Plasma cutting electrodes’ silver tip slows wear rate

Hypertherm has introduced SilverPlus® electrodes for its HySpeed® HSD130 plasma cutting systems. In the company’s laboratory testing, the electrode has been shown to last more than twice as long as a standard copper-tipped electrode. According to the manufacturer, the electrode delivers 4 and 5 cut quality consistently throughout its life.

The electrodes are created by fusing a solid silver tip onto a copper electrode base and then inserting a hafnium pin into the tip. This helps slow the electrode’s wear rate, as the silver disperses the heat better than copper, says the company.

The bond between the hafnium and silver allows for consistent wear rates, deep pits, and robustness to ramp down errors and hard failures.