Arc-erosion resistant nozzles for plasma arc material processing systems

A consumable cartridge for a gas-cooled plasma arc torch, the consumable cartridge comprising:

• a composite nozzle comprising a nozzle body formed from a first metal and an arc transition component formed from a second metal different from the first metal, the arc transition component coupled to a distal end of the nozzle body along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle;
• an electrode disposed within a portion of the nozzle;
• a swirl ring disposed about the electrode and fixedly connected to the nozzle;
• and
• a data storage device disposed in the consumable cartridge, the data storage device including instructions for adjusting one or more operating parameters of the plasma arc torch based on a thickness of the arc transition component along the longitudinal axis.

A computer-implemented method for automatically operating a gas-cooled plasma arc torch, the method comprising:

• causing, by a computing device, the plasma arc torch to generate a first pilot arc;
• moving, by the computing device, the plasma arc torch to a location in proximity to a workpiece such that the first pilot arc transfers to the workpiece to form a transferred arc;
• causing, by the computing device, the plasma arc torch to process the workpiece with the transferred arc;
• moving, by the computing device, the plasma arc torch to a second location distanced from the workpiece such that the transferred arc transitions from the workpiece back to the plasma arc torch to form a second pilot arc, wherein the second pilot arc is adapted to attach to an arc transition component disposed on a distal tip of a nozzle of the plasma arc torch, the arc transition component comprising a noble metal;
• and
• maintaining, by the computing device, the second pilot arc of the plasma arc torch for at least about 3 seconds.

A computer-implemented method for operating a plasma arc torch on a trimming robot in a plasma arc processing system, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a computing device, data for a desired part to be processed from a workpiece and data for the plasma arc torch, wherein the plasma arc torch includes a composite nozzle comprising a nozzle body coupled to an arc transition component made from a material including a noble metal, the arc transition component disposed on a distal end of the nozzle body;
• causing, by the computing device, the plasma arc torch to generate a pilot arc;
• actuating, by the computing device, the plasma arc torch via the trimming robot to trace a path relative to the workpiece in accordance with the workpiece data without piercing the workpiece while the plasma arc torch maintains the pilot arc;
• moving, by the computing device, the plasma arc torch to be in proximity to the workpiece such that the pilot arc is transferred to the workpiece to form a transferred arc that processes the workpiece;
• and
• causing, by the computing device, the transferred arc to reattach to the plasma arc torch at the arc transition component of the plasma arc torch to reform the pilot arc.

A method of manufacturing a nozzle for a gas-cooled plasma arc torch, the method comprising:

• forming a nozzle body from a first metal, the nozzle body comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein the distal portion of the nozzle body comprises a first bore;
• forming an arc transition component from a second metal, the arc transition component comprising a second bore, wherein the second metal of the arc transition component comprises a noble metal and the second metal is different from the first metal;
• and
• coupling the arc transition component to the distal portion of the nozzle body such that the second bore substantially aligns with the first bore.