Plasma Chart?

[CDN Farm Boy]

Can anyone provide me to a link to a chart for settings for a plasma cutter?

I'm using an Everlast PowerPlasma 50 with hand-held S45 torch. I got the machine for Christmas and just finally got to fire it up today. Literature that came with it isn't helpful. I'd have thought it would have a chart like on the inside of my mig, ie: Thickness - amps - air - travel speed. Or is there some other way to figure out what settings to use?

Thanks

 

[FredH]

Found This one via a google search . There were a lot of others also :




Fred H.

 

[jimcolt]

You should contact the manufacturer of your plasma cutter....there is a rep on the Everlast thread that should be able to help you out. Using a chart from another manufacturer will likely result in dross, warpage and overall ugly cuts. Each torch manufacturer's torches have different energy densities , power levels and sets of consumables that will cut at different heights, cut speeds and power levels.

Jim Colt

Can anyone provide me to a link to a chart for settings for a plasma cutter?

I'm using an Everlast PowerPlasma 50 with hand-held S45 torch. I got the machine for Christmas and just finally got to fire it up today. Literature that came with it isn't helpful. I'd have thought it would have a chart like on the inside of my mig, ie: Thickness - amps - air - travel speed. Or is there some other way to figure out what settings to use?

Thanks

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Found This one via a google search . There were a lot of others also :

View attachment 388541


Fred H.

I spent 45 min searching different word combinations and didn't once find anything thicker than 1/8". Most charts I found listed from 10ga down to as thin as 28ga. I can't imagine ever wanting to use a plasma cutter for something I could do with snips.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Jim, I will certainly be trying that. I'd have contacted tech support @ my dealer but can't reach them till Tues due to the long weekend.

 

[boomer1025]

Basic rule of thumb is 10 amps per 1/8": 1/8" thick = 20 amps, 1/4 = 30a an so on. Air pressure I use is between 55 and 65 psi on the gauge with the switch in the constant flow position.

 

[FredH]

What Boomer1025 Wrote is How I run mine , which is a off brand import . Air pressure as He wrote is set with the gun trigger pulled . :thumbsup:

Fred H.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Basic rule of thumb is 10 amps per 1/8": 1/8" thick = 20 amps, 1/4 = 30a an so on. Air pressure I use is between 55 and 65 psi on the gauge with the switch in the constant flow position.

The air pressure is going to depend upon the torch you are using. If you have the new PT60 torch or the S-45 torch. The S-45 will run 72 psi ideally. The PT 60 will take more up to 80 psi. The S45 units include a flow gauge which simplify setting based on constant volume. You may not have downloaded the latest version of the manual from the website. I am not sure which manuals come with the Canadian versions, but the manuals are on our US website here: http://www.everlastgenerators.com/sites/everlastgenerators/files/downloads/PowerPlasma-50-2013.pdf

The manual will be updated soon for the PT 60 torch. They are similar to the S45's but do offer increased cutting ability on the top end.

Unless you use step down the size of the consumables, plan on using 40-50 amps for the stock consumable .9 or 1.0 mm size. It will cut fine with a fairly narrow kerf. But you can go down to .6 mm with various consumables available for those torches if you need a narrower kerf. Stepping down the amperage with too large of a consumable hole will only lead to arc instability and snuffing of the arc. Using too low of air pressure will too. The best thing to do is keep the amps and air pressure up to or the the maximum rating of the consumable. The PT60 torch is backwards compatible with the S45, if consumables are replaced as a set, including cup. But not the other way around.

The above stated rule of thumb does work fairly well for most hand cutting. Up to 1/8"=20 amps, and for every 1/8" additional thickness, add ten amps. But then again, if you have a .9mm consumable use it at 40-50 amps (the amp range rated for that diameter). The biggest difference is the kerf.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Thanks for that information, very helpful. Mark, thanks also for the link to the manual -- WAY better than the crappy 5 page one that came with my machine. I will be suggesting to Duncan for improved manuals to be included with the machines up here.

How does this apply when trying to cut thicker material? Using the rule of thumb, with my 50A machine I should be able to cut 1/2" with it maxed out which is fine the majority of the time. The website says max cut of up to 1". Yesterday I was trying to cut a 15" C channel for a LPGS I'm building that the flanges were 1" at the thickest point.

 

[boomer1025]

It will cut 1", but it will be very slow going, set it to 50a and set the air pressure to 72 psi like Mark said and give it a try. It won't be a nice clean cut. I'm not sure if you got the air flow gauge with your PP50, I didn't get 1 with mine. I set mine up using the post air flow switch, flip the switch to the constant on position, set the pressure on the air gauge, then flip the switch back. I believe Mark done a video on this model that's posted on the Everlast site somewhere. I also keep the post flow at 30 sec, unless it's a long cut, then I'd turn it up to 1 minute, helps keep the torch cool after the cut.