Plasma Cutter Sputtering: The 2 Most Common Causes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2022
- Voltage can play a major part in the performance of any plasma torch. Why? It’s because a low voltage would not give enough power or electricity to the torch to burn plasma unless you lower your machine’s amp setting. This happens to me in this video and I want to share with you why sometimes there’s a case of a plasma cutter sputtering or a plasma cutter not arcing as we expected. The thing is this can be caused, most of the time by low voltage issues.
In this video, I was testing my new plasma cutter and was about to cut up a metal plate. However, the plasma cutter is not working fine as the arc just sputters and creates a rapid-fire sound. So as part of my plasma cutter troubleshooting protocol, I changed the consumables in case they are malformed but still the plasma cutter is not arcing properly.
When I glanced at the amp the machine was set to and it was 55 amps and I thought there was nothing wrong with the amps. But then I remember my plasma cutter was hooked up to a transformer which was only 110 volts and that’s when I realized the plasma cutter was not working fine because of the low voltage source. The other day, I tested this new machine using my 110-voltage transformer to see how things go when it’s using low-voltage electricity and I forgot to put the plug back into my outlet which gives out 220-240 volts.
So the lesson from this video is simple. In case of plasma cutter sputtering, there’s no need to consider doing serious plasma cutter troubleshooting. What you must do is check the voltage first then the amps that your machine is set to. But using your plasma cutter on low voltage is not actually a problem. All you have to do is turn down your amps so that the electricity that your machine gets is just enough to put up the right amount to create the plasma.
In this scenario, you will realize that when your voltage is only up to 110 volts, the maximum amp your machine can do is also only up to 35 amps while if your voltage is 220-240 volts, you can set your machine up to 55 amps.
So the end of the story was when I plugged my plasma cutter back into my 220 volts outlet though the amps stayed at 55, the case of plasma cutter sputtering was gone. So if your plasma cutter is not working fine you should consider two possible causes first - voltage and amps and you might not need to think about doing plasma cutter troubleshooting as this can immediately solve the problem.
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Thanks for all the vids. Have learned quite a bit, Mate!
Ta
I bought a cheap dual voltage cutter from amazon. it runs far better on 240. It cuts way nicer even on the thinner stuff. I would imagine that the machine is running cooler on 240 as well. a 20 amp breaker should also be used when on 120 which I doubt most people do. Greetings from Canada.
Thanks for sharing
Now that I have a proper air tank for the job, I've been figuring out all the little hicups to get a steady machine. Consumables (all new), connectors loose (the pilot arc didn't actually clamp down on the lead from the factory! Fixed that with a conductive space), voltage, but it's on a 220 generator outlet, so that was fine. Air was beyond dry, have a few line dryers between the tank and the torch. Last bit when in doubt, check the machine. Sure enough, one loose screw that probably wobbled out in shipping or lax QA. Bam, back to work!
LOL yea mate always something
Thank you.. Pete you slove my problem from India mizoram. 👍
You are most welcome
gday pete. great video. i have the exact same unit as you. it arrived on Friday. i set it up and straight of the bat sputtering. i checked all is tight on the leads and all ok. so took the consumables apart and found electron was miss the small tube part inside. ok so changed it out with one of the spares all seemed good it did as it should. went to use it Sunday and back to spluttering and a very weak flame tip. you can hear it buzzing/clicking inside the unit. once i put it onto the steel it cuts but not very well. steel in 1/8th or 3mm its plugged into a 15A outlet . any ideas mate?
What voltage are you running .I found theses units don't like 110 volts.
Could the plasma cutter be used to make the bevel for welding later, on a three-quarter inch sheet, instead of using the angle grinder?
Hi mate this machine WONT CUT 3/4 INCH
@@petestools Hi pete, Excuse me, I did not mean cutting 3/4, I meant make a BEVEL, maybe in an angle of 30 degrees and 3/8 to 1/2 inch long ,,,,
Hello Pete, I purchased an identical machine as yours here in Australia and it is giving me the same sputtering problem. As we run on 240 Volts here, I feel voltage shouldn't be the problem. When I begin the cut the sputtering stops but the cut is extremely dirty with slag heaped up on both sides at the bottom of the cut. Also what seems to be happening is one side of the cut is square but the other side is almost at 40 odd degrees facing towards the center. I am also going through consumables like no tomorrow. I notice that in this video you appear to be dragging the head along the material you are cutting. I thought these cnc compatible machines where not supposed to be touching the material & where to be held aprox. a mm or two above the material. After watching this video I immediately went out to my shed & cut with the touch dragging/ resting on the plate but the initial sputtering was the same as well as the large build up of slag on the bottom. The cut was better with both sides basically at right angles to the cut but not much difference with the touch. Can you give me any other solution to this problem.
The closer you can get to the steel your cutting the less sputtering you will get. yes your not supposed to touch the steel but that's the only way to stop the sputtering . I think its a machine issue .
Fortunately my workshop has 220V. My Bestarc works just fine. I actually haven't tried it yet on 110V because I don't have to.
Nice
Is this another one that doesn't work on 110volt, all the best to you and your loved ones
yea sucks on 110 v
Because it looks like the torch that came with mine and I'm not sure which one I have
P- 80 Panasonic
I use 220v since I experience problems at 110v. USA
yes can understand that
Hey Pete and THANK YOU SO MUCH for your videos…you/they have been a great deal of help. The plasma cutter I just got BESTARC BTC500DP …this unit ALSO does NOT like 110v…it spits the same as your video and seems to recover some while cutting. The unit has been a pleasure to use on 220v and I’m very happy with it. I pray you success in all that you do.
Glad to help
Just got the BESTARC BTC500DP myself recently and it just struggles on 110v even set at 15 AMPs. Pulses...
I intend to use it on 220 anyway, but wanted to test it at 110v, while I rig up my shop 220v.
I bought a Prime Weld 50 amp and it did this straight iut of the box on 220V. Never could figure it out. I think Prime Weld is just junk. Guy wouldn't give me my money back.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the Prime Weld 50 amp. It's important for others to know about potential issues with certain products. Hopefully, the company will take note and work on improving their quality control. Your feedback is valuable!
Looks and sounds like some cheap FIREWORKS my kid bought 4th of July. LOL
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