Plasma Cutters ?

[bp90]

I know nothing about these and have never used one but i think its time i had one in my workshop !

So how do they work, whats good and whats bad etc ?

I'd be looking for a good quielty second hand single phase unit i would have thought

any input would be great

Paul

[zardos]

I know nothing about these and have never used one but i think its time i had one in my workshop !

So how do they work, whats good and whats bad etc ?

I'd be looking for a good quielty second hand single phase unit i would have thought

any input would be great

Paul

So how do plasma cutters work - have a look at http://tinyurl.com/282yqbe

My thoughts on:-

What's Good,

Fairly easy to do freehand cutting to get awkward shapes.

Only cuts metal.

What's bad

They eat air, so need a good compressor.

They have a limited cut depth (some more expensive models have better cut depths)

The edge is not always smooth, so will need some dressing to look good (again depends on price)

Not that cheap (well for good ones)

They always over claim on the cut depth.

[BeBobbed]

A very handy tool to have if your into your metal fabrication. More useful than the previous post implies in my opinion.

It will save a lot of time & effort on many jobs. Just think of how you would cut the material if you didn't have a plasma, angle grinders & hacksaws can be hard work on 6mm & above.

The edge quality is fairly good if you have a steady hand or a guide/template.

Yes they can get expensive & need a reasonable sized compressor , but they can save a lot of time.

Most will cut 6mm easilly & get a good clean cut. To cut much thicker material the price goes up, but most jobs on a landrover won't need anything more than a basic 40a inverter machine is capable of.

So how do plasma cutters work - have a look at http://tinyurl.com/282yqbe

My thoughts on:-

What's Good,

Fairly easy to do freehand cutting to get awkward shapes.

Only cuts metal.

What's bad

They eat air, so need a good compressor.

They have a limited cut depth (some more expensive models have better cut depths)

The edge is not always smooth, so will need some dressing to look good (again depends on price)

Not that cheap (well for good ones)

They always over claim on the cut depth.

[integerspin]

The pic below is an average cut, well it's actually the first cut I made on a bit of 8mm flat stock.

The lump at the near end is the end of the cut, I have never mastered the end of the cut;-)

[tinker]

One of the best pieces of kit I have ever bought/used. The time it saves on doing any fabrication job is priceless, I have a mate who is rebuilding the rear chassis on a 110, without the speed and ease of use a plasma cutter gives, I know he would have given up, I would have ended up finishing it for him....anyway mine is only a cheap chinese job, but will cut 10mm fairly easily, 6 mm is a breeze.

[forkrentfitter]

One of the best pieces of kit I have ever bought/used. The time it saves on doing any fabrication job is priceless, I have a mate who is rebuilding the rear chassis on a 110, without the speed and ease of use a plasma cutter gives, I know he would have given up, I would have ended up finishing it for him....anyway mine is only a cheap chinese job, but will cut 10mm fairly easily, 6 mm is a breeze.

i have just bought a cut 40 chinese jobby,the instructions are a joke,what pressure do you run yours at?