CNC Plasma Cutters - A New Era In Plasma Cutting
The basic operation of plasma cutting involves the process of cutting steel and other metals of varying thicknesses using a plasma torch. Plasma is the fourth and last state of matter known to man. When a gas is heated to super elevated temperatures, tremendous amounts of energy is transferred to the atoms which ionizes into electrons and nuclei. These electrons which move at high velocities collides with each other producing enormous amounts of energy. This energy imparts the much desired cutting ability to plasma.
The working procedure of plasma cutting makes use of an inert gas or compressed air at high pressures. The gas is allowed to pass at high velocity through a nozzle to the surface being cut. At the same time an electrical arc is formed which converts some of the gas into plasma. This hot liquid plasma is sufficient to melt the respective metal and the liquid property enhances the movement of molten metal away from the surface of the metal.
Other conventional plasma cutters had a drawback that they had to be operated manually. Because it is manually operated it becomes difficult to conduct extensive and complicated cutting operations with them. Safety aspects had to be considered due to the super elevated temperatures involved with plasma. However, CNC plasma cutters are computer controlled; therefore it becomes much easier to take care of complicated operations such as multi axis cutting and other works on complex welding equipment, and making it safer for humans to operate.
The Miller 701 was discontinued probably because it was too large and unwieldy. However some reviews people have stated that it is a great machine to operate. Certainly on one forum I visited members expressed envy that one member was able to obtain one at a very reasonable price.
There are several factors that affect the quality of work that a CNC plasma cutter can deliver. The precision and accuracy of the cut depends on the power setting of the equipment, the consumables used, the nature of gas used, the type and characteristic of the material being cut and the thickness of the material. These factors collectively influence the quality of the output.
Most manufacturers will exhibit sample pieces of metal that was cut with the equipment in question. Before purchasing a CNC plasma cutter, one should have a fairly good idea of the thickness of the metal which is to be cut. You can ask to see samples of similar thickness of metal that a particular piece of equipment was used in order to get an idea of the quality of the equipment and if it will meet your expectations. If you are not satisfied with the results keep looking until you find the right manufacturer for your needs.
Working with plasma cutters is entirely different from welding operations. Therefore the safety precautions to be adopted are different too. The output power of a CNC plasma cutter is around 150 Volts which is a fairly strong voltage. Precaution should be taken to avoid contact with the plasma as well as the metal, because there is an existing electric circuit between the metal and the CNC plasma cutter.
