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Pete C.

Califbill wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
.com...

wrote:

I have been getting various quotes for plasma cutting jobs. I
understand that there are disposables involved with tangible costs.

It occurred to me that there has to be a figure that would price out
the cost of a plasma cut perhaps in terms of dollars/inch of
cut/thickness of a given material, thus isolating the procedural costs
from others such as workshop rent, labor etc.

Has anyone done this?

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

There might be some useful info on the Hypertherm site. There are quite
a few variables that influence the life of the consumables in plasma
cutting, ranging from the brand and model of machine to material,
thickness of material, manual or CNC, basic CNC or 5 axis, edge start,
piercing, etc.

Consumables are not much. A nozzle lasts a long time, and is not expensive.
Power costs are probably the highest cost. I think part of the problem is
there are less and less that do plasma cutting. Better methods are starting
to rule. Waterjet, etc. Plasma leaves heat conditions along the cut edge,
and the waterjet makes a very fine kerf and very neat. Plus if you are
doing an automated plasma table cut, you need the correct input file. Last
is required on a waterjet also, so I guess that is a wash. (bad pun)

Plasma and CNC plasma are affordable for HSM users, waterjet not so much
at present.