Home
Cleaning and inspection schedule
Tasks for one-day intervals
Maintenance for torch and consumable parts
Examine the electrode for emitter wear
Emitter wear can indicate when to replace the electrode. Increasing the number of starts and the arc-on time can cause the emitter to wear more quickly. Emitter wear can cause the cut quality to decrease. Your cut-quality requirements will indicate when to replace the electrode.

Safety information
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
Warranty
Before you begin
Cleaning and inspection schedule
- Cleaning and inspection schedule for preventive maintenance
  The cleaning and inspection schedule for plasma cutting systems shows the intervals of preventive maintenance tasks.
- Tasks for one-day intervals
  - Do a test of the inlet pressures
    While the gas flows, do a test of gas pressures in preflow, cutflow, and pierceflow modes to find if the incoming gas pressure is in a range that complies with the inlet-pressure requirements for your cutting system.
  - Examine the gas regulators
    Before cutting system operation, examine the regulators on the supply gases to make sure that the pressures and flow rates are correct. Adjust the regulators on the supply gases, if necessary.
  - Examine the shield-water regulator (if applicable)
    Before cutting system operation, examine the regulator on the shield water supply to make sure that the pressure and flow rate are correct. Adjust the regulator on the water supply, if necessary.
  - Examine the air filter
  - Examine the connections between the system components
  - Examine the coolant condition and level
    Examine the coolant condition and level in the plasma cutting system. Replace the coolant if you find copper pieces or debris or if the coolant is clear and not the original pink color. Add coolant if the level is low.
  - Maintenance for torch and consumable parts
    - Remove the torch and consumable parts
      It can be necessary to remove the torch and consumable parts for replacement, maintenance, or troubleshooting.
    - Examine the water tube and torch
    - Examine the consumable parts
      Examine and clean consumable parts of the XPR® plasma cutting system, look for signs of damage and correct lubrication of O-rings. Replace any consumable parts that have signs of damage and make sure that all components are clean before assembly.
    - Examine the electrode for emitter wear
      Emitter wear can indicate when to replace the electrode. Increasing the number of starts and the arc-on time can cause the emitter to wear more quickly. Emitter wear can cause the cut quality to decrease. Your cut-quality requirements will indicate when to replace the electrode.
    - Examine the torch receptacle
      Damage on the torch receptacle, especially on the O-ring and the receptacle body, can decrease system performance.
    - Install the torch in the torch receptacle
      Make sure that the torch is correctly installed in the torch receptacle.
  - Examine the torch lead
    Examine the torch lead for signs of damage or loose connections. Make sure that the torch lead obeys bend-radius requirements in the instruction manual that came with your cutting system.
- Tasks for one-week intervals
- Tasks for one-month intervals
- Tasks for six-month intervals – coolant maintenance
Component-replacement schedule
Record your cutting-system information

Examine the electrode for emitter wear

Emitter wear can indicate when to replace the electrode. Increasing the number of starts and the arc-on time can cause the emitter to wear more quickly. Emitter wear can cause the cut quality to decrease. Your cut-quality requirements will indicate when to replace the electrode.

This image shows an example new electrode and approximate locations of the electrode pit, hafnium emitter, and electrode face. — Figure 1. Example of a new electrode

Note:

If an electrode needs replacement because of emitter wear, always replace the nozzle at the same time as the electrode. Use the electrode torque tool (429013) to correctly tighten the electrode.

Examine the electrode pit diameter for these conditions:
1. If the diameter extends beyond the hafnium, replace the electrode and nozzle.
2. If you see a non-symmetrical, rough-edged pit and rough-surfaced electrode face, replace the electrode and nozzle.

Use an electrode pit-depth gauge to measure the pit depth on the electrode.

A pit-depth gauge is available from Hypertherm®.

This image shows how to measure pit depth.

Note:

The electrode shown is not to scale.

Replace the electrode and nozzle if your pit-depth measurement is outside of these guidelines:


Electrode amperage	Replacement pit depth ¹	Description
< 130 A	≥ 1 mm (0.04 in)	In general, for electrodes less than 130 A, replace the electrode when the pit depth is 1 mm (0.04 in) or more.
≥ 130 A and < 220 A	≥ 1.25 mm (0.05 in)	In general, for electrodes more than or equal to 130 A and less than 220 A, replace the electrode when the pit depth is 1.25 mm (0.05 in) or more.
≥ 220 A	≥ 1.5 mm (0.06 in)	In general, for electrodes more than or equal to 220 A, replace the electrode when the pit depth is 1.5 mm (0.06 in) or more.
¹ Based on your cut-quality requirements, it can be necessary to replace your electrode at a pit depth that is shallower or deeper than these guidelines.