Need some advice on a couple issues I am having with my XR. I have had it up now for a couple months and have done some good work with it but have also ran into some inconsistencies.
I would appreciate some advice on a couple issues.
Crossfire XR
Everlasting 82i Plasma Cutter
7.5HP Ingersoll-Rand compressor
Ingersol-Rand Desiccant Dryer and Motor Guard filter
No refrigerated dryer yet, I have an IR one but it needs repair. But I don’t think I am getting any moisture near the plasma cutter because I am not getting anything collecting in the water separator at all.
I use Fusion 360
Issue #1: Ever since I built it a couple months ago I have noticed the torch height is running higher than I have specified. Usually about 0.07-0.08 higher. I typically set my pierce height at 0.125” and my cutting height at 0.0625”. But it seems my pierce height is running close to 0.2” and my cutting height is running about 0.140”.
I am using Fusion 360 to post process with the 0.125”/0.0625” heights set. I also set a 0.020” spring back.
I use THC and have tried with Smart Voltage.
I have also tried setting a specific voltage but have experienced a different issue sometimes when I do this where the torch will cut a while and then gradually get higher and higher until it is maybe an inch high and then the arc extinguishes.
I have not tried with THC disabled because my sheets of steel are not laying perfectly flat. I feel like I need torch height control to be working for me.
Issue #2: This seems like it is more likely to happen on thinner materials, like 14-16ga. When I start cutting something out that is a little complex the first several cuts will work ok. Then at some point when the torch moves to a different spot and should start to pierce the arc does not ignite at first and the torch will start moving into the cut a little and then the arc ignites, leaving a short uncut length. Then each cut after will do the same but there will be more and more delay before the arc ignites. Then it will get to a point where the arc does not ignite at all and Fire Control will just go through the motions for a while like it thinks it is still cutting. Then after a while it will stop with a message that the arc voltage was not detected.
In the most recent case I was trying to cut 14Ga at 30 amps and 60 psi with new 1.0mm consumables. I then tried upping the current to 35 then 40 amps, and upping the pressure to 65 and 70 psi but it did not make a difference.
I have tried using from 0.25 to 1 second pierce delay. The first few cuts work fine with whatever pierce delay I set. But then the issue with arc initiation delays would start. Pierce delay does not see to affect it.
I have double checked that the workpiece itself is directly grounded.
It seems like either the plasma cutter starts lagging the arc initiation and then just stops all together, or, somehow Fire Control or the XR controller is lagging the arc start signal. My bet would be the plasma cutter.
I have cut a lot of 3/16” and 1/4” stuff and it has worked beautifully. But that was like baseplates and mounting plates and stuff that had far fewer piercings and arc initiations and longer cuts than the thinner artwork stuff I am having trouble with.
Thanks much in advance for any advice you can provide.
I will try upping the pressure to the torch to see if it makes a difference.
I am using raw voltage for THC and it does pass the THC test. The method I used was jumpers on the interface board itself using a method I found on YouTube. Seems to work well.
Then raw voltage is taken from inside the machine and passed through CPC port.
I am considering if there may be a solenoid issue. The 82i has a button to do a test flow on the air and it does not always work properly. Sometimes when I press it it does now flow. Sometimes when I press it it flows but then does not shut off when I press it again.
Ok, I am thinking maybe I have an issue with the Plasma Cutter. If I measure he ARC command to the plasma cutter I see 12V when not commanding to cut and 0V when commanding to cut (seems backwards to me, but whatever).
Anyway, upon the initial arc (Torch on Firecontrol) command I see that 12V drop to 0V and I get an arc initiation. However, on subsequent arc commands I see the 0V on the arc command but I do not see an arc initiation. Sometimes after a few seconds I the arc will come on but then it does not most of the time. So, basically, I am convinced Firecontrol, through the XR interface, is properly commanding arc starting but the plasma cutter is not following properly.
With “Tip Saver” mode turned on I will get an E05 - “Torch is stuck closed” error. I assume this means the moving parts in the torch are moved up but the arc is not struck. Here is where I need help understanding how that movement works.
