Supercut50/Forcecut50D vs PowerPlasma50/Forcecut50i

[eastexan]

Actually IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are just one type of FET, MOSFET (metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors) are another type. IGBT is a newer invention than MOSFET and can handle high power better. They are fast becoming the replacement for the old stand by iron core copper wound transformer in power supplies.

Interesting, thanks.

 

[yomax4]

I am afraid that in the next ten years, It will be the norm to buy Chinese Import Welding and Cutting Equipment. They are doing it different than the Japanese of the 70's. the Chinese have nothing to lose and are making some nearly exact duplicate machines and parts. I am not in favor so don't get me wrong when I say that in ten years, Hypertherm, ESAB, Thermal Dynamics, Miller, Lincoln, Smith, Victor, Bernard, Tweco,Bessey, Ellis and Jackson will be the over priced options. Milwaukee Tool, Vise-Grip,Crescent, Bernz-o-Matic and dozens of others have already made the jump to China. All of the above source some parts from there already
..Sad But True.

 

[Shield Arc]

Sad But True.

Only glimmer of hope for our manufacturing sector is when the labor force in China start demanding high wages. It happened in Japan, and starting to see it some through out south east Asia.

 

[jimcolt]

Crazyal is correct. IGBT's are better technology based on the switching speed, the power rating, the ability to handle transient voltage spikes, as well as their cooling efficiency. Hypertherm stopped using Mosfets back in the early 1990's.....many of the imports are still using them as they are far less expensive as compared to IGBT's.

Jim Colt

 

[jimcolt]

I believe that you will be proven incorrect on this! Some of the US plasma and welding equipment mfgr's have laid off US workers and farmed work to China. Some (most notably, Hypertherm) have not. Hypertherm is by far the fastest growing plasma system manufacturer, and is the largest......with all products designed, engineered and built in the US. Hypertherm's fastest growing region is China. US products selling in China.

Chinese citizens are demanding improvements in their standards of living, wages and benefits are rising and work weeks are getting shorter. The Chinese have the capability to build high quality products (Apple's Ipad and Iphone are built by $2 an hour workers, mostly aged 17 to 25....living in large dormitories....their suicide rate is extremely high....this from yesterday's ABC news report). With lower volume industrial equipment however....the labor is higher, the volume is lower....and when you add shipping costs to the product....and assuming the product is of similar performance and reliability ...it will cost the same as the US made products. (case in point...Japanese Cars)

US companies that work hard to modernize and improve manufacturing, work hard for continuous improvement, and work hard to ensure their employees are happy....will continue to be very competitive on the world market.

The Chinese welding products that are flooding the US market are not comparable (using the key words performance, reliability) to the domestic products. They are selling here in good numbers because they are very low cost....but they will not replace the high quality domestically produced systems from the major manufacturers.

I know that my company (Hypertherm) could build a plasma cutter in our plants in the US that would compete pricewise with the low cost imports. To do so we would have to take steps backwards in terms of performance and reliability......as well as with safety and with proper electrical certification. We have chosen not to do that!


Jim Colt

I am afraid that in the next ten years, It will be the norm to buy Chinese Import Welding and Cutting Equipment. They are doing it different than the Japanese of the 70's. the Chinese have nothing to lose and are making some nearly exact duplicate machines and parts. I am not in favor so don't get me wrong when I say that in ten years, Hypertherm, ESAB, Thermal Dynamics, Miller, Lincoln, Smith, Victor, Bernard, Tweco,Bessey, Ellis and Jackson will be the over priced options. Milwaukee Tool, Vise-Grip,Crescent, Bernz-o-Matic and dozens of others have already made the jump to China. All of the above source some parts from there already
..Sad But True.

 

[Sublifer]

Okay, I think you've all convinced me to forgo the plasma cutter... I do not have money for a nice machine so I'll just hunker down and get a cutting torch. Probably get something that can do propane/oxygen or something like that.

 

[yomax4]

I hope you are correct on this. However it will take many years and get worse before it gets much better. We are starting to see what Plasma Cutters and DC Stick units the 17-25yr olds are building. We'll see how they hold up while actually being used.

 

[crazyal]

I believe that you will be proven incorrect on this! Some of the US plasma and welding equipment mfgr's have laid off US workers and farmed work to China. Some (most notably, Hypertherm) have not. Hypertherm is by far the fastest growing plasma system manufacturer, and is the largest......with all products designed, engineered and built in the US. Hypertherm's fastest growing region is China. US products selling in China.

Chinese citizens are demanding improvements in their standards of living, wages and benefits are rising and work weeks are getting shorter. The Chinese have the capability to build high quality products (Apple's Ipad and Iphone are built by $2 an hour workers, mostly aged 17 to 25....living in large dormitories....their suicide rate is extremely high....this from yesterday's ABC news report). With lower volume industrial equipment however....the labor is higher, the volume is lower....and when you add shipping costs to the product....and assuming the product is of similar performance and reliability ...it will cost the same as the US made products. (case in point...Japanese Cars)

US companies that work hard to modernize and improve manufacturing, work hard for continuous improvement, and work hard to ensure their employees are happy....will continue to be very competitive on the world market.

The Chinese welding products that are flooding the US market are not comparable (using the key words performance, reliability) to the domestic products. They are selling here in good numbers because they are very low cost....but they will not replace the high quality domestically produced systems from the major manufacturers.

I know that my company (Hypertherm) could build a plasma cutter in our plants in the US that would compete pricewise with the low cost imports. To do so we would have to take steps backwards in terms of performance and reliability......as well as with safety and with proper electrical certification. We have chosen not to do that!


Jim Colt

Steve Jobs once told the Obama administration something to the tune of they were not going to make the iPhone in the US. That a few days before the phone was due on the shelves a change had to be made, they woke the workers up, gave them a pat on the head, and with in a half hour they were on the mfg floor making the needed changes so the release date would not be missed, within a few days they were making 10k phones a day target. As far as Apple is concerned, US companies can't match that so they will never build the phones here.

Until a lot more Chinese workers demand higher wages we are kind of stuck. Right now they can easily find workers who will like in a dorm and work for tea, some fish heads, and a bowl of rice and a buck or two a day. That's real hard to match unless a company is producing top of the line specialty equipment. It doesn't help when our government adds burdensome regulations that increase costs on a company that's trying to compete with the Chinese.

 

[catskinner]

Okay, I think you've all convinced me to forgo the plasma cutter... I do not have money for a nice machine so I'll just hunker down and get a cutting torch. Probably get something that can do propane/oxygen or something like that.

Have you done much reserch into the oxg/fuel cutting since acy is so high? I'm trying to figure it out now.

 

[Scooby074]

Have you done much reserch into the oxg/fuel cutting since acy is so high? I'm trying to figure it out now.

Ace is insanely high now. Have a look at Oxy/propane