[kiramunch@sympa]

We have started the designing stage of making our own cnc tube/pipe cutter.We were considering using a lotos 50 amp cutter for this application but this being a high freq machine has brought up a concern. Our concern is that the hf machine will play havoc with all nearby electrical devices including the cnc controller, mill DRO, electronic scales,etc,etc,etc. Has anyone used this 50 amp cutter in any kind of cnc application and what were your findings. thanx.....Pete

[guydrisc]

stay away from chinese plasmas... not worth the money

[Down&Dirty]

I am currently running a chinese plasma cutter on my table. As soon as I have the money I will be upgrading to a Hypertherm. If you plan to make money with it, stay away from the chinese models. They are a decent low cost option for a hobbiest, but they do give the controllers a hard time. i know that my screen flickers everytime the plasma fires and I sometimes get noise in the stepper controls from the plasma.

[I Lean]

I just picked up a Hypertherm Powermax 45, which is an upgrade from the Parker I've been using. (Parker is another one of the chinese cutters)

Hypertherm has a stellar reputation, and Jim Colt being available just about everywhere to help out played a big part in my justifying the extra cost.

[jimcolt]

You will like the 45. I just replaced my 45 a few weeks ago on my home shop cnc machine with a Powermax85. Used it on 3/4" today...here is a pic of the first cut on 3/4" steel:

Pierce took 1.2 seconds, pierce height was .25", cut height .06" cut speed 33 inches per minute at 85 amps.

Jim Colt

[Down&Dirty]

Jim,

It is a post like that one that has me eating ramen noodles and saving for a hypertherm. My crazy chinese machine is taking 1 second to pierce 1/8 inch and only cutting it crappily I might add around 14-18 inches per minute. I am ready to put a real machine on the table so I can actually make money. At my cutting speeds and quality it is tough to make any.

[jjellingson]

Jim, those are some good looking cuts, I have cut several pieces of 3/4 myself and have good looking cuts also. I have a quick question about your hole speed, I slow down to 18 ipm for the holes (2") but stick with 33 for the remainder of the piece. Am I off track by slowing down?
Thanks in advance.

[jimcolt]

My rule of thumb is to cut all holes with a diameter smaller than 1"....at 60% of the speed you are using on the outside profile of your cut. This helps to square up the natural taper that plasma puts into a hole. On the part in the picture on my previous post...the hole was 1.5" diameter, and I did not use any kind of slower speed. I adjusted my kerf to make the bottom of the hole 1.5", which means the top is a bit larger. The top actually measures 1.53" diameter and the bottom measures 1.495" diameter. On smaller holes the difference from top to bottom diamaters will be larger than this.

Jim Colt

Jim, those are some good looking cuts, I have cut several pieces of 3/4 myself and have good looking cuts also. I have a quick question about your hole speed, I slow down to 18 ipm for the holes (2") but stick with 33 for the remainder of the piece. Am I off track by slowing down?
Thanks in advance.

[Boogiemanz1]

Jim I just unpacked my new Max 85 yesterday...I was impressed.....I've been welding on my table ever since...can't wait......impressive cut........jb

[steetyj]

What can one expect to pay for a powermax 45? Are the prices online similar to what i can expect from a local dealer?

[I Lean]

What can one expect to pay for a powermax 45? Are the prices online similar to what i can expect from a local dealer?

I can't speak for your local dealer, but mine quoted me a price better than what I found online. (then I found a used unit and bought that instead)

[Down&Dirty]

What can one expect to pay for a powermax 45? Are the prices online similar to what i can expect from a local dealer?

My local dealer quoted me more, but I brought up online pricing and he would match it. He didn't have the machine torch though and I didn't have the money. Hopefully they will still match when I get the cash and they can order the machine torch for me. I have found it cheaper to pay for the machine torch upgrade and then buy a hand torch.

[larryy1022]

Hi,

Where did you guys bought china plasma, how much?
As far as I know, most china plasmas are real destroyer. if you want, it's better buy from some cutting machine manufacturer in China, instead of directly buy from plasma manufacturer.

Most successful china plasma is model similar to max200.

But china plasma is really useful on product testing, if your controller/thc passed such destroyer's testing, then you can say it is trustable controller/thc......hahaha


larry

[Down&Dirty]

I got mine second hand, but it is crapping out and I don't have the money for a good one yet. In the interim I am planning on picking up a Longevity plasma setup. They have been doing a lot of testing with a CNC table manufacturer for integration of their machines in the cnc world. I really wish I could get a good machine now, but until the table makes me more money I will have to go with what I can afford.

[larryy1022]

Here's a plasma supplier you may have a look. It is one of the biggest cnc machine manufacturer in China.

They have made some plasma sell with their machine. You may check if they have suitable plasma for you, follow is the website link,
Jiangsu Boda NC Complete Equipment Co., Ltd.

Hope it is useful info for you

[larryy1022]

here share another good plasma source in china.
????

If u have to choose a china plasma, this one should be a good choice.