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With every good sized job we do I try to bid in a new piece of equipment to make my life a bit easier (and more fun too!) And the new job we just took on has that tool allowance built in.
I DO LOVE TOOLS!
It seems I've been waiting forever, but with the new shop completed it's finally time to buy a plasma cutter. We do a lot of steel fabricating and of late have cut a lot of plate steel from 12 guage right on up to 1/2 inch thick.
Does anyone out there have experience with plasma cutting tools??
What do you recommend??
I'm not looking for bargain equipment, but rather a good quality, long lasting tool that will do the job, safely and with ease for years to come.
I'm thinking Miller or Lincoln at this point. In my experience they seem to build good equipment which has lasted me years without problems.
I'm not sure which model to buy as of yet and am looking for exerienced feedback.
Thanks.
-dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Dan, I have used a few of them and they are addictive as all get out! I haven't found the money to buy one for myself yet, but one of these days... I have used a Miller and was quite happy with it. It is a nice small suitcase sized unit. Runs off a 20amp 120v or 230v and a compressor. I have also used a Lincoln that was in a rental fleet, It was a bit bigger but sure didn't cut as nice. Altho that could easily have been due to bad consumables. Most recently I used a Thermodyne(?). Not as nice a package as the Millar but It worked great, with new tips.
I would take any of the three I used, but I think I would choose the Millar. I used them all on 1/4 and thinner mild steel, they all worked ok.
Try them out. See what you can rent/test-drive. BE SURE TO USE DRY AIR!!!
[ December 06, 2003, 06:35 PM: Message edited by: Mike Pulskamp ]
-------------------- Mike Pulskamp Pulskamp Arts Sacramento, CA mpulskamp@earthlink.net Posts: 165 | From: Sacramento, CA | Registered: Dec 2002
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Our friends at AXYZ automation offer a plasma cutter tool option for their CNC tables. I've always kinda wondered what this option was for but have (I'm ashamed to admit) never asked.
From what I gather above, cutting steel would be one use. What are they and how do they work? What other uses could you find for them?
-------------------- Jon Aston MARKETING PARTNERS "Strategy, Marketing and Business Development" Tel 705-719-9209 Posts: 1724 | From: Barrie, ON, CANADA | Registered: Sep 2000
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I would rather use a laser than a plasma cutter as the kerf width (width of cut) is way better and there is very little HAZ (heat affected zone) and slag , for REALLY thick stuff , a water jet is the way to go. Oxy fuel plasma cutters are limited to steel and there are problems with warping etc , air arc types cut only conductive stuff and all plasma cutters leave a bevel , small holes are a problem here. However the plasma cutter is cheap compared to other methods. The laser will also work on a lot of stuff the plasma cutter wont work on and is incredibly versatile. Im really surprised that not many ppl here use a laser , even a small one like a 50-100 watt model with a decent bed size of lets say 1m x 500 is a HUGE tool for a signshop and one can do a lot with it. they are expensive , for example a beam dynamics slab discharge 500 (1.5kw peak) 48" x 48" laser is about $200k but it will do anything from engraving paper to cutting 3mm stainless. A small GCC explorer is about $30k and can cut up to 1/2" thick + acrylic with polished edges and engrave anything that isnt metal. Small sub 200 watt lasers wont touch most metals and aluminium and brass require huge laser power , copper is virtually uncuttable with a laser.
-------------------- Rodney Gold Toker Bros Posts: 57 | From: South Africa | Registered: Aug 2003
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I've talked to a lot of people about plasma cutters (from custom vehicle suspension fabricators to steel erectors on skyscrapers) and everyone so far (including my Lincoln dealer) has recommended staying far away from Lincoln's plasma cutters. The response was the same "They make awesome welders but their plasma cutters are lousy."
Hypertherm, Thermal Dynamics (Thermadyne), Miller and Hobart are your best bets, Hypertherm being the one that received the most recommendations.
It seems many of the people I've talked to had another similar bit of advice: Decide which thickness of steel you'd cut the most often, then get a cutter with the capacity to cut TWICE that thickness. The theory is if you're cutting 1/2" material, a cutter designed for cutting 1/2" is nice, but a cutter setup for 1" is twice as nice - cuts faster and produces a cleaner cut.
