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Cutting your parts with the correct set up is key to achieving a high-quality part. To determine what to use for the material type and thickness you are cutting you should reference the cut chart associated with your plasma unit.

The closer your thickness sits towards the midrange of the cut chart, the better you quality will be.

For example, if you are cutting 1/4" Mild Steel with a Powermax 65, you will find 1/4" lands right in the middle f what a 65A set up will cut. Therefore a 65A setup will give you great cut quality.    

Low end of cut chart = Faster cut, worse quality.

Middle of cut chart = Ideal cut, normal speed, great quality.

High end of cut chart = Slower cut, decent quality.

Both systems work well for fume control on CNC Plasma tables. There are a few things to consider when making your choice. 

1. If you are using a high-def plasma like a Hypertherm XPR or Kjellberg Smart Focus, you will get slightly better edge cut quality with downdraft. 

2. Water beds are dirtier and require a little more maintenance, but will help cool your parts, save you money in electric and HVAC cost, and will not effect any conditioned air in your shop.

3. Downdraft beds are easier to maintain, collect dropped parts, and are cleaner vs. a waterbed, but will use electricity and take a little more work to get set up because of the ducting.   

4. If you are cutting a lot of Aluminum with a waterbed, be careful. Cutting Aluminum on top of water created Hydrogen gas and can be explosive. Make sure you lower your water level or use a water additive that helps eliminate Hydrogen gas prior to cutting.

Water additive is highly recommended when using water as fume control. The main point of the additive is to prevent rust and kill bacteria, but most additives has extra benefits like the ability to go straight from cut to paint without doing any special wash. 

Looking for additive? Check out Ark Chemical's Plasma Cut 2000, and Pico Chemical's Quench Guard G.

Typically an air plasma will need a minimum constant airflow of 85 psi while cutting. A high-def plasma requires around 110 -115 psi. 

The most important thing to keep in mind when setting up your shop air for plasma cutting is to make sure it is dry. 

Clean, dry air is a key component to good cut quality. The cleaner and dryer, the better. 

Most people use a desiccant air dryer, other use a refrigerated air dryer, and some use a combination of both. 

If you are in an area that is already dry, a desiccant air dyer should be fine.

If you are in a humid environment, a refrigerated air dryer is best. 

If you are in a very humid area, we recommend you use a combination of both air drying systems.

Most on-site service calls are caused by improper maintenance. Each plasma system should have a  routine maintenance plan to keep the system running as long and reliably as possible. 

Besides the recommended routine maintenance, you should be checking the following items each day before your first cut.

1. Make sure nothing is blocking or can collide with the bridge during its movements. 

2. Check that nothing is clogging or pinching the cable track so it is not damaged while moving.

3. Check gas pressure to ensure you have a good minimum required constant flow.

4. Check the edge of the table to make sure there are no leaks or loose metal pieces

5. Make sure you have clean, dry air.

6. Check the torch lead and wiring near the head to make sure there is no risk of it getting caught.

7. Check your consumables and ensure that the correct consumables are installed for the intended use.

The most common cause of problems on a CNC plasma table is improper and irregular maintenance. 

Take some time each day to look over your table and schedule some time each week to perform preventative maintenance. You will give your system a longer, more efficient life, and will reduce your downtime. 

The most common issues which cause poor cut quality are ground, consumables, and gas. 

When seeing chatter, positive/negative bevels, and misshaped cuts, check the following: 

1. Check your consumables. Make sure the orifice in your nozzle is round (if it's not, your flame will shoot off at an angle instead of straight). Make sure you have a good electrode and that the rod of hafnium is not worn down more than 1/16". Check that nothing is clogged or blocked and that all the consumables are seated correctly. 

2. Make sure you have a good work lead ground and a good earth ground. If you have dirty/rusted material or your slats are chewed up, you could be getting a bad ground through there. A quick test is to take your work lead ground and connect it directly to the material. If you have the ground directly on the material and are still getting poor cuts, you at least know it is not a ground issue.

3. Make sure you have clean dry air. Check your filters and make sure you are able to get the minimum constant airflow required. Most plasma units have a gas flow test you can perform. If you are under the required pressure you will see chatter, bevels, torch height control issues, or the plasma may not even cut.  

We recommend, at a minimum, checking your consumables between each job. Pierces kill consumables faster than cutting, so it is especially important to check your consumables when running a high pierce volume job.

You will be replacing the electrode and nozzle more often than the other components. As the electrode is used, the rod of hafnium in the center of the electrode will wear down. When using torch height control, a worn electrode will cause the torch to cut closer to the material.

Once the rod of hafnium is worn down about 1/16", it is time to change. 

Most CNC Plasma systems use a form of torch height control, where the plasma torch will read voltage while it is cutting and adjust the torch to work distance to keep it at the cut chart requirements. 

The flame of a standard air plasma is shaped like an upside down Christmas tree. A high-def torch will have a similar shape, but not as drastic. 

Because of the shape of the flame, your goal is to have the center of of the flame to be at the center of your material. The more centered you are, the more square your cut will be. 

If you are cutting too high you will see a negative angle in your parts. Cutting too low will give you a positive angle.   

Always check your setups. The most common causes of Torch Height Control issues are worn consumables (specifically the electrode), bad ground, or low input gas pressure.