Chicago Electric 97994 Installation manual

INVERTER PLASMA CUTTER
Model 97994
SET UP AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
Distributed exclusively by Harbor Freight Tools®.
3491 Mission Oaks Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93011
Visit our website at: http://www.harborfreight.com
Read this material before using this product.
Failure to do so can result in serious injury.
SAVE THIS MANUAL.
Copyright©2008 by Harbor Freight Tools®. All rights reserved. No portion of this manual or any artwork
contained herein may be reproduced in any shape or form without the express written consent of Harbor
FreightTools. Diagrams within this manual may not be drawn proportionally. Due to continuing improvements,
actual product may differ slightly from the product described herein.
For technical questions or replacement parts, please call 1-800-444-3353.

Page 2SKU 97994 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.
CONTENTS
IMPORTANT SAFETY
INFORMATION............................3
GENERAL SAFETY RULES ..............3
SPECIFIC SAFETY RULES ...............5
SPECIFICATIONS.......................... 8
DUTY CYCLE .....................................8
UNPACKING..................................9
INITIAL SET UP INSTRUCTIONS. 9
ASSEMBLY.........................................9
CONTROLS & INDICATORS.....10
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS ....10
WORK PIECE AND WORK AREA
SET UP ..........................................11
GENERAL OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS ............................11
PLASMA CUTTING TECHNIQUE13
HOW PLASMA CUTTERS
WORK........................................13
MAINTENANCE AND
SERVICING ...............................14
CLEANING, MAINTENANCE, AND
LUBRICATION...............................14
NOZZLE CARE.................................15
TROUBLESHOOTING.................16
CUTTING ARC NOT STABLE. ...16
PLASMA CUTTER DOES
NOT FUNCTION WHEN
SWITCHED ON. .......................16
WEAK ARC STRENGTH ............16
ARC DOES NOT IGNITE............16
GAS DOES NOT FLOW..............16
PARTS LIST AND ASSEMBLY
DIAGRAM..................................17
LIMITED 1 YEAR / 90 DAY
WARRANTY .............................. 18
PLEASE READ THE
FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.......18

Page 3SKU 97994 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.
SAVE THIS MANUAL
Keep this manual for the safety warn-
ings and precautions, assembly, operat-
ing, inspection, maintenance and cleaning
procedures. Write the product’s serial
number in the back of the manual near the
assembly diagram (or month and year of
purchase if product has no number). Keep
this manual and the receipt in a safe and
dry place for future reference.
IMPORTANT SAFETY
INFORMATION
In this manual, on the labeling,
and all other information provid-
ed with this product:
This is the safety alert
symbol. It is used to alert
you to potential personal
injury hazards. Obey all
safety messages that
follow this symbol to avoid
possible injury or death.
DANGER indicates
a hazardous
situation which, if not
avoided, will result in death or
serious injury.
WARNING
indicates a
hazardous situation which, if
not avoided, could result in
death or serious injury.
CAUTION, used
with the safety
alert symbol, indicates a
hazardous situation which, if
not avoided, could result in
minor or moderate injury.
NOTICE is used to
address practices
not related to personal injury.
CAUTION, without
the safety alert
symbol, is used to address
practices not related to
personal injury.
General Safety Rules
WARNING! Read all instructions
Failure to follow all instructions
listed below may result in
electric shock, re, and/or
serious injury.
Work area safety1.
Keep work area clean and well lit.a. Cluttered or dark areas invite acci-
dents.
Do not operate plasma cutters inb. explosive atmospheres, such as in
the presence of ammable liquids,
gases or dust. Plasma cutters cre-
ate sparks which may ignite the dust
or fumes.
Keep children and bystanders awayc. while operating a plasma cutter.
Distractions can cause you to lose
control.
Electrical safety2.
Avoid body contact with groundeda. surfaces such as pipes, radiators,
ranges and refrigerators. There is
an increased risk of electric shock if
your body is grounded.
Do not expose plasma cutters to rainb. or wet conditions. Water entering a
plasma cutter will increase the risk of
electric shock.

