Giant cut 40 plasma cutter

[CROWE]

Hi I've got a giant cut 40 plasma cutter and havnt had it long. It has a pt 31 torch I was wondering how long the contact tips are meant to last as they don't seem to last that long in my machine the cut starts to look untidy so I remove the tip and turn it around and it's fine for a while then it needs replacing. How long do they usually last?

Andy

 

[Eastblock]

Do you do a lot of piercing cuts? If you do it at the same height as cutting it will blow a lot of metal back onto the tip and reduce the life of it.

 

[langy]

I have a PT31 torch on a Cut 50 and very rarely have to change a tip, I always start up off the material, plunging will screw the tips quite quickly I found.

 

[Justme]

I have the same machine. When I first started using it I too went through a lot of consumables. As you get better at it you will use less.

Oh & when cutting new steel they last much longer than when cutting old rust or painted steel.

 

[Shedendman]

Few other things to remember,
Is your air dry?
Are you running at the right PSI?
Keeping the right distance from tip to surface?
Correct amps to what your cutting(blow back)?
As justme said it better to cut clean than dirty,also if your doing a piercing cut start with the torch at an angle say 30 to 45 degre then move it up once your through

 

[rikrobson]

I have an eastwood machine and it all down to technique (i burnt the electrode & nozzle when i first got it because the air line has come off, yup my fault).
You need to let the heat disipate into the workpiece and not let it dwell in the nozzle. also make sure you have enough air flow as this is part of cooling the nozzle/electrode. also make sure the post air flow is working correctly as this cools the tip and you are not exceeding the duty cycle of the tip