I am cutting a tattered flag file for a customer and previously used the “cut-ready” file off of fireshare. The previous file cut great until about 3/4 through the cutting process I had a gcode error and I had to click on a line further down the list for it to start back up cutting how it needed to.
Fast forward to today and I downloaded a file from Etsy that cut beautifully but my pierce delay was causing some larger holes at the start of the cut than I like. I started doing test line cuts and cut all the way down to .0 sec delay. I am cutting 16ga at 65psi at 34amps and I had no issue with getting a clean cut all the way through with a very small hole at the beginning of the cut.
Sorry for the long post to ask, but should I be good with a .0 sec pierce delay cutting this file? Or will I run into issues with the cut failing?
Yeah I searched the forum and couldn’t really find anyone that had cut anything below a .4 so that’s why I was questioning if the .0 or .1 was going to potentially cause any issues, even though I cut a test piece out of about 2” long with no issues
a way to get away from the divot is to have lead in and lead outs…but I have not heard of 0 pierce dealy…but i have had mine down to .05…which is almost 0…
Welp, the answer for me is going to be .4 lol I ruined a small amount of material, but I have 3 flags that I get to set out for sale at the next event I post up at! Lesson learned here is try test cuts on material before committing to a large piece, and then log it in a book for later use. Oh well, thanks for the help fellas.
And toolboy, I was concerned with cutting straight-ish lines for the outlines of the stripes for the US flag so I had to disable the lead in/out to get those as straight as possible, but I will keep that in mind for future cuts where it’s less of a straight line project. Thanks for the comment though.
There are a lot of variables at play for the pierce delay. The plasma cutter delay time built in, the size air line in the torch, the length of the torch, the air line to the plasma cutter, the air pressure to the plasma cutter, the air pressure you have set on the plasma cutter, hand torch or CNC torch, how fast the CNC controller triggers the plasma cutter as well as other factors. In most cases a .5 to .7 will work on most plasma cutters out their. I always recommend using a little longer pierce delay to help stop misfires.
lead in and outs are usually started on the outside or inside of a waste material of a cut…so if you try and keep them in you could end up adding a tail to the cut…
Sheetcam automatically deletes lead-n and outs on cuts that do not have the space for them.
I think he’s taking about single line cuts, similar to bend relief cuts. You don’t want an angled tail on either end of those cuts.
On a similar note, this is where that “pierce clearance” can really screw things up. Even with lead in/out turned off, the pierce clearance will still start the cut with a 90 degree tail off the line. This is why I always tell people to set it to zero.
Yeah it won’t let me upload the photo of what I cut but it’s just the tattered American flag file off fireshare. I don’t want leads in where the lines for the stripes are cut. I also don’t want a long pierce delay because at the start of every cut it has the large craters left from the cutter if the delay is too long.
On the pro there is about .4sec +/- of latency in the trigger circuit. .6 is really a Pierce time of .2sec +/-. I ve run 14 ga stainless programs at a .365sec which is the minimum I can set mine to with out faulting too much. .365sec is about 0 seconds of Pierce delay. Your latency may be different depending on your setup, if you have a 50’ torch length you ll have more.
Start with a .5 second program and reduce to 73-74% in firecontrol this is about the shortest delay you can do , about .365seconds .
you may also try having a pierce height the same as the cut height. it will be hard on consumables but may help with the single line divot issue.
If the pierce is causing issues you just need to increase the lead-in. I find that because that area is heated more than the rest it will have a larger kurff when the loop finishes. To avoid this I extend my lead-in to reduce the concentrated heat area.
If the area you need to cut doesn’t allow you to extend your lead-in then send it to a laser cutting company… lol That’s what I do…
