Plasma cutting tips of the month We probably ought to discuss plasma cutting more since we do sell quite a number of them. So today we will give you an additional tip or two on how to get the most out of your plasma cutter. One of the biggest things we frequently discuss is the need for dry, clean air. If your plasma cutter is chewing up consumables, this is the first place to look. Using the air filter/water trap with that is supplied with the unit is not enough. Even though you think you are getting the moisture removed, a lot of it still is passed through the torch. There are a lot of solutions to this, with a desiccant type filter being the most common and cheapest solution and a refrigerated system be one of the most expensive. However, the cost of any system will be a savings in consumables and improvement in production over the long term. Another issue you should be aware of is the tip to work height of the electrode. There should be a little air gap under the consumable for cooling and allow the occasional piece of slag to scatter. This distance is typically 1/16 to 1/8”. 1/8” is really on the long side, though and cut quality, capacity and angularity all change at this distance, even though rapid cutting can still be achieved. 1/16th of an inch may seem like an impossible distance, but it is not. A little practice and this will be easy to hold and after a while, it will become second nature through muscle memory. Even after you have clean air, and a good air gap between the work and the metal, some cutting issues may remain. Having the correct travel speed is an obvious factor, but the one that most people don’t think about while cutting is the torch angle itself, and whether there’s an angle side to side, or one front to back of the cut. Side to side torch angle positioning should be eliminated, unless you like a beveled, inaccurate cut. Front to back angle though can help or hurt the cut depending on the thickness of the metal being cut and the amperage. Leaning the torch forward slightly will reduce total cut capacity but can help quality especially on thin metals where the material seems to want to close up and reweld itself together while cutting. A rear pointing angle is usually never advised. For most purposes, a full 90 degree angle to the metal is best though.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 23:30:01 +0000
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