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Shield-water requirements (VWI and OptiMix)
If you use water as a shield fluid, use the following water pressure requirements, flow requirements, and water-purity guidelines.

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Qualifications and Requirements
- Document requirements
- Operator qualifications
  A person is considered qualified to operate the cutting system if he or she is trained and knowledgeable about cutting system equipment construction, operation, and work methods, and about how to recognize and avoid hazards that can be present with certain cutting system equipment or work methods.
- Qualifications of service personnel
  It can be hazardous to do service and maintenance on industrial cutting systems and equipment.
- System electrical requirements
- Process-gas requirements for all gas connect consoles
  You must supply the process gases for your cutting system.
- Shield-water requirements (VWI and OptiMix)
  If you use water as a shield fluid, use the following water pressure requirements, flow requirements, and water-purity guidelines.
  - Plumbing and hose requirements for shield water
  - Additional regulator requirement for shield water when pressure is high
    Water pressure regulators are built into the VWI™ and OptiMix™ gas connect consoles.
  - Remove shield water from the gas connect console
    If your plasma cutting system uses shield water and is stored in ambient temperatures at or below 0ºC (32ºF), Hypertherm® recommends that you use these steps to remove shield water. These steps are for cutting systems that have a VWI™ or OptiMix™ gas connect consoles.
- Torque specifications for gas or water plumbing and hose connections
  For the best results, use the recommended torque specifications for plumbing and hose fittings.
- Coolant requirements
  Add the correct type and amount of coolant before you operate the plasma cutting system.
- Requirements to put system components in position
- Torch mounting bracket requirements
  Make sure to use a torch mounting bracket that obeys the requirements for XPR® torches.
- Torch lifter requirements
  Use a torch lifter that has the correct weight capacity for XPR® torches.
- CNC requirements for plasma cutting systems
  There are specific Computer Numerical Control (CNC) features that are necessary for integration with plasma cutting systems.
- Recommended grounding and shielding
  It is important to use grounding and shielding best practices when you set up a plasma cutting system. This can minimize problems related to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), or electrical noise.
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Shield-water requirements (VWI and OptiMix)

If you use water as a shield fluid, use the following water pressure requirements, flow requirements, and water-purity guidelines.

If you use water as a shield fluid, the temperature range for cutting system operation and storage decreases to 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F).

Table 1. Quality, pressure, and flow requirements for shield water
Quality¹	Minimum and maximum pressure	Flow rate required
Deionized water is not recommended to use as shield water. Deionized water will react with the copper components in the system and result in decreased life of components and consumables. Hypertherm® recommends that you contact a water-quality expert for guidance.	2.76 bar (40 psi) minimum 8.27 bar (120 psi) maximum	35 L/h (9.4 U.S. gal/h)
¹ Water that does not meet minimum purity specifications can cause unwanted deposits on the torch nozzle and shield. These deposits can alter the water flow and produce an unstable arc.

Table 2. Purity requirements for shield water
Particulate type	Purity requirement
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)	< 61 PPM
Calcium + magnesium	< 40 PPM
Silica	< 5 PPM
pH	6.5 - 8.0

Note:

A TDS meter identifies the concentration of dissolved ionized solids (such as salts and minerals) and their increase in electrical conductivity of a solution. A TDS meter is available from Hypertherm (Hypertherm Waterjet part number 1-13897).