DIYbanter - View Single Post - Durn plasma cutter glued my steel art together

On 2 Dec 2005 16:33:23 -0800, wrote:

I was figuring Id make some xmas presents of some neat steel art.. I
bght 1/16" mild steel and cut four blanks and clamped themn together.
Well after i cut out the shapes the dang pieces are now welded
together..Im gonna hafta get the dang grinder and grind the edges to
make em come apart.

Im using a very old plasma cutter,16 yrs old, and thght it wld do
alright..Shoot.

Well i ordrerd a new Hypertherm 600. Shld be here nest week.

Maybe I need to place spacers betwen the blanks.

Any ideas of this problems sports fans??

First of all, it is entirely possible to pull this off, but there are
a few caveats:

1) 4 pieces is too many. I wouldn't go beyond three.
2) You'll need a plasma cutter with more power. The PowerMax 600 is
a good machine and will be a good start. We have one at the shop and
it will take limitless abuse. However, once you begin going through
material thicker than about 1/4" you really have to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n.
3) Expect that if you stack three pieces, the edges on the top and
bottom will be rough and the one in the center should be very clean.
4) This assumes you are moving at the right speed. Too fast and you
won't cut through all three sheets. Too slow and you'll be WELDING
them as you go.

Finally, do NOT place spacers. That will worsen your problem.

John P.