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ADVANCECUT 65
Piercing Technique
1. To start a pierce, tilt the torch
to prevent molten material from coming
back against and damaging the torch.
2. When the arc breaks
through the work, bring the
torch to an upright position
and proceed to cut
NOTE: Keep moving while cutting. Cut at a steady
speed without pausing. Maintain the cutting speed so
that the arc lag is 10° to 20° behind the travel direc-
tion. Use a 5° - 15° leading angle in the direction of
the cut.
Operating Techniques
1.
Piercing
- Materials (up to 3.2mm/1/8in. thick)
may be pierced with the torch touching the
work. When piercing thicker materials (up to
4.8mm stainless or carbon steel) at an angle,
position the torch 0.5mm (.02”) above the work
piece.
It is advisable when piercing thicker materials to
drill a small pilot/starting hole in the work piece
which makes it a lot easier and gives increased
tip life. Start the cutting arc, then immediately
raise the torch to 1.6mm (1/16”) stand-off and
move the torch along the cut path. This will re-
duce the chance of spatter from entering the
torch and prevent the possibility of welding
the tip to the plate. The torch should be angled
at about 30° when starting to pierce, and then
straightened after accomplishing the pierce.
Cutting Speed Guide
Material
Thickness
Cutting Speed
(mm) (mm/s)
1.6
150
3.2
50
6.4
20
1.6
140
3.2
40
6.4
15
1.6
190
3.2
85
6.4
30
Stainless
Steel
(AISI 304)
Aluminium
(6061)
Carbon
Steel
(AISI 1020)
2.
Grate Cutting
- For rapid restarts, such as grate
or heavy mesh cutting, do not release the torch
switch. This avoids the 2 second pref-low por-
tion of the cutting cycle.
3.
Edge Starting
- For edge starts, hold the torch
perpendicular to the work piece with the front of
Note: The speeds given here are typical for best qual-
ity cuts. Your actual speeds may vary depending on
material composition, surface condition, operator
technique, etc. If cutting speed is too fast, you may
lose the cut. With slower speeds excessive dross may
accumulate. If speed is too slow, the arc may extin-
guish. Air cutting typically produces a rough face on
stainless steel and aluminium.
the tip near (not touching) the edge of the work
piece at the point where the cut is to start. When
starting at the edge of the plate, do not pause at
the edge and force the arc to ‘reach’ for the edge
of the metal.
Establish the Cutting Arc as Quickly as
Possible.
4. Drag Cutting
- Position torch tip slightly above
work piece, press torch switch and lower torch
tip forward work piece until contact is made and
cutting arc is established. After cutting arc is es-
tablished, move the torch in the desired direction
keeping the torch tip slightly angled, maintain-
ing contact with the work piece. Avoid moving
too fast as would be indicated by sparks radiat-
ing from the topside of the work piece. Move
the torch just fast enough to maintain sparks
concentration at the underside of the work piece
and making sure the material is completely cut
through before moving on. Adjust drag speed
as desired/ required.
