PowerCut 50 questions

[bhowden]

I bought a Power Cut 50 a few months ago and am very happy with the cut quality (at least when I remember to connect the ground!). I do have a couple of issues I don't fully understand. Every now and then I can pull the trigger but the pilot arc doesn't start. The electrode moves easily in the torch. Air pressure is set at 65 (80 at the regulator feeding the plasma cutter). The yellow light is on indicating air pressure. The cup and the electrode look fine but if I touch them up with a bit of sand paper it solves the problem for a while. I am assuming this is a case of consumables and that they are pretty sensitive to any wear issues. Is there anything else I should be checking here?

The other issue is a little more annoying. I have been using 65 psi and 40 amps on the display. For very light metal it always cuts. For 1/8 and up, every now and then when I start the pilot arc off the material (ie not piercing) and appoach the metal being cut the arc is fine until it just touches the metal and then the arc goes out. The post flow air runs normally. It has done this from new and is no better or worse. It doesn't happen every time and it is slightly better if I angle the torch away from the work a bit. The heavier the material, the worse it is. With the machine set at 50 amps, there is no way to even scratch a piece of 1/2" aluminum plate. The arc goes out every time without fail. It makes no difference how slowly I appoach the metal to be cut. With steel it seems to allow a little thicker but 3/4 is not possible and 1/2" would take a lot of tries. Again, it doesn't matter how slowly I approach but the arc goes out the instant the envelope of plasma touches the metal. I don't cut much heavy stuff so it is not a show stopper but I would like to understand what is happening. It is almost like some sort of overload protection is kicking in and turning off the arc. This happens regardless of how long the machine has been running (First cut or after 10 minutes) so it is not a duty cycle issue.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Brian

[performance]

Brian,

We do not have a PowerCut.

Is it a super cut or PowerPlasma?

Its not the overload protection.

It may either be the torch itself or it may be a solenoid issue. Give us a call and we will be glad to help.

[bhowden]

Sorry, my mistake. Power Plasma 50 is what I should have written. I bought it through the Canadian Dealer. Which number should I call?

Brian

[bhowden]

Over the weekend the issue got a little worse and the failures seem directly linked to the orientation I hold the torch in, leaning towards the suggestion that it is torch related. I spoke to Duncan in the Canadian office and it looks like Everlast has the issue under control. Thanks for the help.

Brian