Page 4SKU 97994 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.
Do not abuse the Power Cord (32).c. Never use the Cord for pulling or
unplugging the plasma cutter. Keep
Cord away from heat, oil, sharp
edges or moving parts. Damaged or
entangled Cords increase the risk of
electric shock.
When operating a plasma cutter out-d. doors, use an extension cord suit-
able for outdoor use. Use of a cord
suitable for outdoor use reduces the
risk of electric shock.
Personal safety3.
Stay alert, watch what you are doinga. and use common sense when oper-
ating a plasma cutter. Do not use a
plasma cutter while you are tired or
under the inuence of drugs, alcohol
or medication. A moment of inatten-
tion while operating plasma cutters
may result in serious personal injury.
Use safety equipment. Always wear b. eye protection. Safety equipment
such as arc shaded, impact safety
full face shield, dust mask or respi-
rator, heavy-duty work gloves, non-
skid safety shoes, or hearing protec-
tion used for appropriate conditions
will reduce personal injuries.
Avoid accidental starting. Ensurec. the Power Switch (11) is in the off-
position before plugging in. Plug-
ging in plasma cutters that have the
Switch on invites accidents.
Do not overreach. Keep proper foot-d. ing and balance at all times. This
enables better control of the plasma
cutter in unexpected situations.
Plasma cutter use and care4.
Use the correct plasma cutter fora. your application. The correct plasma
cutter will do the job better and safer
at the rate for which it was designed.
Do not use the plasma cutter if theb. Power Switch (11) does not turn it on
and off. Any plasma cutter that can-
not be controlled with the Switch is
dangerous and must be repaired.
Disconnect the Power Cord (32)c. from the power source before mak-
ing any adjustments, changing ac-
cessories, or storing plasma cutters.
Such preventive safety measures
reduce the risk of starting the plasma
cutter accidentally.
Store idle plasma cutters out of thed. reach of children and do not allow
persons unfamiliar with the plasma
cutter or these instructions to oper-
ate the plasma cutter. Plasma cut-
ters are dangerous in the hands of
untrained users.
Maintain plasma cutters. Check fore. misalignment or binding of moving
parts, breakage of parts and any
other condition that may affect the
plasma cutter’s operation. If dam-
aged, have the plasma cutter re-
paired before use. Many accidents
are caused by poorly maintained
plasma cutters.
Use the plasma cutter and accesso-f. ries in accordance with these in-
structions and in the manner intend-
ed for the particular type of plasma
cutter, taking into account the work-
ing conditions and the work to be
performed. Use of the plasma cutter
for operations different from those
intended could result in a hazardous
situation.

Page 5SKU 97994 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.
Service5.
Have your plasma cutter serviced bya.
a qualied repair person using only
identical replacement parts. This will
ensure that the safety of the plasma
cutter is maintained.
Specic Safety Rules
Maintain labels and nameplates on1. the Inverter Plasma Cutter. These
carry important safety information. If
unreadable or missing, contact Har-
bor Freight Tools for a replacement.
Avoid electric shock. Do not per-2. mit electrically live parts, cables, or
electrodes to contact skin, clothing, or
gloves. Wear ANSI-approved protec-
tive clothing. This unit draws enough
current to cause serious injury or
death. Do not use the Plasma Cut-
ter unless you are insulated from the
ground and the work piece.
Avoid eye and body damage. Arc3. rays and infrared radiation can injure
eyes and burn skin. Wear ANSI-ap-
proved eye and body protection. Do
not allow viewing by visitors without
proper eye and body protection. Use
a Face Shield with arc shaded lter
plate.
This Plasma cutter requires a dedi-4. cated 20 A circuit and NEMA type
5-20R receptacle.
Move ammable and explosive mate-5. rial at least 35 feet from the cutting
arc to prevent sparks or molten metal
from starting a re. Keep a type ABC
re extinguisher within easy reach.
Thoroughly clean the object being cut
of any paint, grease, or other foreign
material.
Avoid unintentional starting. Prepare6. to begin work before turning on the
Inverter Plasma Cutter.
Do not leave the Plasma Cutter unat-7. tended when it is plugged into an
electrical outlet. Turn off the plasma
cutter, and unplug it from its electrical
outlet before leaving.
Use clamps (not included) or other8. practical ways to secure and support
the work piece to a stable platform.
Holding the work by hand or against
your body is unstable and may lead
to loss of control.
This product is not a toy. Keep it out9. of reach of children.
Industrial applications must follow10. OSHA guidelines.
People with pacemakers should11. consult their physician(s) before use.
Electromagnetic elds in close prox-
imity to heart pacemaker could cause
pacemaker interference or pacemak-
er failure. In addition, people with
pacemakers should:
• Avoid operating alone.
• Do not use with Power Switch
locked on.
• Properly maintain and inspect to
avoid electrical shock.
• Any Power Cord must be prop-
erly grounded. Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter (GFCI) should also be
implemented – it prevents sustained
electrical shock.
This product, when used for welding,12. plasma cutting, soldering, or similar
applications, produces chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects (or
other reproductive harm).