[Simonh1959]

I have been using a Powermax 105 on my Blue Marlin CNC for about a year now and getting good results, there are just two things though that I would like to improve on;

Firstly hole quality, although the holes I get are good there is obviously still a taper on them which means that on thicker material I have to oversize the hole to achieve the required diameter on the bottom side of the plate.

Secondly cutting stainless steel, we do this quite successfully but it does leave a black finish which we have to sand/grind off (we have tried using nitrogen which does give a brighter finish but also increases the dross that needs to be removed). We currently have a regular order for s/s rings but due to the time required to clean them up I find it cheaper to buy laser cut ones which puts me at the mercy of the laser cutters delivery schedules.

The Blue Marlin that I have is actually a high definition machine as I bought it with the intention of upgrading to HD at a later date and I have been offered a good deal by my supplier to part exchange my PM 105 for either a Max-Pro 200 or one of the other HD units available but the Max-Pro 200 is the only one within my budget. We are only a small jobbing shop so the maximum number of items that we cut would be about 50 off so I am trying to work out if upgrading would be worth the extra outlay?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

[jimcolt]

What material thicknesses and type do you cut? What size holes on each thickness are of concern?

Jim Colt Hypertherm

I have been using a Powermax 105 on my Blue Marlin CNC for about a year now and getting good results, there are just two things though that I would like to improve on;

Firstly hole quality, although the holes I get are good there is obviously still a taper on them which means that on thicker material I have to oversize the hole to achieve the required diameter on the bottom side of the plate.

Secondly cutting stainless steel, we do this quite successfully but it does leave a black finish which we have to sand/grind off (we have tried using nitrogen which does give a brighter finish but also increases the dross that needs to be removed). We currently have a regular order for s/s rings but due to the time required to clean them up I find it cheaper to buy laser cut ones which puts me at the mercy of the laser cutters delivery schedules.

The Blue Marlin that I have is actually a high definition machine as I bought it with the intention of upgrading to HD at a later date and I have been offered a good deal by my supplier to part exchange my PM 105 for either a Max-Pro 200 or one of the other HD units available but the Max-Pro 200 is the only one within my budget. We are only a small jobbing shop so the maximum number of items that we cut would be about 50 off so I am trying to work out if upgrading would be worth the extra outlay?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the quick reply.

We cut right through from 1.00 to 20.00mm mild steel and from 1.2 to 10mm stainless steel with a little aluminium up to 10mm thick.

The holes that I'm not happy with are mainly on the thicker mild steel parts that we cut. For example we do a lot of flanges in 12 & 15mm thick with say 20 to 30 diameter holes in them and the difference from top to bottom can be up to 2mm on diameter which means that I have to set it to cut 32 diameter on the top to achieve my required 30 on the bottom of the plate. Although I can usually get away with this, it looks bad.

Cheers

Simon Hayward

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,

I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this as my financial year end is approaching and if I do decide to upgrade I need to start sorting things out soon.

Simon

[jimcolt]

Simon,

Sorry I did not respond sooner. The MaxPro 200 will do a better job on holes from 6mm up through your maximum thicknesses on steel when using the oxygen cutting process. On Stainless, your speeds will be better, however your will still likely experience the oxidized edge, although if you use the Nitrogen process with the MaxPro and can submerge the plate under water (not sure what type of table you have) then the edges will be smoother and cleaner. In my experience the taper will be better with this system above 6mm, and it will be similar to the Powermax system on materials thinner than 6mm. The cut speeds and cut cost per foot will be better with the MaxPro.

I would suggest getting some cut samples from your local supplier.....they can request them from the local Hypertherm representative. That will be the best way to compare relative cut quality between the air plasma and the MaxPro200.

Best regards, Jim Colt

Hi Jim,

I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this as my financial year end is approaching and if I do decide to upgrade I need to start sorting things out soon.

Simon

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your reply.
I have contacted my local Hypertherm representative as you suggested who was very helpful indeed. I have sent him some DXF files of typical parts that I currently have to get laser cut and he has arranged to get them cut on various different Hypertherm machines to show me the finishes that I could expect from each one.

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your thoughts on the MaxPro200.
It was suggested by my Hypertherm rep that I may get a better cut finish (especially on stainless steel) with a HSD 130 which although more expensive than the MaxPro it is a lot less than the full High Def machines and I wondered what your thoughts were.

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,

I was just wondering if you could explain the benefits of the HSD over the MaxPro200 and also the gasses that it can use?

[jimcolt]

The HSD130 is a 100% duty cycle, 130 amp industrial rated plasma system. It can use a variety of gases when equipped with the optional fuel gas console for better edge quality on stainles steels and aluminum. This is not a high definition plasma system. Machine torch only is available with this system, and it is a high frequency start....generally not recommended for use on cnc machines that use and office computer or laptopn as the cnc control......refer to machine manufacturer for that information.

