7.6 Torch Lead Assembly..............................................................30
1 Safety
1.1 Introduction
EtchArc Plasma Marker
ESAB arc marking products are designed to
provide both safety and efficiency in operation.
However, sensible attention to operating
procedures, precautions, and safe practices is
necessary to achieve a full measure of safety.
Whether an individual is involved with operation,
servicing, or as an observer, compliance with
established precautions and safe practices must be
accomplished. Failure to observe certain
precautions could result in serious injury to
personnel or severe damage to the equipment.
The following precautions are specific guidelines
applicable to the plasma marking process. More
general precautions are presented in the instruction
literature pertaining to the cutting machine.
SafetyPage 1
Section 1
1.2 General Safety Information
All personnel, materials, and equipment not
involved in the production process must be
kept clear of the entire system area. Only
qualified personnel should be allowed to
operate or service the equipment.
Read entirely through a procedure to become
familiar with the task before operating or
performing maintenance on any part of the
system. Special attention must be given to all
WARNINGS, CAUTIONS, and NOTES which
provide essential information regarding
personnel safety and/or possible damage to
equipment.
All safety precautions relevant to electrical
equipment and the process operations must
be strictly observed by all who have
responsibility or access to the system. DO
NOT touch the plasma marking torch during
operation. Do not operate any part of the
system with any of the protective covers
removed or electrical component boxes open.
Refer to all safety publicati ons made available
by your company.
Fence off the entire work cell to prevent
personnel from passing through the area or
standing within the working envelope of the
equipment. Post appropriate CAUTION signs
at every entrance to the work cell area.
Page 2Safety
1.3 Plasma Marking Precautions
1.3.1 Electrical Shock Prevention
EtchArc Plasma Marker
The plasma arc marking process employs high
voltages. High voltage can kill. Do NOT touch the
marking torch, cutting table or cable connections
during the plasma cutting process.
Electrical Shock Can Kill You!
• Always turn off power to the plasma power
supplies before touching or servicing a plasma
marking torch.
• Always turn off power to the plasma power
supplies before opening or servicing the plasma
power supply or interface box.
1.3.2 Eye Safety
• Do not touch live electrical parts.
• Keep all panels and covers in place when the
machine is connected to a power source.
• Insulate yourself from the workpiece and
electrical ground: wear insulating gloves, shoes
and clothing.
• Keep gloves, shoes, clothing, work area, and
this equipment dry.
Arc rays can injure eyes and burn skin.
To protect your eyes from burns caused by high
intensity ultraviolet light, sparks and hot metal :
• Do not look at the arc.
• Wear correct eye protection. Wear dark safety
glasses or goggles with side shields.
• Replace glasses/goggles when the lenses
become pitted or broken
• Warn other people in the area not to look
SafetyPage 3
Section 1
1.4 Skin Safety
directly at the arc unless they wear appropriate
safety glasses.
• Prepare the cutting area in a manner that
reduces the reflection and transmission of
ultraviolet light:
• Paint walls and other surfaces with dark colors
to reduce reflections.
• Install protective screens or curtains to reduce
ultraviolet transmission.
To protect skin against burns caused by high
intensity ultraviolet light, sparks and hot metal:
• Wear protective clothing:
1.5 Electrical Grounding
• Wear gauntlet gloves.
• Wear flame-retardant clothing which covers all
exposed areas.
• Wear cuffless trousers to prevent entry of
sparks and slag.
• Do not touch the torch when it is about to sta rt
or while marking. After marking, allow time for
the front of the torch to cool.
Electrical grounding is imperative for proper
machine operation as well as for SAFETY.
All ESAB Shape Cutting Machines must have a
good electrical connection to earth ground.
Page 4Safety
2 Introduction
2.1 Overview
EtchArc Plasma Marker
The EtchArc Plasma Marker is a constricted arc
plasma torch marking device. The plasma marker
is a low amperage plasma torch designed for high
accuracy line marking on metal plate. It produces
high quality, durable marks at speeds between 100
and 500 inches per minute. It can greatly enhance
production by performing plate layout and marking
with computer controlled accuracy and speed.
The plasma marking process is similar to the
plasma cutting process. However, rather than
making a cut into the plate, the low amperage
plasma arc merely marks the plate in the pattern
produced by the machine motion. Voltage height
control maintains a constant torch standoff for
consistent marking. This allows for high speed,
highly accurate pattern layout.
