I am wondering how you all are setting up things on the compressor, plumbing and accessories side. What compressor are you using, and what are it’s output ratings? How is your setup plumbed, and are you using dryers, filters, lubrication, etc. I just bought a 60 gallon 220v, and still need to get it operational.
Same here. I just bought a 60 gallon compressor that delivers 11.5 SCFM, about 50% more than my plasma cutter requires. Planning on running 3/4 RapidAir, but I haven’t spec’d drier(s) and filters yet.
I too am preparing for the arrival of my PRO with x45cnc torch, and thinking about air. 5hp 60g seems to be the magic number for some users. I was wondering if anyone had heard of the refurbished models from mobiledistributorsupply dot com? and if they might be any good?
X-Force XC602000AJ 6 Peak HP 60 Gallon Compressor with 2 Stage Pump
Price: $449.99
comes with a year guarantee i guess.
This is from Jim Colt from Hypertherm:
Here are some suggestions from my 40 plus years of plasma cutting:
- A refrigerated dryer is the best solution, though rarely necessary. If you can find a good operating used refrigerated dryer…go for it. You can always bypass it and shut it off during non humid months, run the heck out of it during high humidity. Refrigerated dryers use little power, and require less attention and maintenance than absorption filters, dessicant dryers, etc. A refrigerated dryer should be about 20’ away from the compressor…with copper pipe plumbing between the two, allowing the air from the compressor to cool somewhat which will help the refrigerated dryer be more efficient.
- Filters are most often best used to control particulates that may be in your air line. In high humidity, if using filters to control water…expect to replace or dry filter elements often. As filters get saturated they block flow, and even allow some of the water to pass through. Filters should be mounted downstream (on the plasma side) of any other moisture traps.
- Water separators are often a coalescing type device that spins the air/moisture and centrifugally separates the water from the air once the air is cooled…the cooling allows the water to change from vapor to droplets, which separated easier. A refrigerated dryer must have a separator on the cool side , which will efficiently remove water.
- Don’t over filter. We hear far more problems with plasma air inlet starvation than we hear real issues with water in the air. Every filter will create a pressure drop under dynamic (air flowing at the torch) conditions, every fitting, every separator, every extra foot of plumbing will create a pressure drop when air flows.
- Always, always, always install a pressure gauge hard plumbed at the inlet to the plasma cutter. with static conditions (system pressurized, no air flow at the torch) expect this gauge and one at the compressor to read the same (any difference will be gauge accuracy related), however when air flows at the plasma torch you will see the gauge at the inlet drop. The difference in pressure between a gauge at the compressor and the gauge at the plasma inlet shows the pressure drop caused by restrictions in your system. As filters plug or saturate…expect a larger drop in pressure. When air pressure is at or near the minimum pressure specified by your plasma system manufacturer, expect poor cut quality, shorter consumable life and error codes that are caused by inadequate pressure/ flow.
So, don’t over do it. A good place to ask about treating compressed air is to stop into a local auto body shop. The air requirements for auto paint spraying applications are similar in pressure, flow and purity. Moisture in a paint shop ruins paint jobs. If the shop is local and experienced they will show you their air drying system which likely is based on use and the local climate as I mention above!
Happy cutting! Jim Colt Hypertherm
I’ll add my own experience in also, if you run an oil lubricated pump you’ll need a .01 micron filter to remove oil aerosols from your compressed air. A Motor Guard is a popular option and what I use. Oil aerosols, moisture, or other debris will burn rapidly when they make contact with the arc and destroy your nozzle causing an out of round and enlarged orifice. This can happen on the first fire of the torch on a brand new nozzle and you’ll experience incomplete cuts, terrible bevels, and top and bottom dross.
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Great information! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this with us.
From my own experience, I never know what the best parts to buy are. The problem is that I don’t know where to search for them. I am not a plumbing expert to understand what is best for my house. That’s why I never do some plumbing works by myself. I always contact the guys from https://www.wilcoplumbing.com.au/. The guys from there are helping me regarding plumbing problems since 2019. I never had any problem with them, and I have always been delighted with their work. It’s much easier to contact these guys to resolve an issue than to get a big headache.
over 80’ of 1" copper pipe keeps my air dry enough for sandblasting. Had a smaller 30 gallon oil less compressor running straight for 30 minutes and not a drop of water made it to my blast pot because of this setup. It’s insanely overkill for my garage but I plan on taking it with me to a bigger place. Have to run a bigger 220 line to the garage to get my 5hp 80 gallon champion compressor running.
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From my own experience, I never know what the best parts to buy are. The problem is that I don’t know where to search for them.
home depot…amazon…Lowes…harbor freight…
I love that look for shop walls…
Supplyhouse.com is the definitive source for fittings. Higher quality than big box stores and much better prices. I recently bought a bunch of refrigeration-style flared fittings that would have been very hard to source locally.
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old style flair…
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OMG!!! This almost had me spitting lemonade all over the desk!! Struck me just right! Thanks for the laugh… 
I had a similar experience. From my own experience, I never knew what the best parts to buy are. I’m not a specialist in plumbing, so I searched for a professional.
I am also setting up my air sysytem. I have a climate controlled garage (heat and AC) so the humidity is low. The one thing i dont understand is why i need an lubricator, and if i do, do i seriously need to put oil in it? And what kind?
No oil. Will jack everything plasma up
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Thats what i thought. SO do I not use the lubricator part or does it remove oil from the air?
You can take it off. No function but just like mine I would guess you will need to thread the back of the regulator. I didn’t want to fool with getting shavings out so I left it. It will catch a small amount of water.
Thank you. Ill just let it attached.