Get the most out of your cartridges

How often it is necessary to change the cartridge on your hand torch relates to many factors.

• Gas supply quality
  • It is extremely important to keep the gas supply line clean and dry.
  • Oil, water, vapor, and other contamination in the gas supply can decrease cut quality and cartridge life.
  • Refer to Gas supply source and Add more gas filtration.
• Cutting technique
  • Whenever possible, start cuts from the edge of the workpiece. This helps to extend the life of the cartridge. Refer to Start a cut from the workpiece edge.
  • Use the correct piercing method for the thickness of the workpiece that you are cutting. In many conditions, a rolling pierce method is an efficient way to pierce the workpiece while you decrease the cartridge wear that naturally occurs during piercing. Refer to Pierce a workpiece for an explanation of the straight pierce and rolling pierce methods and when to use each.
• Thickness of the workpiece being cut
  • In general, the thicker the workpiece being cut, the more quickly the cartridges become worn. For best results, 80% of the workpieces that you cut should be equal to or less than the thickness specified for this system and cartridge. Refer to Recommended cut capacity.
  • In general, do not cut material that is thicker than what is specified for this system and cartridge.
• Expanded metal cutting and pilot arc time
  • Expanded metal has a slotted or mesh pattern. Cutting expanded metal wears out cartridges more quickly because it requires a continuous pilot arc. A pilot arc occurs when the torch is fired but the plasma arc is not in contact with the workpiece.
  • Fire the torch only when necessary to keep pilot arc time to a minimum.
  • Frequent pilot arcs cause the nozzle in the cartridge to wear more quickly. You can see the cumulative pilot arc time for a cartridge using the Hypertherm Cartridge Reader kit (528083).
• Arc stretch when cutting
  • To get maximum cartridge life, only stretch the arc when it is necessary.
  • Drag the torch on the workpiece whenever possible.
  • Refer to Guidelines for hand torch cutting.