Hypertherm XPR170 - Non-Ferrous (Stainless Steel and Aluminum) Processes; Table 28 - Available Non-Ferrous Processes by Gas Connect Console Type and Gas Type; Table 29 - Process Recommendations for Cut Quality, Based on Metal Thickness and Type

Operation
6
220 810060 Instruction Manual XPR170
Aluminum
HyDefinition (HDi)
vented processes
In addition to high-quality stainless steel cuts (refer to Stainless steel on page 219), the N
2
and mixed-fuel gas HyDefinition consumables can be used to produce high quality cuts on
aluminum.
HyDefinition
mixed-fuel gas
processes
OptiMix-equipped systems let operators use mixed-fuel gas processes for aluminum
cutting.
The OptiMix gas connect console has a 3-gas mixer that mixes H
2
, Ar, N
2
. The cutting
system chooses an optimized combination of 3 gases or 2 gases (H
2
, Ar) based on the
thickness of the metal to be cut.
HyDefinition vented
water injection
processes
VWI processes use a low flow rate of water through the shield line (instead of shield gas).
A process that uses water as a shield fluid is sometimes known as a “wet” process.
For aluminum, wet processes generally produce a smoother edge than “dry” processes.
Additionally, VWI lets operators get:
• A sharp top edge of the cut
• A smooth cut edge
• Excellent cut-edge angularity