When I remove the nozzle and shield cup I am able to push the electrode up and spring force pushes it down without any apparent resistance.
So, is it the air pressure that causes the electrode movement up? Or, is it the electrical force of the arc voltage that caused the electrode to move up? The reason I ask is that after the initial arc initiation, which works properly every time, the post flow causes the air to keep flowing, but I have trouble with subsequent arc starts. So, if the air flow is causing the electrode to move up, then it seems that after that initial arc initiation the electrode should be being held up (if all it takes is the air flow). And if this is the case I am not understanding why my subsequent arc starts are having a problem. There are no torch movements that last longer than the post flow time. So, if this is the case, how can a sticky electrode movement cause a problem?
However, if it takes current flow through the electrode to move the electrode up then I can understand that a stick electrode can cause a problem.
Just trying to understand how it works.
In my research I am picking up that the IPT-80 torch might now be very robust for this sort of operation. And that it is not even made by Everlast. I see references to Hypertherm torches being adapted to the Everlast machines and that doing this results in a better set up. Surprisingly it seems
So, another question regarding how the 82i and IPT-80 torch works. I have owned a 60A Hypertherm 1000 for almost 20 years. It works great but the cost of just a machine torch for it was almost the same as the cost of Everlast 82i. But the Hypertherm 1000 did not have any moving parts in the torch so I am a little unfamiliar with how the IPT-80 works. So, I made the decision to but the 82i, both to get a cutter with 20 more amps capacity, and so I would not need to be swapping hand and machine torches back and forth all the time, since I anticipated I would continue to be using my Hypertherm with the hand torch frequently as part of my fabrication operation. So, good to have 2 machines dedicated with what I need to use them for.
Ok, the air solenoid was totally clean, as I would have expected with an almost new machine and my highly filtered air supply. But, following the solenoid servicing instructions provided by TinWhisperer I did stretch out the spring. This seems to have solved the problem.
With the spring stretched out I was able to press the air test button to initiate flow and press it again to stop flow.
When I then started a cut the air would initially start properly and following cuts would also start properly.
So, thanks to all, TinWhisperer especially, for the guidance. Looks like I am back in business.
Nevertheless, why did I have to do this for an effectively new Everlast machine? looking back at the Forums and FB it seems this has has been an issue for a LONG time. The fact that Everlast’s own documentation has us stretching the spring (BTW - I am a 40 year machine designer, recently retired, so I know stretching springs is NEVER the correct engineering solution, no matter that it might work in the moment) is not actually correct. Everlast should be supplying the solenoids with the correct specifications so this is not an issue.
I agree. In general Everlast does make a decent affordable machine. Maybe shoot them a email, then they can log it as another solenoid error. They likely don’t receive enough feedback complaints. they may make a correction if they did. They may only hear about 1/10 failures.
Make sure to come back and post some of your projects.
I’ve had to take my solenoid out and stretch the spring 4 times in the 3 years that I’ve owned it. I contacted Everlast after the last time and they sent me a new one. The new one appears to be exactly the same as the original, so it doesn’t appear that they made any improvements. I’m saving that one for the next time it acts up.
To somewhat explain the operation of the torch firing sequence. The electrode is negative and the metal carries the positive charge(via the work clamp) during normal cutting operations. At arc start(pilot arc), there is no connection between the metal and the electrode, so a small charge is sent to the nozzle to provide the positive for the arc start. (This is the 23 amps that you see on the screen at arc start) The air blows the nozzle back and creates a gap between the electrode and the nozzle for an arc to jump across and initiate the plasma stream. Once the stream makes contact with the positive charge on the metal, it switches over to the cutting arc amperage.
The problem with restarts, is that the air solenoid has to quickly close to shut off the post flow air and open again to blow back the electrode. If the solenoid doesn’t close completely, there won’t be enough pressure to blow back the electrode for the next torch fire.
This is probably never a problem for people that use it for hand cutting, since they usually are not restarting during post flow.