Hello all, I'm kind of new to the cnc plasma world and hoping someone could help me out. I just installed a new 5x10 cnc plasma table with a Hypertherm Powermax 125. I've been cutting some 1" steel plate and have a few questions:

1. How long should the electrode and consumables last? I know this is a vague question, but say for instance I needed to cut (15) 12" x 18" squares out of 1" steel plate. Without piercing anywhere. I have set the gcode to start from the edge on all cuts. Should this machine be able to run this entire job without stopping or having any issues?

2 Secondly, I have pierced this 1" material with the Hypertherm 125 and it does it with no problem, however it destroys the shield and nozzle after 1-2 pierces. I have the pierce height set to what the manual calls for, any suggestions?