What is so wrong with Miller plasmas?

[storts]

Please

Hi All

Been reading this great forum for a while but this is 1st post.

We just love our Dynasty 300 and when we decided to buy a plasma, Miller was the obvious route. As has been mentioned by others before, Miller dealers all seem to want to sell Hypertherm.

We need to cut some reasonably thick stuff and hate underpowered equipment, so have looked at and tried Hypertherm 1250 (good but too expensive), Cutmaster 101 (good but uninspiring with cheap switchgear), Lincoln 100 (cuts well, cheap switchgear and made in Italy ..mmm) and of course the Miller 3080 (now discontinued but seems to cut well and reassuringly built like a Miller in the US).

We think we are going to go for the new 3080 as we can get a fabulous deal but lots of people say buy the Hypertherm instead. Before we commit ourselves, what is so wrong with the Miller plasma machines? We know the argument about all Hypertherm do is make plasma cutters but if there is a problem which would stop someone buying such a plasma it has to be either

quality of cut
reliability
parts availability
consumables cost

Sorry this post is a bit long but this is an expensive & important purchase for us.

Thanks for your thoughts

DONT!!!! buy a miller plasma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you can thank me later....Jack

[timw]

jolane

I have the 625 and it kind of did the same thing. I removed the cover (they need a few more screws in it) and there is an automatic water drain line that exits at the rear bottom corner. It's about a 1/4" plastic line. I found that if I unplug the air and plug it back in the diaphragm will reseat and stop leaking.
I've had mine for over a year and I am very happy with it. It does much more than I expected. I only use my O/A torch for heating now and I can't help but think of all the cutting I have done through the years and how the Plasma would have made my life easier. For example the hundreds of 3/8" button head stainless steel rivets that I cut using an air chisel.

[ASKANDY]

Jack,
Nothing wrong with a MILLER plasma. Now 8-10 years ago I wouldn't have one and actually owned a different brand. I use what works and now that the Miller plasma group engineers have cought up with the rest of Miller's engineers, our plasma line has done extremely well and our power units are considered some of the top in the industry with other companies copying our stuff to the point where we are enforcing our patents rights.

Good luck!

Andy

[Scott V]

I feel at this point Thermal-Dynamics really has did a good Job with the one torch. Here is my point on that. I have a older Pakmaster 38 XL that had a real hard time cutting through 3/8 MS. I went a head a put a one torch on it today. The same torch fits my Cutmaster 101 with the machine torch. All the consumables are interchangable from the SL60 and SL100 torch.

This torch made the little XL on a 30 amp 120 volt circuit sever .750 MS
This torch will do a great job on most machines. It also made the XL a quick change unit. I am sure Hyperthem is wondering how to catch up with this setup.
See Thermal has a few patents of their own. The start cartridge of the Hypertherm is not under patents anymore. So Thermal took that and made their torch work with hi freg like the 38 XL or high voltage start. The torch does not care. The whole setup is really slick. The consumables will handle 100 amps so you know the electrode is hardly working at 29 amps.

[jolane]

Thanks TimW! It sounds though that maybe my problem is slightly different, i don't know? I have tried unplugging the air source, and then replugging it in, but that did not help. The only way I can make it stop leaking during a session of using it (I have to turn it off and unplug it if I want to TIG something) is to use it, and after a few cuts, it stops. Once I turn the power of and then back on, it seems to leak again if allowed to cool between power down.
What did you end up doing with yours? Has it been fixed since that first time you unplugging the air and plugged it back in?
Otherwise though, I think it is more machine than I expected. I really did not know what to expect, but what I got was much more. I really like the gouging with it. Oh how many times I could have used a machine like this over the air hammer/chisel, sheet metal cutters, grinder, etc. What has taken me 2-3 hours before could be done in 10-20 minutes with this thing. I definitely need to practice though. I have a hard time following a line and getting a nice cut. It will come with time though.
Thanks Again,
Joshua

[HAWK]

Scott V,

I like the TA plasmas and used to own a couple. The last one I had was an older Pak Master 100. It had the new Sure Lok Torch at the time and did a decent job. However, like Andy, I use what works. After using the new Miller 2050 55 amp machine and getting clean 3/4 cuts running from my Trailblazer and 1" cuts on 240VAC utility power I sold everything else. There may be some torches I like better, but the 2050 55 amp and the HT torch is a nice combo. Do you know if the new TA torches will fit the 2050?

[imported_Slag]

Is the ICE-55c torch that comes with the 2050 a HT torch?

HAWK, Do you have the ICE-55c?

[ASKANDY]

Yes.
The torches on all our plasmas are HT. We build some powersources for them and they provide us with torches. It's a good marriage

a-

[jeffscarstrucks]

Hi Andy and welcome back. When you say that Miller does build some power sources for HT do you mean in a component form or are some of their units rebadged Miller units? I'm not really looking for specific models but I knew that I had read that miller and HT had more than a passing interest in each other. I posted an answer earlier in this thread that was obviously to broad but I have been wondering about this ever since. Thanks, Jeff......and I do really like my 625!

[ASKANDY]

Might get in trouble for this but...
reboxed in their cases with their part #s

a-

[jeffscarstrucks]

Thanks, I hope I didn't open up Pandora's Box for you!, JEFF

[imported_Harold]

Andy

Can't imagine getting in trouble for that but... then again what do I know. Have read about that myself on a few other boards. For what it's worth I'm just a rank hobbiest but love my 625; especially after Rocky D drove up here and spent an afternoon showing me the ins and outs of how to use it. Thanks again Rocky. Must admit I like my MM210 and SD180 also but best of all is the Dynasty 200 DX. If I could only keep two units it would be the Dynasty 200 DX and the Spectrum 625. Harold

[fun4now]

Harold

you can send the rest to me

[Scott V]

Scott V,

I like the TA plasmas and used to own a couple. The last one I had was an older Pak Master 100. It had the new Sure Lok Torch at the time and did a decent job. However, like Andy, I use what works. After using the new Miller 2050 55 amp machine and getting clean 3/4 cuts running from my Trailblazer and 1" cuts on 240VAC utility power I sold everything else. There may be some torches I like better, but the 2050 55 amp and the HT torch is a nice combo. Do you know if the new TA torches will fit the 2050?

Hawk,
The new torch is like night and day over the older Sureloc models on the pak 100 machines. As soon as Thermal made the one torch, they swapped out every machine (100 amps and less) they made with that one. They knew they had a winner.

I sure like the way the torch starts over the 3050 Miller I ran at the show.
It could of been the machine or consumables but it did not jump to the plate like I am used too. It cut fine once going.


The adapter kit is #7-3457. I bought mine for about $26.00. I also bought the ATC adapter($41.00) for the quick change ATC style torch. You can go with the adapter and the non ATC style. The torches were around $275.00 for the non ATC and $335.00 for the ATC style back-end.

[Scott V]

Might get in trouble for this but...
reboxed in their cases with their part #s

a-

About two years ago ZachV posted a letter from the President of Hyperthrem. Zach dug really deep. The president said the 190/380/600 models were made by Miller, so Hypertherm could free up stuff to develop their larger machines. You have to give the guy credit for standing up and telling the truth. I would of bought their machine just for that reason.

The Hobart Board deleted it really fast. They cannot change the fact the cats out of the bag. Anyway, at least Andy is a straight up guy. That goes farther in my book then about any product mombo gombo stuff the bean counters put out!!!