Question for the Hypertherm users here -
Did y’all measure cut height with the shield cap off?
Looks like the nozzle is recessed a tad and wondering if I should use feeler gauges to measure from the nozzle itself to my metal plate.
While i currently don’t run Hypertherm (last one was a MAX 400), i seem to recall something about different shield rings. I believe there is one than is flush, or slightly below , the nozzel. If yours is above, it will effect IHS probes. A work around would be to see the diference between shield on and off, then adust heights according.
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I should’ve specified.
It’s a duramax torch with regular consumables.
What I did for my UPM is I ran the dry run file and measured my cut height without the shield on since the nozzle is recessed a bit
The Hypertherm sits quite a bit farther back but being unfamiliar with it, I don’t know if the torch height is based off the nozzle or with the regular shield cup on it
If the cutting tip is recessed .040" and the cut chart states .140" I would set .100" from shield to metal and do a few test cuts. If they are what your looking for then your set to go. If they are not then try less or more till you get the results your looking for.
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In other words, yes I should measure based on how I initially guessed and how I measured with my UPM.
It would be far less accurate for me to attempt to measure how recessed the nozzle is in comparison to the shield versus measuring the nozzle (with shield off) from it to the metal being cut.
I guess I should’ve asked if the .06 cut height that Hypertherm calls for (not sure where you got .14) is based off the nozzle itself or the shield which is not being answered.
I get very good cuts and great consumable like for the most part.
I measured with the shield on. Here is a 1/4 plate cut with well used consumables. .060 from shield.
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Thank you Phillip!
This is the cut and dry information I was looking for.
Curious minds want to know, whatcha running now?
Well let me make a slight correction. I was cutting at 45 amps, nominal voltage at 137.
The .140" came from the Hypertherm cut chart for the SYNC cartridges. There is also a Hypertherm chart that states .120" and some that say .060". I guess it all depends on what Hypertherm plasma cutter and torch you have.
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Gotcha.
Mine is a Duramax torch, not Sync.
But it’s only a 45XP so maybe that’s why the low cut height vs the .14 you mentioned?
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It all comes down to what works the best for you and your setup.
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I agree with this statement, it’s why I had done so many cut out test pieces in different gauges of material for the best possible cut quality.
However, I was expecting something a little more direct such as cut height from a Hypertherm.
My UPM achieved its best quality with a .06 cut height from nozzle (shield off) to the metal being cut.
I was assuming Hypertherm (being a high end company) would have a cut and dry number for cut height as well. Just wasn’t sure if it was shield on or off that’s all.
Hypertherm cut heights, at least for the 45xp with the Duramax torch, are intended to be measured from the shield. Lowest portion of the torch to the work surface.
Straight from the 45xp manual. But yes of course, your cut height can vary. But their specs measure from the shield.
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Thanks for this!
The manual is huge, I didn’t thumb through all of it.
I’ll chalk it up to me being a moron in that case 
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Until recently, we replaced the in shop plasma with a Flow Waterjet. (5 axis Mach)
Slower, yes. Cleaner and more precise, yes.
I will say there is a nitch for both proceses, based on end use.
Then again, i like cnc oxy as well!
Oh, and to answer the question, since I left the (larger) machine shop and started working out of the home shop, RazorWeld 45 of course!
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FYI I’m not above admitting that I can be a fool at times (in this case not seeing that excerpt in the manual).
My first Hypertherm, and I’m coming from a PTM-60 which was unshielded so height was measured from the nozzle. Then switched to a UPM-105 when that released.
Machine torch, just arriving a few hours ago
The old next to the new
And the CUT60 getting retired
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Lol. I didn’t read the whole thing either. Just little parts. This debate has come up before I used to use a post from Jim Colt that said it was from the shield, until I googled and found it in the manual one day.
Don’t let my confidence and occasional accuracy fool you, I’ve made some doozies of mistakes.
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The manual is like 3-4 times as long as that of the PrimeWeld.
Manufacturer’s don’t understand that us Marines need more pictures and less words
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Your up grading from a Hyundai to a Ferrari. Things are going to change a little.
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