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www.strata.co.nz
ADVANCECUT 65
Tips & Tricks
Air Regulator Pressure Adjustment
Correct air pressure is critical for plasma cutting. In-
correct air pressure will cause poor cut quality, lack of
cutting power, damage to the plasma torch and con-
sumables and potentially damage the power source.
Optimum air pressure is between 0.45 and 0.5 MPa
(65-75psi). Air pressure should be set with the air
flowing through the torch, as the pressure with the air
flowing will normally be less than static pressure, due
to flow losses through the torch system. To unlock
the pressure regulator knob in order to adjust it, pull
the knob upwards. Once the pressure is set correctly,
push the knob down again to lock it into place.
Air Filter/ Water Separator
As with correct air pressure, clean, dry air is also
critical for plasma cutting machine performance and
reliability. The ADVANCECUT 65 is supplied with an
air filtration/ moisture separator to assist with pro-
viding suitable air supply. The moisture separator is
self-draining, the water drain tube exits out the bot-
tom of the clear condensate bowl. It is normal to see
moisture coming from this tube periodically. If exces-
sive amounts of water or oil are being produced in the
condensate bowl and drain line, the compressed air
supply should be checked for issues.
Pilot Arc System
The ADVANCECUT 65 use a pilot arc system to estab-
lish the main cutting arc. A pilot arc system is a circuit
where the return is back through the torch head and
cable. This means it can create a small arc with some
cutting power without making any electrical connec-
tion with the main machine earth. This is especially
useful for starting cuts on material that does not have
a good initial earth connection, such as paint, rust,
scale.
Once the pilot arc is established and power is flowing
back through the main earth, the pilot arc is switched
off and the main arc started. Please note the pilot
arc circuit is only designed to operate for short peri-
ods of time as an auxiliary starting system, so it has
a safety protection that only allows the pilot arc to
run for short periods at a time. In addition to this,
these models also have a plot arc controller system
if the main arc cuts out and the torch remains to be
triggered, the pilot arc will reignite. This is useful for
cutting discontinuous workpieces like mesh or grids.
It is very important to recognise that plasma torch
consumables wear as part of normal operation and
should be replaced in a timely manner. Operating a
torch with worn consumables will cause poor cutting
results and possible damage to the torch and ma-
chine itself. Damage caused by untimely replacement
of consumables will not be covered by warranty.
Use the following guidelines to determine when con-
sumables should be replaced:
Cutting Tips:
The cutting tip has a small calibrated
orifice that the plasma passes through. If the orifice
becomes partially blocked, deformed or enlarged, the
cutting tip should be replaced.
Electrodes:
The electrode has a small silver ‘hafnium’
insert in the end of the tip. This is what generates the
plasma ions. Once the hafnium insert is gone or is
damaged the tip must be replaced.
Swirl Ring/Retaining Cap:
These should be replaced
if broken, chipped, cracked or badly heat damaged.
Tips and electrodes:
These should wear reasonably
evenly and it is normal practice to replace them both
together. If a new tip is inserted with a worn elec-
trode the tip will wear much more quickly than if the
electrode was also replaced at that same time. If tips
or electrodes are wearing much faster than the other
component it is likely to be caused by one of the fol-
lowing: poor operator technique, incorrect air supply
or damaged torch head.
It is also very important to only use genuine Strata
consumables and parts for the XT4000 torch. They
are engineered to suit the machine and non-genuine
items may cause lack of performance, short life span,
torch and machine damage and void warranty.
Duty Cycle Rating
Cutting duty cycle is the percentage of actual cutting
time that can occur in a ten minute cycle. E.g. 20%
at 40 amps - this means the plasma cutter can oper-
