and cutting mild steel with air the work to torch distance is whatever hits the metal first on IHS plus .06"
And just take into account that you do not have much of a duty cycle on that machine another reason why it’s not used for mechanized cutting.
Even the PowerMax 45 literature doesn’t recommend using that shield on the hand torch.
