[kxkid]

I have a powermax 1000 on my table. I have done some cuts at a speed of 20-25 on 60amp and it was very very rough and dirty. I am wondering if I can get the cut edge anywhere near what it looks like when I cut steel.

[kxkid]

45 looks and nothing? This is a regular deal on here or what?

[xjdubber]

No, you will never have your aluminum look like the way steel cuts

secondly that kind of attitude will never get you anywhere.

[kxkid]

Its like that with pretty much every post on here. Guess I am just going to have to find a different forum. I mean look at how many days it took for a reply that was no help and now even more looks.

[LeeWay]

I only saw this now. To be fair to us, there is not even a question mark in your opening post. It was more of an observation.
If it was actually a question, then you have far too little information for anyone to really be able to help you.
All plasma cutters are not created equal and neither are machines.
I do cut much thinner 6061 with mine and the cuts are not as nice as in steel. My parts get powder coated, so that is not a problem on those.

While 6061 has excellent machining properties, it may not be the best choice on a burn table. Some other series may actually cut better. The question is, are they finished parts when they come off the burn table or do they need secondary ops?

I am no pro at plasma cutting, but there are some here and with a better attitude and a direct question from you, they might be willing to help. Especially so if they knew some of your machine specifics.

[jimcolt]

Steel cuts best with an air plasma cutter as the oxygen content in air reacts with the steel (easily oxidized), providing a smooth edge. Aluminum is cut using just the thermal properties (melting) so as you cut thicker aluminum you will see a more porous edge. Plasma is considered the fastest way to contour cut aluminum, however you can do a much cleaner job with an abrasive water jet for about 10x the cutting cost and at a much slower speed. There are industrial high definition class plasma cutting systems that will do a much better job on aluminum as compared to air plasma. Here are some cuts done with my Hypertherm Powermax 85 air plasma on thin (3/16" and .090") aluminum....excellent results.

Be patient on these sites....your questions will get answered. Most of us work more than full time and these forums are a sideline!

Jim Colt

I have a powermax 1000 on my table. I have done some cuts at a speed of 20-25 on 60amp and it was very very rough and dirty. I am wondering if I can get the cut edge anywhere near what it looks like when I cut steel.

[digger doug]

Jim,
hypothically speaking, could a person change gasses for better aluminum performance ?

I have seen the larger industrial power suppllies running all kinds of gas's and combinations,
(found that article on your companies webiste using argon/helium)
but I realize this is a air cutting plasma supply/torch, I still wonder if a mixed gas cylinder procured
from the local LWS would help out.

[jimcolt]

The Hypertherm air plasma systems are designed for air or nitrogen only....use of other gases can cause damage or fire issues.

On our large industrial systems the gas systems as well as the torches and consumables are designed to use a variety of gases to fine tune cut quality. We do not use argon helium in any of our processes. Typical gas mixes for these systems are: Argon /Hydrogen with a Nitrogen shield, Oxygen with an air shield, Nitrogen/Hydrogen with a Nitrogen shield, Nitrogen/Methane with a Nitrogen shield, Nitrogen with a Nitrogen shield as well as a few more. Each process has special consumables to account for the different ionization, flow and temperature variations of each gas combination.

The torches that we do use alternate gases with all are liquid cooled and have dual flow (different plasma and shield gas circuits).

I have seen Powermax units used with oxygen.....the entire torch, leads and some of the gas components in the power supply were quickly burned in an oxygen supported fire. The torch and leads will completely burn in about 15 seconds under these conditions! I can not suggest experimenting with it.

Best regards, Jim Colt

Jim,
hypothically speaking, could a person change gasses for better aluminum performance ?

I have seen the larger industrial power suppllies running all kinds of gas's and combinations,
(found that article on your companies webiste using argon/helium)
but I realize this is a air cutting plasma supply/torch, I still wonder if a mixed gas cylinder procured
from the local LWS would help out.

[digger doug]

Jim,
thanks for getting back so fast.

Yes, I figured some people have fooled around with some "unauthorized" use's (like oxygen).

I just wondered with the article showing argon&helium working good, and most LWS suppliying
that mix for tig welding, if it was possible with an air torch set-up.

Maybe in the future, if R&D could come up with a "Low buck" tip & nozzle combination
to allow the air torch to use that mix, would be good.

Or maybe even just straight argon.

It's just that the leap to the industrial machines is just
too great for most small shops, and some that only occasionally run aluminum, out of reach.

[jimcolt]

Argon will not even work for cutting....however it is used for plasma marking. I suspect Helium would have the same issue......neither will produce an agressive enough arc for cutting. Also, in a gas cooled torch (like all Powermax systems) the flow rate is relatively high as the additional flow is for torch cooling. It would be an expensive proposition to use either of these gases at the flowrates required to cool the torches. If there was a dual gas torch then air could be used for cooling....but there is not a dual gas torch on the small systems anymore.

jim

Jim,
thanks for getting back so fast.

Yes, I figured some people have fooled around with some "unauthorized" use's (like oxygen).

I just wondered with the article showing argon&helium working good, and most LWS suppliying
that mix for tig welding, if it was possible with an air torch set-up.

Maybe in the future, if R&D could come up with a "Low buck" tip & nozzle combination
to allow the air torch to use that mix, would be good.

Or maybe even just straight argon.

It's just that the leap to the industrial machines is just
too great for most small shops, and some that only occasionally run aluminum, out of reach.

[keebler303]

Its like that with pretty much every post on here. Guess I am just going to have to find a different forum. I mean look at how many days it took for a reply that was no help and now even more looks.

Please leave, I will not miss you. :wave:

Of the 45 people who viewed your thread, likely less than 10 even own a plasma cutter, 3 of them have cut aluminum, and none have cut aluminum that thick.
Just because 100 people see your classified ad it does not mean that 1 of them has to buy your old car.

No one here owes you a thing, let alone a thorough answer to your question.