Are Plasma Cutters "Finicky"?

[Mark @ Everlast]

Jim's an up and up guy...He does love his product, and rightly so. He has been there long enough to know his stuff and is a good resource, even if he is slightly biased.:laughing: As a sponsor of this forum, and other places where he posts, I don't see too much objectionable about the material he posts. His product is US made, but even he admits to foreign components inside(even if they are minimal)...truth in advertising. Most of the time he "disclaims" his affiliation...

But, dang, you'd think Hypertherm et al. would start putting up some $$$ to help out these forums like this and not let us have all the fun...

 

[Gary Fowler]

I went to Jim's site and checked the speed feature and it looks like using a 45 amp plasma on 1/4" CS material is the same speed as a OA rig. Sure you can get more speed and versatility with a Plasma rig, but how many home hobbist can afford a 150 amp or higher rig. Personally, I dont do enough cutting to justify my OA rig and surely dont need a plasma cutter that can just cut metal. The reason I got the OA rig is for cutting AND heating capability plus brazing/OA welding if I wanted to . It is just so much more than just something to cut metal with. I would like to see any one cut a nut off of a bolt with a plasma rig and not mess up the bolt threads. This can be done easily with and OA rig along with removing old welds etc with precision. Yes they do warp the metal if you get it too hot, which is where a plasma rig shines brightly over an OA. For all you guys that have to have all the latest gismos in your shop whether you use them or not, good for you, but I would never tell a newbie to welding that he should get a plasma cutter as his basic cutting tool and forgo an OA rig.

 

[mojoinco]

I'll have to agree on that last entry. I had a gas (OA= oxygen - acetylene) rig a long time before the plasma cutter. I don't use the OA much for cutting now, but I still use it a lot for heating and brazing.

I would give up the plasma cutter first if it came to it.

The plasma works great for: speed, ease of replenishing consumables (about 1 tank of acetylene to 8 tanks of oxygen for cutting -- using the same height bottles versus a common air compressor), less residual heat in the material (less distortion; especially in sheet metal), less chance of starting a fire (similar issues to using a propane plumbing torch).

OA is better: you can heat metal/bolts with it, brazing, portability, can use propane (in place of the acetylene -- you need some other parts; propane has its advantages), initial cost. Once you have one and get used to the first feature you will be surprised how often you use this.

OA can have one negative -- check with your homeowners insurance about any limitations on storing it versus coverage.

 

[toy]

Jim's an up and up guy...He does love his product, and rightly so. He has been there long enough to know his stuff and is a good resource, even if he is slightly biased.:laughing: As a sponsor of this forum, and other places where he posts, I don't see too much objectionable about the material he posts. His product is US made, but even he admits to foreign components inside(even if they are minimal)...truth in advertising. Most of the time he "disclaims" his affiliation...

But, dang, you'd think Hypertherm et al. would start putting up some $$$ to help out these forums like this and not let us have all the fun...

And you're not? Hum.

 

[toy]

Jim's an up and up guy...He does love his product, and rightly so. He has been there long enough to know his stuff and is a good resource, even if he is slightly biased.:laughing: As a sponsor of this forum, and other places where he posts, I don't see too much objectionable about the material he posts. His product is US made, but even he admits to foreign components inside(even if they are minimal)...truth in advertising. Most of the time he "disclaims" his affiliation...

But, dang, you'd think Hypertherm et al. would start putting up some $$$ to help out these forums like this and not let us have all the fun...

On the foreign part of your comment a minimal amount of foreign parts beats a 100% foreign part machine any day [ speaking as one that tries to buy American].

 

[4shorts]

I started out with a Miller Spectrum 701 plasma. Great machine that gave zero trouble but it was hard on consumables. My air was dry but still it went through consumables and they were expensive.

I sold the 701 and got the inverter based Miller Spectrum 875. It's small in size and a beast. It seems to have twice the power of the Hugh 701 and it's so easy on consumables. I just love the thing. :thumbsup:

Here's a pic of the old Miller 701

This is the Miller Spectrum 875. He sure is a little fellow. I've since added a cart to it.

 

[jimcolt]

Sorry guys....I usually make it very clear that I have worked for Hypertherm for 33 years...I guess I did not make that clear on this string, and I apologize.

I post on this site and about a dozen others...7 days a week...often early in the morning and often late at night. I do it not for pay from Hypertherm, but because I happen to like metal fabricating and with my years of experience I can offer some practical advice for many with questions along these lines. On this site I have special interests as well as I own a Kubota L4310 as well as a Kubota RTV900 that are heavily used at my horse farm in NH.....which is also where my home metal fabricating shop is located. In my Fab shop I have Hobart, Thermadyne, Miller, Lincoln, and Hypertherm equipment as well as a 4 x 4 PlasmaCam cnc cutting machine. I often will provide cut samples and ship at no charge to anyone that asks.....and believe it or not, I do it out of my own pocket.

Now....I do know a lot about Hypertherm....so I will of course answer any questions very accurately about these plasma cutting products...from 30 amp machines to 1000 amp machines that cut over 6" thick materials.

