Plasma cutter

[Lea]

Hi everyone, I am thinking about buying a plasma cutter for my home workshop, I would never need to cut anything over half inch and maybe never, but I don't really know much about them. There seem to be so many different brands and price ranges that I am not sure what to buy. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreiated . Thanks for any advice

Lea

 

[Locoweed]

I bought one of these. LTP5000D LOTOS IGBT Pilot Arc Plasma Cutter 110/220VAC 1/2" Cut with CNC auto cutting feature - Amazon.com

Has good reviews. Had a minor issue with it on arrival. Called them & they shipped the part. No questions asked. I'm pleased with it so far.

 

[CNC Dan]

check the price and availability of the consumables. Also the life of the consumables will be affected by how much water you have in your compressed air.
I bought Hypertherm. I am impressed by how long the nozzles last. And while it's rated for 3/8" max cut, I have made many cuts in 1/2" without any problem.
(powermax 30)

 

[joshuabardwell]

One thing to be sure of is that you have an air compressor that can meet the CFM requirements of the plasma. I was hot-to-trot to buy a plasma until I realized that it takes a pretty big compressor to feed most of them.

 

[gwdixon]

Contact Mark from Everlast (see sponsers at the top of the Welding Forum). They sell a number of plasma cutters of different capacities. You can explain your situation to him and he can steer you to the right size for your needs. My advice would be to get one size up - you will eventually need it.

Plus, Everlast can give a discount for TBN members.

I bought a PowerPlasma 70 and am very pleased with its performance once a few wrinkles were ironed out.

 

[bubbacuse77]

Hypertherm, American made, great costumer service, choice of most professionals.

 

[Ken45101]

One thing to be sure of is that you have an air compressor that can meet the CFM requirements of the plasma. I was hot-to-trot to buy a plasma until I realized that it takes a pretty big compressor to feed most of them.

That's only an issue for prolonged cutting. For typical homeowner use, you don't need continued compressor output equal to the cutter consumption. OTOH, my compressor is noisy and I wish I had a bigger/quieter one but I can live with it.

There are many discussions here about this very topic. Hypertherm for support (Jim Colt), good consumables life, readily available consumables, "drag" operation, quality, American made, etc.

Hypertherm units are conservatively rated, compared to some of the others.

I bought a Hypertherm 45 a year ago and I've been very happy with it.

 

[jimcolt]

The Hypertherm Powermax30 (american designed and built) can operate on 120 volts or 240 volts, and has a max severance capacity of 1/2". I have often used mine on a small (3.4 cfm) portable compressor that is designed for nail guns, etc. On this small compressor I can normally cut for 35 to 40 seconds continuously before the air pressure is too low and the plasma shuts off (internal low air pressure sensor). In 35 to 40 seconds you can cut about 200 inches of 24 gauge steel.....or about 10-12 inches of 1/4" steel. The other advantage with the Hypertherm systems is with their consumable parts life.....plasma systems have a nozzle and electrode that wear during normal cutting. These parts in the Hypertherm system typically last 6 to 10 times longer than the low cost import plasma system. You pay a bit more for the Powermax up front, but end up with a tool that works well, is supported by a great company, and costs less to use (longer consumable life).

Jim

 

[CNC Dan]

I can testify that everything that jim just posted is very true.
I love my powermax30.

 

[crazyal]

Do you have a budget to work with or an idea how much you would like to spend? I assume you have an air compressor but what do you have to dry the air? Dry air makes a world of difference so you should budget it into the cost.