Need plasma cutter advice

[TractorDale]

Planning on making things for my tractor and around the shop and am tired of using a cut-off grinder. I mostly will cut up to 1/4" mild steel but occasionally will need 1/2" capacity-am building some forks out of 1/2" hot rolled.

Some of the models I've looked at: HTP 625, Hypertherm 600.

Any thought appreciated.

Dale

 

[wushaw]

Sounds like your on the right track.

 

[dfkrug]

Some of the models I've looked at: HTP 625, Hypertherm 600.


Dale

I bought a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 51 from Indiana Oxygen. I love
it. I cut up to 1/2" A36 steel. I made some templates to cut holes
in same. (I hate cutting big holes in thick steel.)

 

[john_bud]

Dale,

There are new metal cutting saws that use carbide blades. (Don't buy the HF one, it's junk.) Get a professional one they are less than 300 bucks. They don't spark and leave a dead flat smooth and cool edge. Won't do holes or free hand, but for cutting plate, rod and tube it's great.

jb

 

[Renze]

I think i'd just hop in here as well...

My brother is collecting a torch set from odds and ends he picks up along the road at several companies he works as a freelance plumber/construction worker/machine operator/ farm worker etcetera. The torch and control valves are there and yesterday he dropped some meters of gas hose in the workshop. I think i have our torch set nearly complete, just need to get oxygen and acetylene cilinders and a cart.

Anyways, i've been looking at the small hobby band saws, but i wonder why the next bigger model is allmost 3 times as expensive... does that mean that the hobby type for 250 Euro is just a piece of junk ??

And how expensive do plasma cutters get ? i like them because they only need electricity and compressed air, and no expensive gas, which also leaks away if you forget to close the jar....

What gives most use for least money ? torch, saw or plasma ?

 

[wushaw]

None of them can do it all.
All three of them have their place.
A OA torch is the most versatile and can be transported to the work without an external power source, the cut is not the greatest but it can cut many different shaped, sized parts.
A bandsaw works good on pipe and narrow parts.
Plasma cuts clean and can cut parts out of large flat plate, a OA cutting can do the same but you have to be really good.

I will say the OA will give you the most use for the money.

 

[dbdartman]

None of them can do it all.

I will say the OA will give you the most use for the money.

I agree.

I'll give my thoughts formulated over 4 decades of metal work:

Plasma is great for cutting thinner than 1/8" (11ga), but I prefer Oxy/Acetaline for thicker steel. Plasma has the advantage of being able to cut ANY metal (copper, stainless, aluminum, brass, etc) that O/A doesn't, though, but O/A with the proper tip can be used for brazing, welding, & heating that plasma can't. At 1/4 inch & thicker, I've found slag stick & clean-up to be about equal.

One other thing... If you think the slag thrown off an O/A torch is hot, well, plasma slag is unbelievably HOT! Makes O/A slag seem cool to the touch by comparison!

 

[Dargo]

Plasma is great for cutting thinner than 1/8" (11ga), but I prefer Oxy/Acetaline for thicker steel.

Man, I gotta disagree with you big time! The thicker the steel, the more time required with a grinder to make the cut look decent. I can slice through 1" thick steel with a really clean cut that requires very little grinding. Actually, for butt welds, I don't even need to grind any. My plasma cutter cuts clean enough that the weld covers everything. Since I work with 3/8" to 1" steel for the most part, I just had to say that I coudn't disagree with you more. Sorry, but I have better things to do than spend hour upon hour grinding rough cut steel that was gouged out with an O/A or O/P setup.

Oh yeah, I also wanted to point out that "for the money" (if a rough cut doesn't matter like with O/A), most every larger metal shops use Oxygen/Propane setups. It will cut just as well and propane is much cheaper than acetaline!

 

[dbdartman]

OK, I'll accept that. My experience was with a "pack-10" machine (1" capacity) about 20-25 years ago that used bottled CO2 & nitrogen. Cutting things over 3/8" was just as sloppy as O/A, but cutting 18 ga stainless was superb. We could cut a 24' sheet so clean it rarely needed ANY grinding & didn't warp (which was important in the product we were making). I suppose they are better today. Still, wouldn't a plasma that cuts 1"+ be rather expensive, especially compared to a torch set (including bottles, cart & extra tips & such)?

For what I've seen the 1/2" capacity plasmas cost, I'm thinking I could by a pretty nice (middle of the road) water cooled, A/C-D/C high frequency TiG set-up.

BTW, we used to cut 16 & 18 ga stainless with the TiG too! Took a little practice, but would be nearly as clean as the plasma once the technique was fingured out.

 

[Soundguy]

Plasma is great for cutting thinner than 1/8" (11ga),

I gotta agree with Dargo. We have a thermodynamics cutmaster.. and 3/8 cuts like butter with -0- slag. 1/2" cuts fine, and the slag falls off it you tap the piece on the table.. or run the flat of a chipping hammer across the cut.

Our unit is rated at 1/2 and will sever 7/8 And when severing.. it makes a rougher cut that takes some chipping with the flat side of the chipping hammer.. but still no grinding... Our OA bottle setups simply cannot touch that.

Soundguy