Also....Hypertherm is a manufacturer....not an importer or reseller. I cannot sell anyone anything from Hypertherm....as 100% of our products are sold through welding distributors (over 2000 locations in the US) and OEM cnc cutting machine manufacturers (there are 85 or so of these worldwide). Talking to me is like talking to a factory expert from Goodyear tire company...he can offer recommendations, obviously knows the most about the products he works with...but cannot offer any special deals or sell you anything...you must make your own decision on that!

I certainly have the utmost respect for Mark from Everlast...but his position is a bit different than mine....as he can sell his products directly to anyone on this and othe sites...he can offer discounts, he can offer special monthly promotions, etc. I can not....and all I can do is offer advice!

If you catch me being unfair or deceptive in any way...please let me know!

And, Jim Colt is my real name, my email is jim.colt@hypertherm.com and I am very well versed with plasma cutting technology...all brands and all torch styles....often on these sites you will find me helping owners of other branded equipment troubleshooting or fine tuning cut quality.


Jim Colt Hyperthem

 

[jimcolt]

I fully agree that anyone that works with steel fabricating...should have an oxy-fuel torch before the investment is made in a plasma torch. Plasma torches historically have been a bit touchy (or finicky, as the thread title states!) when used on dirty, rusty materials...and also due to the torch shape (blunt front end) have typically not been the most visible, easy to use process. That however has all changed in recent years....and while it is more difficult to cut a nut off a bolt without damaging the threads with a plasma (it just cuts so freakin fast!), it can be done once you have gained a little experience. I often just cut the whole bolt off in a 1/2 second or so and replace it with a new one when I can.....although I know that is not always possible.

Try cutting stainless steel and aluminum and copper with the oxy-fuel torch....then try it with the plasma. Also....with the plasma you can stack up pieces of steel and cut it quite easily, oxy-fuel generally will not cut through a stack of plate....unless they are clamped tightly together.

Attached is a picture of the shape of the front end of a modern plasma torch....not much difference in size than an oxy-fuel torch.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

I went to Jim's site and checked the speed feature and it looks like using a 45 amp plasma on 1/4" CS material is the same speed as a OA rig. Sure you can get more speed and versatility with a Plasma rig, but how many home hobbist can afford a 150 amp or higher rig. Personally, I dont do enough cutting to justify my OA rig and surely dont need a plasma cutter that can just cut metal. The reason I got the OA rig is for cutting AND heating capability plus brazing/OA welding if I wanted to . It is just so much more than just something to cut metal with. I would like to see any one cut a nut off of a bolt with a plasma rig and not mess up the bolt threads. This can be done easily with and OA rig along with removing old welds etc with precision. Yes they do warp the metal if you get it too hot, which is where a plasma rig shines brightly over an OA. For all you guys that have to have all the latest gismos in your shop whether you use them or not, good for you, but I would never tell a newbie to welding that he should get a plasma cutter as his basic cutting tool and forgo an OA rig.

 

[jimcolt]

As far as "foreign components" in a US built plasma system. You simply cannot source all of the necessary components for printed circuit boards that are made in the USA.....nor would anyone necessarily want to. When you are building a product that needs to be consistent (certified by ISO9001 policies and procedures that control consitency in manufacturing) you need to specify your components by performance specifications....not by price...nor by where they are manufactured. Resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits that are used on the U.S. assembled crcuit boards in all of Hypertherm products go through rigorous incoming inspections, and many of them get individually tested before being mounted on the circuit boards. We have no rules about where the parts come from...rather we have rules about their performance. Components come from Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, The UK, China, as well as other parts of the world. After every plasma system is built and tested...a 24 hour full duty cycle burn in test is done (every one!), and...evry unit cuts some metal at a test bench before shipping (every one!)....the bad thing......you will find a slightly used nozzle in every one of our systems when you buy it!

I guess the big difference is that a US built unit is assembled in the U.S. by people that live here...and in Hypertherms case, is assembled by the people that own the company. Trust me, they all care about what they are building as they all share in the the profits of the company. That to me is whats important....and I will usually pull a few more greenbacks out of my pocket when I know these things.

If any of you get to NH....contact me, and I'll personally give you a tour of our main plant where all of the Hypertherm units are built....we are proud to show what we do. Just remember...I can't sell you anything!

Jim Colt Hypertherm

Jim's an up and up guy...He does love his product, and rightly so. He has been there long enough to know his stuff and is a good resource, even if he is slightly biased.:laughing: As a sponsor of this forum, and other places where he posts, I don't see too much objectionable about the material he posts. His product is US made, but even he admits to foreign components inside(even if they are minimal)...truth in advertising. Most of the time he "disclaims" his affiliation...

But, dang, you'd think Hypertherm et al. would start putting up some $$$ to help out these forums like this and not let us have all the fun...

 

[Shield Arc]

I would like to see any one cut a nut off of a bolt with a plasma rig and not mess up the bolt threads. This can be done easily with and OA rig along with removing old welds etc with precision.

Gary I have a 1000 times more miles with an OA torch than with a plasma, but I don't think I'd have any problems slicing a nut off a bolt with my Hypertherm 1250 and not hurt the threads. I'll have to remember to try it next time I have the plasma fired up.

Here is a picture of a weld I scarfed out with my plasma. In this case a carbon arc rod may have been better, a 3/8-inch carbon rod would have taken the whole weld out in one pass. With the plasma I just dug down to the fusion line and called it good. Personally in most cases I'd rather use a plasma than a carbon arc torch.