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density of a plasma arc to the range of 40,000 to 60,000 amps per square inch.
This is a major increase over the conventional plasma energy density of 12,000 to 20,000 amps per square inch. Recent breakthroughs in conventional oxygen and nitrogen plasma technology have enabled the development of HyDefinition plasma systems that produce dramatic cutting improvements over previous systems on thin materials.
Increased Energy Density
The innovations mentioned above combined to allow the increasing energy density of the HyDefinition system to the required range of 40,000 to 60,000 amps per square inch. It has also yielded consumable life spans in the range of 600 to 1,200 starts. This process effectively eliminates the cut quality problems that have always plagued plasma cutting processes in the thin (3/8" (10 mm) and below) material range.
Consumable Life.
Before production release of HyDefinition systems it was necessary to perform extensive laboratory testing of both consumable life and cut quality.
Typically, consumable wear on conventional plasma systems results in a fairly linear degradation of cut quality to the point where cut quality is no longer acceptable. As the consumables wear, cut angularity becomes less uniform, and more dross tends to form. It may also be necessary to change cutting parameters to compensate for this wear. It is also normal for conventional consumables not to wear evenly-the electrode will usually wear twice as fast as the nozzle in an oxygen system, for instance.
Test results with the HyDefinition plasma have shown that consumable wear does not have this linear quality effect on the cut parts. In fact, cut quality remains relatively constant throughout the consumable life range, allowing for much better repeatability of cut part tolerances. Nozzles and electrodes will wear on a 1 to 1 basis, making consumables management easier. |
