Has anyone done any marking with the 45xp? How did it turn out?
the information for this operation starts on page of 113 of the attached link.
I would like to do some marking in the future.
There are two other topics regarding this in the past but they went no where.
I looked at the manual and it looks like the shield and nozzle are the only different consumables from the cutting ones. May see if my Praxair Dealer has the parts and give it a try. Will let you know.
It also looks like running argon really helps the heat affected zone.
I have a PowerMax 85 which doesn’t support marking but I’m thinking about buying a PowerMax 45xp when I get my next table.
That would be great! let me know how it goes post some pictures please.
So I went to Praxair today and they are out of stock at all their stores. They ordered a set from HP. When I get them I will give it a try and let you know.
Got the tips and shield for marking/gouging from praxair yesterday and fired up the cf today. 1st attempt was a fail. Had to disable the Smart voltage and use book 111volts and worked great. Had to buy pack of 5 tips so if anyone interested I will mail for $10.00 each. Only need one. Will add pics soon.
That is really awesome.
I wish my PowerMax 85 had this capability.
Thank you for sharing this.
Here’s a couple YouTube videos about marking. @Teknic
Once I get my new hypertherm 45XP in my hands I’d like to start trying to do some of this
That top video, Argon on SS looks gorgeous. I’d love to see Argon on like 14/16g after cleanup to see depth and stuff.
So excited to test it out wasn’t expecting the machine to be arriving so soon, gonna need to order the pieces tonight
Edit: just ordered 5 tips and shields
Oh yeah, Argon! Of course! Let me get a bottle out of the back room!
Dang! I must have used that on the last space project I worked on. Oh well, have to stock up!
Sigh…
Not a Tig welder I take it?
For marking metals I like using the laser and Cermark for fusion deposition or a diamond engraver on the CNC.
I don’t have the rhythm for it. My dimes look like eyelashes of a drunken something washed up on shore.
lol thats a description i’ve never seen, but thats why most people have argon, either TIG or certain MIG setups. It’s not too expensive, but if you just wanna mess with marking its probably going to be a waste of a bunch of money. I’m regularly swapping bottles of the stuff anyway so it’s not much of an issue to swap it to the cutter for a bit
Man, why cant just one person wire wheel after marking with only air. That’s literally all I want to see lol, everything is always fresh off the machine and looks like it’d be easy to clean up so it can be compared to the Argon setup.
I promise that will be the first marking video I make
Would 75/25 argon c02 work for marking? I spent 700$ total on a giant tank for my mig. would be real nice to not have to buy another tank lol
I am not sure how C02 would react.
Typically C02 in welding is added for deeper penetration.
In welding gas is used for a shielding atmosphere.
In plasma its used for cooling the torch, ionized to plasma, the cool gas help maintain the shape of the hot plasma within, and in the marking of stainless’s case shielding too.
The question is how well will C02 ionized?? (become plasma)
I don not know the answer but I am curious of the results if you try it.
Only one way to find out 
oh actually now that I think about it I have a 75/25 bottle for my mig. I rarely mig so I totally forgot hahaha. I’ll try it out once I have it so you don’t have to
Marking consumables arrived today, gonna see how my schedule plays out, but prob mess with them this weekend
So here’s my first attempt at “Heavy Marking”:
I’m using book settings except height set slightly lower because the shield hangs just below the cutting tip.
The S is angular because I drew it really quick and wasn’t paying attention when converting text to single path.
The pics are fresh HR 16G steel, then I hit with angle grinder flap disc to kill mill scale fast, then 60 grit orbital sander.
Main issue right now is pierce delay, Hypertherm wants 0 so I ran 0 but I need to add time there.
However is there anyway to change the initial pierce? I know it’s usually longer, and it worked perfectly (the vertical line, it was a T and is the first cut). If I adjust pierce delay for other lines the first line will get cooked
Gonna make a nicer test drawing in a second
I can’t reply more so just adding onto this post:
Video of second marking attempt.
.3 Pierce Delay (probably .05-.1 too slow, need to bump slightly, initial pierce makes a large divot now)
slowed to 90ipm and it looks much smoother in the gouge mark
The S is now smooth in my drawing so it cut smoother, and I put the ground directly on the piece (totally forgot last time since I’m just using a scrap piece lol)
I saw previous guy mention he ran at 111V, I just turned THC off so no voltage setting just cut height.
For cleanup I’m going to do my regular procedure, drop in vinegar tonight and take it out tomorrow then I’ll sand. I honestly think it’s gonna be pretty smooth.
This is all with just air NOT argon yet.
Here’s couple pics
Still can’t add a reply so here’s more
Here’s the piece right after a vinegar bath, and then after a quick sanding. Marking looks much better now although the end of cut “ball” is still there, looks like using Argon should negate that. I’ll prob mess around with Argon this week some time, got a few orders to finish first.
Those are some really encouraging results.
I can’t wait to try some for myself.