When the EtchArc Plasma Marker is used in
conjunction with ESAB’s Vision CNC, Dynamic
Current Control is used to precisely control width
and depth of marks by proportionally ramping
current up and down as the machine accellerates
and decelerates. This minimizes cratering or pitting
on starts, in corners, and at the end of the mark.
The Plasma Marker system is intended to be used
during an automatic cutting cycle. Accurate
positioning of the layout lines and marks depends
on using the automatic marker offsets executed by
the CNC during Automatic Mode. However, the
marker can be used manually for the purpose of
testing and setup.
For automatic operation the control will execute the
necessary steps, according to the part program, to
offset the torch, turn on the Automatic Height
Control, fire the torch, and begin marking.
For manual operation, all of these steps must be
performed by the operator.
IntroductionPage 5
Section 2
2.2 System Description
The Plasma Marking System consists of a modified
PCM-500i plasma power supply, a marker add-on
box, the marking torch, and Argon supply regulator.
The PCM-500i is an inverter power supply capable
of supplying 35 Amps. It is modified to interface
with a CNC, and the manual controls are disabled
to prevent accidental misadjustment.
The marker add-on box interfaces the marking
torch to the power supply, providing the necessary
electrical connections, pilot arc control, and
additional gas control.
The marking torch is designed for simplicity and
long consummable life. There are only three
consummable parts, the electrode, nozzle, and
shield cup. Argon cut gas provides long electrode
and nozzle life.
Page 6Introduction
3 Installation
3.1 Interface
EtchArc Plasma Marker
The EtchArc Plasma Marker system is designed to
be interfaced with any cutting machine controller via
the standard ESP open interface. This interface
provides an amphenol connector to which the
customer may connect the appropriate control
wiring.
The schematic below shows the standard ESP
open interface, as it must be used with the plasma
marking system. When interfacing with a control
other than the ESAB Vision CNC or Series 2000
CNC, the customer must provide the external
requirements shown below.
The control panel of the PCM-500i should be set
properly prior to marking operation. Check the
following items:
AIR TEST
position for normal operation.
TRIGGER LOCK
and has no effect.
CURRENT CONTROL
can be left in any position. Plasma Marking current
is controlled by the cutting machine CNC.
POWER
FAULT
- Place this switch in the OPERATE
- This switch is disconnected,
- The Current Control knob
- The Power On lamp should be on.
- The Fault lamp should be off.
SetupPage 9
Section 4
4.2 Gas Setup
The Plasma Marking System uses two compressed
gases for operation. Compressed air is used for
electrode cooling and shield gas, Argon is used as
the plasma gas. The plasma gas constricts the arc
as it exits through the nozzle orifice. The shield gas
creates a secondary shield around the arc, and
improves torch cooling.
Before operating the system, be sure to check the
gas pressure settings for both compressed gases.
The TEST/OPERATE switch on the front panel of
the PCM-500i allows the operator to preset the
pressure for both gases. Set this switch to the
TEST position to energize the solenoid valves for
both compressed air and Argon.
At the PCM-500i, adjust the Air Pressure Regulator
on the rear of the unit while obse rving the pressure
gauge on the front of the unit. Set the pressure to
90 PSI while the air is flowing.
The Argon pressure is adjusted at the separate
regulator panel mounted to the cutting machine.
While the Argon is flowing, set the pressure to 75
PSI.
When finished adjusting the gas pressures, set the
TEST/OPERATE switch back to the OPERATE
position.
Page 10Setup
4.3 CNC Setup
EtchArc Plasma Marker
The EtchArc plasma marker may be interfaced to
any cutting machine CNC. The following
parameters may or may not be supported by your
interface. Prior to plasma marking, check these
parameters, or their equivalents, at the machine
control:
Standoff
Initial Height
Marker Remote
Current
On the Vision CNC, this parameter adjusts the
actual cutting height (or arc voltage) that the torch
will maintain, after the arc has started.
Sets the distance to raise the torch after sensing
the plate. When VHC is turned on, the torch will
lower to the plate, then retract this distance before
starting the arc.
On the Vision CNC, this parameter sets the marking
current in Amperes.
Refer to Section 5 of this manual for the appropriate
values for each of these parameters.
Refer to the machine manual for detailed
instructions on how to change process parameter
settings.
SetupPage 11
Section 5
5 Process Data
The Etcharc Plasma Marker can produce marked
lines in a wide range of widths and depths, ranging
from poor to excellent quality. It can also operate
over a wide range of speeds. The operator must
balance these two factors based on the
requirements for a specific job.
