Alright boys been scratching my head on this for a while and looked around here But haven’t found exactly what I’m looking for so here’s my problem. 99% of the time the plasma will pierce all the way through and cut normally however other times it will not pierce all the way through and do more than engraving but I can restart the cut and sometimes it’ll cut all the way through sometimes it won’t and I have to get a little handy with a Dremel or angle grinder. I have a good ground connection as I remove the mill scale where the ground clamp goes. Consumables aren’t worn out entirely however sometimes it will cut if I change the consumables but then I can put the previous consumables back in and it will cut normal so I don’t think it’s a consumable ware issue nor a grounding issue. And while I’m making a post and not wanting to clog up the rest of the form with another post any advice on keeping fire share from crashing in the middle of a cut? I’ve updated it, updated machine, moved my computer as far as possible. I’m using the start cable and my plasma machine is good 6 to 8 feet away. Sorry for the long one, maybe someone has had this problem.
P.s my piece height is .1, I’ve tried 1.5 as well
Crossfire pro
Height control
Xp45 torch
Razorcut 45
Fire control crashing? Laptop plugged in charging?
Could be a ground loop which can also make you cut higher than normal. Which won’t let it cut correct. Also if usb cable is touching any cables. Whip coiled up.
We’re running a Crossfire with the XL kit plus THC, with a RazorCut 45. I’ve got pierce height set at .15", with .06 cut for most material thicknesses. (20ga thru 1/4") Happy to say we’ve not had any extended issues that can’t be explained by other causes.
Those are my exact settings. I have even gone to a .1 pierce hight and my material is usually 14 gauge up to half inch and like I said in my post 99% of the time it cuts flawlessly however this is a intermittent issue that I can’t seem to track down. Oh also my pierce delay on 1/8 is normally 1.5 which I know is probably too long however works the best but I’ve tried 1 second and 1.2 seconds as well
Do you think I should plug my laptop charger into another outlet?, Or should I run a ground wire from the machine frame to an actual grounding rod? It seems to be cutting at the correct distance of .06 and I can move my material and watch the THC actively functioning flawlessly. So I know it’s definitely sensing voltages properly (It looks like it’s maintaining.06) I will definitely check with a gage. The data cable is stretched from the machine to my laptop, not tight but not looped or coiled. Do you think a EMI sleeve over the cable might work?
If your laptop is charging 99 percent chance that’s your problem . You are getting a ground loop from your plasma. You either need to run on battery to test or get a ground isolating plug. You need to eliminate the 3rd prong from your breaker box. It also wouldn’t hurt to check cable on your work clamp make sure it is tight.
On 1/8" pierce delay should be .5, what is your air pressure from compressor to back of plasma machine and torch air pressure? If air is too low, you will get intermittent cuts and misfires. will mess up pierce delay as well.
I did start out with .5 on the Pierce and it worked just fine I’ve just been giving it extra time in hopes that it would go through haha I don’t have a problem with misfires or the torch cutting out. The only problem I have is it starting the pierce and it acts like it’s not grounded so it just kind of makes a little divot and then the rest of that cut line is more of a engraving rather than a cut so I think we have narrowed it down to a grounding issue. It’s just one of those annoying intermittent problems that is hard to tell if you helped the problem or didn’t help the problem since it happens every now and then. The annoying part is when it does a partial cut and I go to restart the cut or cancel the program and run from the loop that’s when fire control will crash or just mid cut it will crash. I don’t have limit switches so re-zeroing The machine can be a challenge in saving the part becomes a gamble. I’ve started to Pierce a hole where I zero the machine and use that pierce hole to “re home”. I know I should 3d print a cone for the torch holder lol
Check the work cable where it bolts to clamp make sure is tight or if it is crimped to the clamp. Make sure work cable is locked in good to machine. If all is good and tight, then try cutting with THC off and see if makes difference. If it does, then you have electrical interference somewhere. One other thing to check is cable connections on fire control box.
Psi is good and it’s never during a long cut just at the start and only sometimes. Or it will not pierce but just engrave the part instead of cutting. I have narrowed it down to a ground issue but I haven’t tested all the theories yet. Thanks
