A Brief Insight Into The Plasma Arc Cutting Machines

Many people have been enjoying the benefits of using a hand held air plasma arc cutting

machine and they would rarely want to return to any mechanical cutting processes ever. Fabricators, contractors, maintenance personnel, artists and even DIY personals are opting for plasma arc cutter. The advantages of using such cutting machines are many. They cut faster, do not require pre-heat cycle, cut any metal that conducted electricity, permitted portability around job sites and minimize the heat-affected zone. Moreover the productivity level is also improved and cost of cutting is lowered.

Basically the operation process of a plasma arc cutting machine is comparatively simple. But the toughest part is selecting the plasma cutter that bets suites your needs and choosing the appropriate accessories. The selection of the machine mainly depends on three factors. The thickness of the metal you intend to cut, the maximum thickness of the metal expected and the speed of cutting required. Similar to a welding machine, the size of the plasma cutter is determined by the amperage and voltage capacities. But quite contrarily to the welding process, the plasma cutting requires relatively high voltage and low amperage levels. It is a common misconception to judge the plasma cutting machine based only on the amperage. Even though it is important, the total output power should be given more consideration. However, the size of each plasma cutter would vary according to the manufacturer.

For getting a better understanding of the production rates, typically in parts per hour, you must check the cutting speeds of the metal being cut. This makes sure that the cutting portion of the operation does not block the process. In automated application, the cutting speeds often become critical while in handheld applications, the cut quality and operator satisfaction is given more priority. Usually the manufacturers provide cutting speed charts by which the cutting plasma speed performance can be compared. There is no universal standard but the qualifying capacity can be determined with three standards; namely rated cut, quality cut and server cut.

Two elements are generally required for plasma cutting; air and electricity. So the type of input power available should be noted while selecting a plasma cutting machine. If there is only 115V primary service, you can go for 12 to 25 amp plasma cutters that operate using 115 or 230V power. It is always recommended to use the ordinary air as the cutting gas in most plasma arc cutters. For mobile applications, bottled nitrogen can be used in the place of bottled air since it's comparatively cheap. Moreover, for cutting stainless steel, nitrogen is better as it produces slightly less oxidation because it is drier than compressed air.

In dirty environments with heavy dust and metal shavings, it would be better to use machines with wind tunnel technology and fan-on-demand which are specifically available with certain models. Is such machines, the cooling air flows in such a way that it doesn't drive off the electronic components thereby avoiding accumulation of grinding dust on any critical components. In fan-on-demand machines, the cooling fan runs only when required, minimizing the amount of waste entering the equipment.

by: gavin bone

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