plamacam problems

By nathan wilson Date 05-13-2010 19:35

hey guys i have been working on learning how to work the plasmacam cutter in my high school and we had it running great i cut many thing out with no problems now i can not get it to cut the torch will strike and everything works it runs the pattern and everything but it will not cut the metal will not even make it warm but the torch is striking for sure and the air come on but i can not get it to cut neither can my teacher and he said if i get it running he will give me extra credit if u can help plz let me know!! =)

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 05-13-2010 19:48

Here are some things to look at.

Make sure you have :

1. The correct cutting tip for the material thickness you are using

2. Clean tip and end consumables.. Poor flow will cause trouble

3. Correct compressed air pressure for the thickness of base metal you are cutting

4. Correct travel speed for the thickness of material you are cutting.

5. <should be #1> Double check the work clamp connections, both at the clamp and at the power supply. If you are getting a clean pilot arc and no transfer (sounds a bit like what you are describing) a poor or non existant cutting circuit may be a simple fix.

If these things are double checked and all is good, take the torch off of the unit and try manual cutting.

If it works let us know... We could use some extra credit too :)

By ctacker (****)

Date 05-13-2010 19:57

Make sure you have a good ground also!
Edit: I see Lawrence covered that already! :)

By nathan wilson Date 05-13-2010 20:50

will do and ya it has good ground i checked that

By JLWelding (***)

Date 05-14-2010 02:31

What brand of plasma cutter and are you using a machine tip?

By spots

Date 05-14-2010 12:05

Call up the manufacturer or check their website for trouble shooting tips. Just shooting from the hip I would say you are not getting enough current.

If you go to : http://www.plasmacam.com they have a user forum you can register to use, I am sure they have dealt with this issue before.

By Regmanager (**)

Date 05-14-2010 13:16

Seems to me its only running on the pilot arc now. You aren't getting your cutting arc to kick in. If the pilot relay is stuck it will not engage the cutting arc. What type of plasma is on the unit?