New generation of PW Cut60 model- review

Plasma Cutters General Discussion
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I just noticed that Primeweld has a new generation of the Cut60 model available now. Noted in various threads in this forum concerning one or more previous generations of this model (there have been 3 at least since 2020 and I have 2 of them), some have been problematic with the FireControl voltage divider interface. My understanding is that has been addressed and permanently fixed by PW. I don’t use FireControl so I can’t vouch for that on this latest generation, would be curious to find out if Langmuir did any testing since CrossFire Pro is on my short list of a new table acquisition sometime later this year.

What I can say from experience with this latest gen PW Cut60 unit is that it has several noticeable improvements. I have been testing and production cutting with a prototype for a year now. It’s quite an improvement over the previous gen. Just based on inspection under the covers there are several EMI mitigations added or improved upon, such as: a low pass filter on the trigger signal going from the CNC port; internal sheetmetal shielding between CNC signal wiring and high current/voltage components; low pass filters and inductive isolation on AC input line voltage, and included CNC port to CNC controller signal cable to name a few.

Improvements observed while in use are: improved pilot arc circuit including what appears to be a 2Hz refire cadence in cases of the rare initial blowback arc ignition failure; improved constant current control (no more deviation of set current DRO under load); less THC active adjustments to torch height which tells me the arc voltage stability improved and/or EMI is reduced; and cut quality (edge squareness and less dross) is improved, another possible indicator that the THC is less active / more accurate. All of my testing and use has been with the UPM105 torch (both PW consumables 45, 65, and Plasmadyn PMX30xp (as fine cut), consumables).

The unit is also smaller and lighter than previous gens also. All in all, I like it and the UPM105 torch quite a lot.

Based on photos of the final retail unit on PWs website, they seem to have implemented some recommendations I had made, one specifically I hope made the cut is additional EMI mitigation on the arc voltage signal lines from the CNC port, in the way of adding a low pass filter, which I did not notice on the prototype. That said, the prototype unit still cuts much better than previous gen as noted above.

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can you post a pic of them side by side? front and back

i was also a tester for them on their 3rd revision of the cut60 in mid 2021. I now have 3 of their cut60’s all running off divided voltage with no issues. i can’t really say if the issues were on the primeweld side or langmuir.

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@nicaDd , that’s a reasonable ask however I have a 12 month old prototype, and its obvious to me based on photos of the production unit on their website that significant component re-arrangement has occurred since the prototype. Thus posting photos of the prototype would not be helpful in the long run and merely cause confusion.

For example, my prototype still has the analog mechanical pressure gauge on the front panel, the production unit does not and legends on the panel seem to indicate pressure is monitored via elect. transducer and digitally displayed. All the components on the rear panel are mirror image to my unit, understandable since I provided feedback that they keep AC line-in wires and circuit breaker in the same shielded box as the line-in isolation transformer and low pass filter. The air-in filter seems to also have an integrated regulator now. And finally, the CNC port on my prototype is split into two separate connectors, as they were experimenting with cable isolation of the arc voltage from trigger voltage, but hopefully they opted to add the low pass filter on the arc voltage-out instead, as the production unit is showing one CNC port again. They warned me I recalled that these major components and locations were likely to change, and they did.

My expectation is that the redesigned signal processing of the power inverter and signal conditioning of the trigger and arc voltage outputs and divider tap are as good as or better than the prototype. The significantly reduced weight and box size from prev gen, yet same duty cycle and power output, seems indicative of a much more efficient power inverter design. As I recall, I did notice the pilot arc voltage was about 10 volts higher when I first put it in service last year, where if correct, also supports such a circuit redesign. Likewise, the size of the power inverter circuit board is smaller to fit the smaller overall box size. There is no question all of that is re-designed. This is a new unit seemingly with incorporation of lessons learned from prev gens, to the good.

I can say without hesitation that the cut performance, the test fire pilot arc “buzz”, the amperage DRO being rock solid, and my THC voltage DRO being rock solid, all of this has resulted in a marked improvement of performance and cut quality. Nothing else changed on my CNC table or air supply, just expected and necessary cut parameter tweaks from what I used with prev. gen. Cut60s.

Lastly, after reviewing the online user guide, I notice that has yet to be updated for this new gen unit. I called PW later today to learn the new unit was just released for sale yesterday, so some rollout details still need touch up it seems.

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Thanks for the review.

I have a very early 1st gen PW Cut 60. I may soon buy a new one. These upgrades/updates are welcome news. I like the external regulator and the EMI improvements.

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@Wsidr1 , I suspect you are well aware of PWs high standard of customer service, so even though you may be the first with a new gen production unit, you should have no concerns with satisfaction. I predict you will love the new unit, I certainly have.

Please report back your finding and review in due time.

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Yes. I am a cheerleader for Primeweld.

Primeweld Cut60 Reduced Amperage Readings - Solved - Plasma Cutters - Langmuir Systems Forum

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