ESAB Cutmaster 80 - 03 General Cutting Information

ESAB CUTMASTER 80
 OPERATION Manual0-5396
4T-2
Bevel Angle
The angle between the surface of the cut edge and
a plane perpendicular to the surface of the plate.
A perfectly perpendicular cut would result in a 0°
bevelangle.
Top - Edge Rounding
Rounding on the top edge of a cut due to wearing
from the initial contact of the plasma arc on the
workpiece.
Bottom Dross Buildup
Molten material which is not blown out of the cut area
andresolidiesontheplate.Excessivedrossmay
require secondary cleanup operations after cutting.
Kerf Width
Thewidthofthecut(orthewidthofmaterialremoved
during the cut).
Top Spatter (Dross)
Top spatter or dross on the top of the cut caused by
slowtravelspeed,excesscuttingheight,orcutting
tipwhoseoricehasbecomeelongated.
4T.03 General Cutting Information
!
WARNING
Disconnect primary power at the
source before disassembling the
powersupply,torch,ortorchleads.
FrequentlyreviewtheImportant
Safety Precautions at the front of
this manual. Be sure the operator is
equippedwithpropergloves,cloth-
ing,eyeandearprotection.Make
sure no part of the operator’s body
comes into contact with the work-
piecewhilethetorchisactivated.
!
CAUTION
Sparks from the cutting process can
causedamagetocoated,painted,
andothersurfacessuchasglass,
plastic and metal.
NOTE!
Handle torch leads with care and
protect them from damage.
Piloting
Piloting is harder on parts life than actual cutting
because the pilot arc is directed from the electrode
to the tip rather than to a workpiece.  Whenever
possible,avoidexcessivepilotarctimetoimprove
parts life.
Torch Standoff
Improper standoff (the distance between the torch tip
andworkpiece)canadverselyaffecttiplifeaswellas
shieldcuplife.Standoffmayalsosignicantlyaffect
thebevelangle.Reducingstandoffwillgenerally
result in a more square cut.
Edge Starting
Foredgestarts,holdthetorchperpendiculartothe
workpiece with the front of the tip near (not touching)
the edge of the workpiece 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.
Direction of Cut
Inthetorches,theplasmagasstreamswirlsasit
leaves thetorchtomaintainasmoothcolumnof
gas. This swirl effect results in one side of a cut be-
ing more square than the other. Viewed along the
directionoftravel,therightsideofthecutismore
square than the left.
Right Side
Cut Angle
Left Side
Cut Angle
A-00512
Side Characteristics Of Cut
To make a square - edged cut along an inside
diameterofacircle,thetorchshouldmovecoun-
terclockwise around the circle. To keep the square
edgealonganoutsidediametercut,thetorchshould
travelinaclockwisedirection.
Dross
Whendrossispresentoncarbonsteel,itiscom-
monlyreferredtoaseither“highspeed,slowspeed,
or top dross”. Dross present on top of the plate is
normally caused by too great a torch to plate dis-
tance."Topdross"isnormallyveryeasytoremove