Metal cutting - oxyfuel cutting, plasma cutting, machining, grinding, and other preparatory work.
Oddjob83
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    Sun Aug 25, 2013 4:41 pm
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    Ontario Canada

So my shop has a 4x8 Plasma Table coming in 3 months or so. We were going with a PM85, I understood what that unit was all about so there weren't going to be any surprises or confusion. But at the last second we went with a Thermadyne Cutmaster A80 (witch is the model they guy said over the phone) to save a couple hundred dollars. I can only find the Cutmaster 82 on their site though.

Anyways, they seem to list the same specifications for their 220v unit as they do for their 3phase 600v unit. And i cannot make positive sense of their duty cycles. The PM85 seems pretty clear

PM85: http://www.hypertherm.com/en/Products/H ... ax85.jsp#1
Duty cycle @ 40°C (104°F)
CSA
60% @ 85 A, 230 – 600 V, 3-PH
60% @ 85 A, 480 V, 1-PH
50% @ 85 A, 240 V, 1-PH
50% @ 85 A, 200 – 208 V, 3-PH
40% @ 85 A, 200 – 208 V, 1-PH
100% @ 66 A, 230 – 600 V, 1/3-PH
CE
60% @ 85 A, 380/400 V, 3-PH
100% @ 66 A, 380/400 V, 3-PH

CM82: http://victortechnologies.com/thermaldy ... D=1-1131-5
Duty Cycle (@ 40 deg C)
40% @ 80A
60% @ 65A
100% @ 55A
Amperage Draw
72A @230V, 1Ph
39A @230V, 3Ph
21A @460V, 3Ph

Also they have the same Severance cut of 1-1/2" but their recommended is a 1/4" off. 3/4" for the CM82 and 1" for the PM85. For what i am using it for both will work. I am just trying to understand how they are laying out the data in different formats, as the Hyperthem would suggest using 3ph increases your duty cycle over 1ph, but no reference to the phase on they thermaldyne.
Last edited by Oddjob83 on Thu Jan 02, 2014 9:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
noddybrian
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    Thu Jan 24, 2013 12:13 pm

Why would you not be getting the Hypertherm for a few bucks difference ? ! makes no sense - the Hypertherm has a great reputation - the recent videos of some of their factory facilities shows their attention to quality / reliability / customer satisfaction that should make you want to buy from them - I assume the Cutmaster is badged in the US & built in China ? !

As to duty cycle - in the UK usually a machine is either single phase 240 volt or 3phase 440 volt - not both - so models are built to provide the same specification on either supply ( if possible due to line current limitations ) - perhaps the Cutmaster is like that - so the duty cycles are identical - whereas the Hypertherm if it can run on a variety of voltages will draw higher & higher currents from the supply the lower the supply voltage - as the electronics see more current they will I assume get hotter quicker - thus causing this sliding scale of duty cycle based on supply line voltage - could be wrong - but it makes sense - hopefully you'll be happy with your setup when it arrives.
Oddjob83
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    Sun Aug 25, 2013 4:41 pm
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well I'll be honest, i was looking at the wrong unit. After talking with the guy over the phone and not being able to sleep last night i found the proper manual. same duty cycles as the hypertherm. Went with the Thermaldyne while trying to scrape a $1000 off the price of the table. after getting the proper info, Turns out it can run up to 100amps, I am happy with it.

After talking with a bunch of companies that make plasma tables, not all of them are 100% Hypertherm supporters, they do sell their product, they just aren't exclusive supporters of their products. I try to keep an open mind on these things. As there is a lot of misinformation about hyperhterm out there as there is real facts. Pirate4x4 forums have a bunch of threads with misinformation in them, but luckily for hypertherm they have a representative that is a member there dispelling misinformation.

Edit: ok so after getting a runaround from my boss, now he wants to add router capabilities, and now we are looking at another company (sigh). We have decided to go with the hypertherm unit PM85, that is if we stick to our original plan.

We will be going to look at Axyz International Tables in Toronto tomorrow. this whole endeavor has been giving me a headache and anxiety. Hopefully we end up with something i can actually use as opposed to something that is built tough and takes me a year to figure out.

EDIT/Update: Well looks like we are getting the table i wanted just need to fill out some info for the company over the weekend, and it should all be in the works by Monday when they get a check. now that is finally happening, I'm not as excited as i was before each let down prior to now. I am sure when it gets here I'll wetting my self with anticipation, (metaphorically) >_>
Arizona SA200
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    Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:28 pm
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What will you be using the machine for? If it is tight tolerances on heavy plate I dont think you will be happy. This especially applies when piercing heavy plate. this will leave you a blow hole the same way an OA torch does. Ive run two tables with machines that are rated to cut 1 inch or better and the tolerances are not very tight. If its heavy plate you would be better off with a laser or water jet.
I stack dimes for a living so i can stack dollars for a paycheck.
Jason_alex
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    Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:41 pm

Arizona SA200 wrote:What will you be using the machine for? If it is tight tolerances on heavy plate I dont think you will be happy. This especially applies when piercing heavy plate. this will leave you a blow hole the same way an OA torch does. Ive run two tables with machines that are rated to cut 1 inch or better and the tolerances are not very tight. If its heavy plate you would be better off with a laser or water jet.
Heavy plate laser is not the best option in my opinion either, if you are talking about 1"+ do you have any idea on how many watts that will take to cut? I would guess that laser would run mid 6 figures. Where a water jet is great except the fact it is so slow. If tolerance is important you might want to take a look High-Definition plasma. (If tolerance are that tight)
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