First cut on aluminium checker plate

[TheBrick]

I bought a cheapo Lidl plasma cutter a couple of months ago when it was reduced to clear. Got round to trying it today on some aluminium checker plate. It really struggled.

I had the air at 4.5 - 5 bar.
I cleaned the cut area and ground clamp area with a steel brush on a grinder.
Plate is about 3mm thick.
I am cutting from the smooth side.
The touch has stand off and I am using a angle iron as a straight edge.
Cutter was set to 30amp which is Max on machine.

It will cut but I have to go very very slowly and the cut is very rough. Am I expecting too much or Am I doing something wrong? ( Very probably)

I tried free hand on a 1mm bit of steel and it was ok but quite slow at about 21 amp

 

[carbon]

Steel should be easier to cut and you should be able to cut through thicker steel than aluminium for a given current. Are there any recommended setting in the manual?

 

[E T]

Did you set the air pressure with the torch blowing air or just static.
When you pull the trigger the air pressure will drop. A set 4.5-5 bar could easily drop to 3.5-4 bar which is not enough for a good cut.

 

[zzr1200]

What thickness of aluminium checker plate and what ampage????

It's easier to use max ampage and adjust the cut travel speed used...

​

 

[Robotstar5]

Aluminium sinks the heat away much quicker than steel, we had a decent machine at work, but had to hire a bigger one to cut some Aluminium plate.

 

[Pete.]

It should blast through 3mm ally. I use the drag tip and full power. no stand-off just press the tip, squeeze trigger and go.

If your machine is like mine (non-pilot, no compressor) you can open up the lid and trurn the power up to 40a.

 

[Kram]

Mine has the built on compressor, which I'd suggest the air pump is far weaker than a proper seperate tanked compressor given that both are sharing a 13A fuse!
Mine will cut 3mm alu no problem if I remember correctly, so I dont believe air is your problem.

However my attempt at 12mm alu may have been optimisitic, it made a decent mess of it and the tip (at the time I was incorrectly trying to leave a gap)

A tip somone else gave me for thinner stuff, is to turn the power to maximum, press the tip to the work and move faster, that should give a cleaner cut.

 

[Dapph2]

I have the with compressor model & have found :-
The angle of the cutting tip is also important , I found that 90 degrees vertical was best when I cut 4mm aluminium checker plate , always drawing it to me by moving my waist at the hips rather than bending my arm .
Do ensure the little + slots in the end of the tip is clean and filed clear with a small triangular file .
I find that if it is gungy with melted alu or carbonised matter it will interfere with the air flow around the plasma jet make sure the jet hole is also clean & clear .

It is well worthwhile getting a set of spare full cutting tips from the likes of Temu via eBay ( £15 or so ) as it's more than irritating to find you need new parts for the cutter but don't have any to hand . It also allows you to play knowing you have some to replace the ones you kill in the early days .

 

[TheBrick]

Steel should be easier to cut and you should be able to cut through thicker steel than aluminium for a given current. Are there any recommended setting in the manual?

No I was surprised nothing

 

[TheBrick]

Did you set the air pressure with the torch blowing air or just static.
When you pull the trigger the air pressure will drop. A set 4.5-5 bar could easily drop to 3.5-4 bar which is not enough for a good cut.

Yes of course I never thought thanks!

 

[TheBrick]

What thickness of aluminium checker plate and what ampage????

It's easier to use max ampage and adjust the cut travel speed used...

​

As op about 3 or maybe 4mm and max amps 30 amp

 

[TheBrick]

It should blast through 3mm ally. I use the drag tip and full power. no stand-off just press the tip, squeeze trigger and go.

If your machine is like mine (non-pilot, no compressor) you can open up the lid and trurn the power up to 40a.

Mine has the built on compressor, which I'd suggest the air pump is far weaker than a proper seperate tanked compressor given that both are sharing a 13A fuse!
Mine will cut 3mm alu no problem if I remember correctly, so I dont believe air is your problem.

However my attempt at 12mm alu may have been optimisitic, it made a decent mess of it and the tip (at the time I was incorrectly trying to leave a gap)

A tip somone else gave me for thinner stuff, is to turn the power to maximum, press the tip to the work and move faster, that should give a cleaner cut.

I have the with compressor model & have found :-
The angle of the cutting tip is also important , I found that 90 degrees vertical was best when I cut 4mm aluminium checker plate , always drawing it to me by moving my waist at the hips rather than bending my arm .
Do ensure the little + slots in the end of the tip is clean and filed clear with a small triangular file .
I find that if it is gungy with melted alu or carbonised matter it will interfere with the air flow around the plasma jet make sure the jet hole is also clean & clear .

It is well worthwhile getting a set of spare full cutting tips from the likes of Temu via eBay ( £15 or so ) as it's more than irritating to find you need new parts for the cutter but don't have any to hand . It also allows you to play knowing you have some to replace the ones you kill in the early days .

View attachment 524581

Good tips thanks I will check all of them out