Apparatus of coordinating operational feedback in a plasma cutter

• Main Author: MATUS, TIM A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 09.03.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OFNEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMICBEAMS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

The present invention is directed to a system and method for improved operational feedback from a plasma torch (16) to a plasma-cutting power source (12). A plasma cutter (10) includes a plasma cutting power source (12), a plasma torch (16) in communication with the plasma cutting power source (12), and a serialization circuit (51) disposed within the plasma torch (16) to control transmission of multiple feedback signals from the plasma torch (16) to the plasma cutting power source (12). The serialization circuit (51) receives the multiple feedback signals and places the feedback in a queue, such that the multiple feedback signals are sent from the queue to a processing unit (74) in the power source (12) via a single communications link.