Thermal Dynamics has their brochures in PDF format on their website and they describe the various types of cuts (Genuine, Maximum, Severance) their units can produce. Here's a link to their Cutmaster 38, which is designed for 3/8" material but can cut 1/2" too at half the speed:
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Dan, My friend has a Thermal Dynamics that he doesn't care much for, it uses a lot of consumables. He likes his friends Esab though. Don't know which models they are. Mike
-------------------- Mike Duncan(from the left coast) Astoria, Oregon Posts: 367 | From: Astoria, Oregon 97103 | Registered: Nov 1998
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For those folks wondering what a plasma cutter is...
I cut a fair amount of steel plate and tubing when we build structures, traditionally done with oxy-aceltelyne equipment. Lately I've been facinated with things cut from and fabricated of steel plate. I think it offers a whole lot of potential in signmaking too.
The trouble with oxy-acetelyne is that as it cuts the metal it heats the surrounding metal and distorts it somewhat in the process. The cut can be uneven especially in thinner gages of metal or if your cutting tool isn't sparklingly clean. Basically, the acetelyne combined with oxygen heats the metal until molten and then when you pess the lever a second oxygen stream oxidizes and blows away the metal producing a cut through the metal piece. The consumables such as oxygen and acetelyne tend to add up in a hurry if you are doing a lot of cutting. Tank rentals can be expensive over the long haul as well.
The plasma cutter cuts in a whole different fashion. As I understand it, the tool produces a plasma arc with electricity and then compressed air shoots this plasma at the metal to be cut which in effect vapourizes a small stream of metal and in the process cuts through the piece. The cutting process is faster, cleaner and smoother. It also produces much less heat in the surrounding metal and distorts the plate metal less in the process. The speed at which the cuts are made with this tools is amazing too, compared with oxy-acetelyne.
The skill needed to operate a plasma cutter is much less than oxy-acetelyne. I would think that plasma is safer by far than gas cutting as well. Acetelyne by it's very nature is unstable.
We do the bulk of our welding with gas shielded wire feed welders (MIG Welders). We have one shop welder and two portable suitcase wire feed units for site work.
The possibilities in metal sculpture and metal fabrication are limitless! The materials are relatively inexpensive and once basic skills are mastered it's not that difficult. I'm really hooked of late. At our new shop project we are fabricating our own doors, furniture, shop equipment, storage racks, sculptures and a host of other projects.
Now we just need a few more tools!
My final choice in plasma cutters will be determined by a number of factors including the local supply of parts and consumables for the machine. I should make my final choice tomorrow and be lighting up the new torch late in the day!!
-dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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I have used a Miller for a few years in race car fabrications. No complaints, but have not tried it for anything over 1/4" thick. Takes awhile to get the hang of for clean cuts, and aluminum can be cut too, but might leave some slag like edges.
Good luck!
MC
-------------------- Mike Clayton M C Grafix Custom Lettering New Jersey (again) Posts: 508 | From: New Jersey | Registered: Apr 1999
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I agree that the slag on aluminium after being cut with a plasma isn't nice at all leave alli cutting to cnc routers or waterjet machines and use the plasma for all that loverly steel!!!
I was truely impressed with just how easy they are to use of course the one we hired was only a baby dragon, but it had to be the best ever toy
it only tool 5 minutes to cut out a 6'x 6' doorway and a 6'x 4' window hole through fairly substancial sleel walls
i had to laugh when Devo said how easy the Dragon would make breaking into comercial buildings for any theif....ummm carting the little dragon around might not be a biggie, but what about the air compressor and generator needed to drive it? hehehe
much easier to take apart a metal shed with a cordless drill!
sum mothers do have em!
cheers gail
-------------------- Gail & Dave Hervey Bay Qld Australia
gail@roadwarriorproducts.com.au
sumtimes ya just gota! Posts: 794 | From: 552 O'Regans Creek Rd Toogoom Qld 4655 Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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