Piercing 1" Steel !!! - Langmuir Systems Crossfire CNC - Hypertherm 85

I finally got to a project where I needed 1 inch mild steel. I have been wanting to try piercing 1 inch plate with the Hypertherm 85 on this table. On the 1" hole, I had my pierce delay set at 3.5 seconds, and you can tell it nearly used all of it. I also set a generous lead in distance so that I could edge-start the second part of the cut. I used a 0.12" torch standoff height on this cut instead of the standard 0.06". Surprisingly, no damage was done to the consumables. I ran this at a 6 IPM feed rate, and the results were beautiful!
(P.S.... sorry about the the low resolution video...)

[@blakewethington419]

Does piercing this thickness of plate from that close shorten the consumable life alot or is it insignificant? I am curious because I know the torch travels up and down in higher dollar cnc systems. I am really interested in the langmuir system though. How has it treated you

[@joshuazimmerman8631]

Piercing 1 inch steel isn't recommended in any book or chart. It dramatically shortens consumable life from any pierce height. The amount of metal that blows back is fairly crazy. When I pierce 1", I put in a set of wore consumables for the piercing, then swap to a fresher set for the cuts I care about. I also pierce from .125". As far as how the system treats me, I use it everyday and I have absolutely no complaints. It has been rock solid considering everything I have put it through. 😎

[@UnorthodoxFabrication]

cool, subbed for more.

[@joshuazimmerman8631]

I reuploaded this video in a higher resolution. But yeah, I've pierced 1 inch steel a number of times since this video. It's hard on consumables, but gets the job done! 👍