Hi There, I've only got a few things that you might check. First, is your machine rated to cut 1" steel or to sever 1" steel? Have you tried a lower travel speed? Is the air pressure on the compressor high enough? Is it cutting through at all, at the beginning maybe?

Do you have the ability to use OA on your CNC Machine? Around here, most shops use Oxygen/Acetelyne rigs for materials 3/4" and up, as opposed to plasma or laser.

Jake Balcom
Mettle Design
Lincoln, NE

Signature, as mentioned in the above comment, check these things about your setup, our 100 amp machine sometimes has trouble cutting 1 inch material, do slow down, 8-10 inches a minute, and expect some angling of the kerf, also try bringing the tip closer to the plate, hope this helps,Paul

For a CNC table, 80 amps is a bit marginal for getting a clean cut on 1" plate. 100-120 amps would be better unless you can live with an angled kerf from flame dispersion and are willing/able to set the travel down to 6 ipm or thereabouts. 80 amps is barely capable of doing the job, but only if your air pressure is high enough and you can go slow enough, but you're not going to get the cut quality you would on 1/2" plate.

You may want to try cutting using pure oxygen instead of air. I haven't done it personally, but I do know of another metalworker that has mastered precision cutting with plasma. He use to use oxygen in place of air when cutting with plasma. Ask your local gas supplier.