Hey All!
I know ! I know ! Look at previous postings for answers on plasma
cutters ! And I have read many, many of these postings. But things
seem to change so fast in the plasma cutter world. I saw one
advertised in Machinist's Workshop or Home Shop Machinist that was
surprisingly inexpensive. I spoke to the guy selling it and he was
very helpful and informative. He gave me a reference to a fellow using
it in a light industrial setting as I would be. It turns out that it
would not work for me, but would be great for a hobbiest. So for me it
boils down to either Hypertherm or Thermal dynamics. It seems that
these machines are priced closely, use consumables at approximately
the same rate, and parts are easily available. So it comes down to
trying each one and seeing which one feels better. But where I need
help is deciding what capacity is best for my situation. Currently the
thickest mild steel plate I cut is 3/4". The thickest stainless plate
is 5/8" I use the oxy-acetylene torch for the mild steel and saw for
stainless. All the cuts are then machined to size. Not too much
welding is done in my shop but I do turn away welding business from
time to time because it is such a small part of my work and I like
machining better. But this will probably be changing this year. I'm
looking to hire a welder with some machining experience who wants to
learn machining. So a plasma cutter will hopefully be getting more
work. And that work will be welded assemblies. So the cuts will
preferably be final and many will be welded to other parts.
Just how bad is the cut when it is "severed"?
Is machining this "severed" surface hard on cutters the way a torch
cut surface would be?
Can the cut be improved by pre-heating the plate?
How much grinding is required to make a "severed" cut close to the
same quality as a proper cut?
Is there a point where it is better to use a torch because of
thickness?
Is 3/4" near this point?
Will a higher amperage machine make better cuts on thinner material?
If so, can a machine that will cut 1" be used economically to cut 16
gauge?
Does the cut have less bevel when using higher amperage?
Can I tig weld to a plasma cut surface without any prep or with
minimal prep?

I think that's it.
Thank You,
Eric R Snow,
E T Precision Machine