For Steel: gases used....Oxygen plasma with air shield (recomended for best performance) Air plasma with Air shield (for thos that do not want to use oxygen as the plasma gas. Maximum recommended pierce: 1"

For stainless: gases used .....Air plasma with air shield or Nitrogen plasma with Nitrogen shield. With the optional fuel gas console you can use F5 plasma (95% nitrogen, 5% hydrogen) with Nitrogen shield for better edge weldability on stainless from gauge through 1/4". You can use H35 plasma (35% hydrogen, 65% argon) with a nitrogen shield gas for stainless from 1/4" through 3/4" (pierce limit) for best edge weldability.

Aluminum: air /air or nitrogen/nitrogen are the recomended gases. With the optional fuel gas console you can use the H35/N2 process for faster cuts and smoother edges between 1/4" and 3/4" (max pierce)


MaxPro200 is a 100% duty cycle, 200 amp industrial rated plasma system. Liquid cooled torch and high frequency start. Normally not recommended for office computer or laptop based cnc controls, check with machine manufacturer for compatibility.

Steel: Maximum pierce is 1-1/4", using oxygen plasma with air shield (best quality). 50 amp and 130 and 200 amp processes. air plasma, air shield available as well.

Stainless: Maximum pierce is 1", using either Air plasma, air shield or nitrogen plasma, nitrogen shield. 50 amp, 130 amp and 200 amp processes available.

Aluminum: same specs and gas recomendations as for stainless


So....the differences between the two: Obviously the MaxPro200 can pierce thicker and cut faster with its 200 amp capability. The HSD130 has better capability in regards to edge purity on stainless steel if you use the fuel gas mixing console. Both are high frequency start, 100% duty cycle, liquid cooled systems suitable for 3 shift a day high duty cycle industrial cutting applications.


Jim Colt Hypertherm

Hi Jim,

I was just wondering if you could explain the benefits of the HSD over the MaxPro200 and also the gasses that it can use?

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,
Thanks for the info.
If using the fuel gas mixing console do you use separate bottles of the necessary gases to produce the required mix or do you have to buy in bottles of F5 + H35 premixed?
Also, I realise that this is not a high definition machine and what I want to try & achieve is the best edge finish that I can, it seems that the HSD130 will give a better finish than the MaxPro200 but is there much difference between the finish it will give compared to a high definition model?

[jimcolt]

The gas console uses premixed F5 and H35. To meet regulations these gases must go through a separate gas control that is vented to atmosphere. The difference between the HSD and the MaxPro200 is minimal....if you use the same process gases. The difference between either of these and the high definition systems (HPRXD) from Hypertherm will be with edge squareness over the life of the consumables. As you cut thicker....say 1/2" and thicker the cuts will appear very nice with each type of system, however if you measure cut edge angularity you will see much better consistency on parts cut with high definition.

Jim Colt

Hi Jim,
Thanks for the info.
If using the fuel gas mixing console do you use separate bottles of the necessary gases to produce the required mix or do you have to buy in bottles of F5 + H35 premixed?
Also, I realise that this is not a high definition machine and what I want to try & achieve is the best edge finish that I can, it seems that the HSD130 will give a better finish than the MaxPro200 but is there much difference between the finish it will give compared to a high definition model?

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,
The main reason that I am thinking of upgrading is to get a better 'cleanness' to the cut edges rather than angularity concerns.
If I understand you correctly I will get almost the same finish on both the MaxPro200 & the HSD130 (using the same gas) however, as the HSD130 can also use other gases would I get a better cleanness with these other gases? and would the cleanness be much different to that of the HPRXD?

[Simonh1959]

Hi Jim,
I was wondering if you could let me have your thoughts regarding my last question.

Simon Hayward

[jimcolt]

The edge metalurgy in regards to weldability on stainless will be similar when using the fuel gases (F5 and H35) on both the HSD130 and the HPR130. The HPR130 will provide far superior edge angularity and consistency in regards to cut part accuracy.

Sorry it took some time to respond, I am at a trade show in Vegas and have very little online time until next week.

Jim Colt Enfield, NH

Hi Jim,
The main reason that I am thinking of upgrading is to get a better 'cleanness' to the cut edges rather than angularity concerns.
If I understand you correctly I will get almost the same finish on both the MaxPro200 & the HSD130 (using the same gas) however, as the HSD130 can also use other gases would I get a better cleanness with these other gases? and would the cleanness be much different to that of the HPRXD?

[Simonh1959]

Thanks Jim,
I am probably going to go over to your centre in Holland for a demonstration now based on what you have said.

Simon

[tommy21912648]

How much does Hypertherm Plasma Maxpro 200 ? What company to sell it ?