The following pages provide process data for the
six different amperage settings. Each pa ge shows
the setup parameters for that amperage, and a
chart with marking speed range. From the chart,
the operator should select the speed setting based
on the quality of mark that can be accepted.
2. Slow travel speeds usually have top spatter on mark edges.
3. Width and depth of mark will vary slightly depending on measuring methods. This information is for
estimated results.
4. 100 and 200 inch per minute unusable.
Page 18Process Data
6 Maintenance
6.1 Routine Maintenance
EtchArc Plasma Marker
The Plasma Marking System consists of a PCM500i plasma power supply, a marker add-on box,
the marking torch, and Argon supply. Maintenance
of the PCM-500i plasma power supply is covered in
that unit’s instruction manual, form F15-296.
The following routine maintenance should be
performed on the plasma marker system.
• Inspect the supply hoses, torch leads, ground
cable, and interface cables for damage or wear
at least weekly.
• Inspect and clean the PCM-500i at least
monthly. The unit can be blown out using a
clean, dry gas source, such as compressed air
or nitrogen.
MaintenancePage 19
Section 6
6.2 System Interface
The schematic below shows the electrical interface
of the components in the add-on box with the
PCM-500i. Refer to the PCM-500i Instruction
Manual for detailed schematics of the power supply
The Pilot Arc Relay, K1, is wired to the 120 VAC
input to the High Voltage Transformer, so that it
energizes at the same time as the high frequency
spark.
The Gas Solenoid Valve, GSV, is wired in parallel
with the PCM-500i’s solenoid valve.
The Pressure Switch, PS, is wired in series with the
PCM-500i’s flow switch.
Page 20Maintenance
6.3 Pressure Switch Adjustment
EtchArc Plasma Marker
The plasma gas pressure switch is a normally
opened, adjustable pressure switch. The switch
closes when sufficient pressure is applied.
If replaced, this switch must be adjusted properly,
according to the following procedure.
1. Remove the cover from the add-on box on the
side of the PCM-500i.
2. Disconnect and isolate the two wires from the
pressure switch.
3. Connect an Ohm meter between the common
and normally open contacts of the pressure
switch.
4. Apply main power to the PCM-500i power
supply.
5. Turn on the power switch on the rear panel of
the PCM-500i.
6. Open the regulator at the Argon supply, and
adjust to 75 PSI.
7. Place the TEST/OPERATE switch in the TEST
position. The solenoid valves will energize, and
gases will start flowing.
8. Adjust the Argon supply regulator from 75 PSI
down to 60 PSI.
9. Adjust the knurled knob on the pressure switch
until the contacts just close at 60 PSI, indicated
by zero Ohms on the meter.
10. Re-adjust the Argon supply regulator to 75 PSI.
11. Power down the unit.
12. Re-connect the wires to the pressure switch.
13. Place the TEST/OPERATE switch in the
OPERATE position.
MaintenancePage 21
Section 7
7 Replacement Parts
7.1 General Information
This section provides replacement parts information
and will assist the service/repair person when
performing maintenance on the system.
The four column parts list for each figure is
arranged to show the assembly relationship of parts
and subassemblies. Information given in each of
these columns is as follows:
Column 1, ITEM: Lists each index number found
on the illustration. When no index number is given
for a part or assembly, it is not illustrated separately
in the illustration, but its name and description
provide identification.
Column 2, PART #: Gives the ESAB part number
of the part or assembly to which the index number
has been assigned. Common hardware items or
other parts readily available for commercial sources
have not been included. Parts purchased by ESAB
from vendors are listed by ESAB part numbers.
Hardware is specified as items in our parts lists but
it normally carries no ESAB part number.
Column 3, QUANTITY: Indicates the quantity of
that part used in that assembly. This quantity
number is not to be used as a recommended
quantity of spare parts. The customer must
determined how many parts are to be purchased
as spare parts.
Column 4, DESCRIPTION: Gives the name of the
part or assembly, as well as other information which
will be helpful in identifying it.
Page 22Replacement Parts
7.2 Ordering Information
EtchArc Plasma Marker
When ordering replacement parts, order by part
number and complete description of the part as
given in the description column of the list. In
addition, give the model number of the machine
and the machine serial number. Address all
inquiries to your local ESAB Distributor or to ESAB
Cutting Systems, P.O. Box 100545, Florence,
South Carolina, 29501.
This manual may contain illustrations of par ts not
applicable to your specific system. Be sure to
positively identify the correct assembly before
ordering replacement parts to avoid unnecessary
delays.