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I have a new Spectrum 375 and am unclear on what amperage setting to use for various thicknesses of material. The chart in the owners manual is absolutely useless for determining what output amperage to use. It seems to cut equally well no matter where I set the amperage. Common sense tells me that thicker metal requires more amperage but it would be nice to have a chart that gives you a starting point such as usually comes with a welder.
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bitternut -
Well bitternut,
You are right. Common sense says higher amps for thicker material. With that in mind, your unit is rated around .375". This is at approx 10"/min travel speed which is identified on pg 11 of the manual and there is a chart on page 18 that shows the thickness of material and travel speed. If you choose to stay at the 10 IPM, and if you are cutting say...3/16, you would reduce the amperage by half. Or if you leave the amps up to max, you can travel a bunch faster. There is no real right or wrong. Just adjust your cutting speed to where you are comfortable and then adjust the amps till you get a clean cut. Too much amperage is overkill and will wear the tips out faster.
Welcome to the site and happy cutting.
Andy -
Thanks Andy......I think I understand. Cut at a comfortable speed for yourself and start on the low amp side. Adjust amps up if need be or go a little slower. That way your tips and electrodes will last longer. Looks like a little bit of a learning curve to get it optimized right away.bitternutComment
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