hypertherm 45 problems (2 Viewers)

[2fpower]

Well, I bought a hypertherm 45 about 10 years ago, been working great for a hobbyist like myself.

Just quit working with a 2 flash fault which means power board -- the main power board. $1k to get new board. Hypertherm customer support has been great to figure this out... but now I am faced with a delimma.

I can't find anyone that diagnose the board issue, so do I spend a grand and get it working or do I spend $2k and get a new one with a 5 year warranty and try to sell the old one as is....

or is there a good quality other budget brand plasma cutter out there????

 

[e9999]

Don't know much about plasma cutters but faced similar dilemnas many times. No clear cut answer sometimes but personally I'm leaning more towards the fix it DIY-style if at all possible route. Have you looked carefully at the board for any signs of damage (swelling, melting, black marks, leaks etc)? I have found board issues before just with a visual inspection. One time it was just a connection that had broken, easy to fix with a blob of solder. If you're not comfortable with doing electronics work, I would take the board off, and bring it / send it to an electronics amateur club with a reward notice or a Youtube electronics wannabe guru with a yearning for content, nothing much to lose, $1K to save...

If not that route, I would ask myself: "will it be as good as new with the new board or are there other major failure points for this 10yo machine?" I have often read pro repair people saying that if the cost of the repair is more than half the cost of a new unit, it's not worth it, but of course that's an overgeneralization, and you are also right at the cusp. But I would also consider whether a new machine may have more desirable features or better performance.

Then, again, if you got your money's worth over the last 10 years, you could just count your blessings and move on!

I hope it works out for you!

 

[Waorani]

$1k sounds like a Hypertherm price. Have you tried google/ebay? And no I wouldn't put $1k into a 10yr old machine.

 

[2fpower]

hypertherm part 228261

Hypertherm Kit:Pmx45 Power Board Csa 230V - 228261

Hypertherm Kit:Pmx45 Power Board Csa 230V. We sell certified Hypertherm products & parts. Contact Bakers support team for availability.

bakersgas.com

of course no guarantee that is the only thing wrong....

 

[aztoyman]

My Hypertherm Power Max 45 is almost 14 years old. This is something I hope doesn't happen to mine soon. Please post up whatever you end up doing. I will go back to my Oxy/acetylene torch before I spend $1K to fix mine. I'd probably see if any electronic person would look at it at least.

 

[e9999]

definitely the tool version of gambling in a casino...
It would be a serious bummer if you put $1K in and discover another problem that would take serious money again. Do you keep throwing good money in after bad...? At what point do you stop?
Personally, I think 1/2 the cost of new is too much for this type of hardware, you'll still be owning a 90% 10 yo machine at that point that probably works hard and is under stress and is begging to quit and take a nap...

And, honestly, I would think twice about buying again from a manufacturer that charges this kind of money for a board that was mass produced (I assume). Of course, there are likely a lot of manufacturers of this type of equipment nowadays that don't offer any parts at all, so that is not great either, but frankly, not offering the parts or offering them at very high prices is not that different.

 

[DangerNoodle]

I've been switching over to Everlast more and more. I got a powerpro 256D in 2019 and have been running it on a daily basis for 3 years no issues. Of couse, I've converted over to good leads and consumables, but I just picked up a Everlast 82i with a machine torch to run my plasma table. So far it's been a very good machine, and consumables are super inexpensive compared to hypertherm. It was also under $1800, and a comparable machine to a powermax 85. My biggest problem with the new hypertherm stuff is the new sync consumables. One bad cut and it's $55 down the drain if you mess up a nozzle or electrode. That was my biggest reason to switch over. I've run a few hypertherms and they have been great machines, but I like the ability to chance out individual consumables vs the new cartridge style they recently released for all new sync machines.