A frequent question from beginners: what temperature should I set the wire to? The honest answer: there is no fixed value. The optimal wire temperature depends on the material, density, wire length and chosen cutting speed. That is why temperature is always set practically at the real material – never theoretically from a table.
Wire temperature is set via the power supply. Power supplies have two controls: one for voltage (volts) and one for current (amperes). Voltage fully open – that is the fixed starting point. Set the current control to approx. 2.3–2.4 A as a starting value. The ampere value is the actual adjustment dial for wire temperature: more amperes = hotter wire, fewer amperes = cooler wire.
After the power supply starting value comes the test cut. Set cutting speed – approx. 450–500 mm/min for EPS and approx. 350–400 mm/min for XPS as a guideline. Load material and perform a short test cut. Observe the cutting gap – the distance between wire and material during cutting. If the gap is smaller than approx. 2 mm: increase amperes. If larger than approx. 2 mm: reduce amperes. Repeat until the cutting gap is consistently approx. 2 mm.
The cutting gap is the visible distance between the wire and the still unmelted material during cutting. The ideal value is approx. 2 mm. At this value the wire melts material away in front of it without touching it directly – the result is clean surfaces, sharp edges and high dimensional accuracy.
Mains voltage fluctuations can change wire temperature without the operator noticing. The result: varying cut quality throughout the day. The automatic current controller solves this problem. It regulates wire temperature using microprocessor control and automatically compensates for mains voltage fluctuations. It adapts to wire length and material. The result: consistent cut quality from morning to evening – regardless of the mains supply. From the CUT2500S the automatic current controller is standard, available as an option on smaller machines.
The most common mistake: not keeping the cutting gap in view. Temperature and speed can both be changed – as long as the cutting gap remains consistently approx. 2 mm, the surface is fine. A more subtle problem only shows up in practice: rounded corners not at the outer contour but in the block centre. The cause is a wire in the borderline range. In the block centre – where the material can be damper or denser – the wire must work harder to melt the material away. At a direction change it then lags behind: it cannot clear the path fast enough, cuts the corner short and the corner becomes rounded. Anyone who increases both speed and temperature arbitrarily ends up in exactly this borderline range. The solution: keep speed at the guideline value – EPS approx. 450–500 mm/min, XPS approx. 350–400 mm/min – and set temperature so that the 2 mm cutting gap is consistently achieved. Another mistake: not readjusting temperature after a material change. And: no test cut before production. The test cut takes one minute and prevents an entire block becoming scrap.
The sequence is always the same: set cutting speed – then voltage fully open – amperes to 2.3–2.4 A as starting value – test cut – adjust amperes until 2 mm cutting gap. Speed remains untouched after that. The only adjustment dial for cutting gap and quality is the amperes.
There is no fixed temperature value. The optimal temperature depends on material, density, wire length and cutting speed. Procedure: voltage fully open, current to approx. 2.3–2.4 A as starting value, make test cut, observe cutting gap, adjust amperes until approx. 2 mm gap is achieved.
Power supplies have two controls: voltage and current. Voltage fully open. Set current to approx. 2.3–2.4 A as starting value. Make test cut and check cutting gap: gap smaller than 2 mm – increase amperes. Gap larger than 2 mm – reduce amperes.
The ideal cutting gap is approx. 2 mm. At this value the wire melts material away in front without touching it directly – clean surfaces and high dimensional accuracy result.
With higher density material, increase the amperes – do not reduce speed. The target always remains the 2 mm cutting gap. Increase amperes slightly until the cutting gap is approx. 2 mm again.
This is a typical sign that the wire is in the borderline range. In the block centre – where material can be damper or denser – the wire cannot clear the path fast enough at a direction change and cuts the corner short. The solution: keep speed at the guideline value (EPS 450–500 mm/min, XPS 350–400 mm/min) and match temperature so that the 2 mm cutting gap is consistently achieved. Do not increase both speed and temperature arbitrarily.
Mains voltage fluctuations can change wire temperature. An automatic current controller solves this problem – it keeps temperature constant regardless of the mains supply.
Yes. Different materials and densities require different settings. After every material change make a short test cut and readjust the amperes.
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