Best Multi Process Plasma Cutters [All in One] Buyer’s Guide 2022 (2024)

FAQs

What's the best plasma cutter you can buy? ›

PrimeWeld's CUT60 Dual Voltage 110v/220v 60 Amp Plasma Cutter brings plenty of fabrication power to your shop. The 60 amp max rating cuts steel up to 7/8-inch thick. At 20 amps output, this plasma cutter will cut as thin as 22 gauge sheet metal.

The Miller Multimatic 220 AC/DC

The Multimatic 220 is the only true Multiprocess machine that has AC TIG. (meaning you can TIG aluminum) Most multiprocess machines only DC TIG making it limited on the TIG side.

Designed for portable repair work and small business project use, CUT-50 Plasma Cutter cuts a thickness of 3/4 in., and the max severance thickness is 1.0 in. Type: DC Air Plasma Cutter.

For a small handheld plasma cutter running at 20-30 amps, you'll need as little as 80 psi (5.5 bar). Larger, automated plasma cutting systems in the 130 to 800 amp range may require 115 psi (8 bar) or more.

Weld from the bottom up.

Like building a house, you cannot start the bricks at the top. Weld metal is a liquid. When it goes in it needs support, that is why we need to always start at the bottom.

TOSHON Welding Machine:

Toshon Welding is India's leading manufacturer of welding machines and electrodes. With over two decades of experience, they have carved themselves a position in this market with their high-quality products and dedicated service.

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Stick) is the most popular welding process. It is the most versatile and uses the simplest equipment. The small light electrode and holder can be used in very tight places or reach several hundred feet away from the welding power supply.

Because the material must be electrically conductive to react to the ionized gas coming from the torch, non-conductive materials cannot be processed with plasma cutting. For instance, plasma cutters cannot cut wood, glass, and plastics, or poorly conductive metals like manganese, lead, tungsten, and tin.

What is the hottest plasma cutter? ›

Argon Hydrogen

The mixture typically uses 35% hydrogen and 65% argon. Argon hydrogen is the hottest burning plasma gas and provides the most cutting power.

Be careful to not touch the plasma cutter to the metal as this may fuse the cutting tip to the metal and may cause the cutter to go out; using 'drag cups' or a 'drag shield' can keep the tip from coming into direct contact with the metal.

So what types of welding should be avoided with aluminum? In general, any type of welding that uses a flux is not ideal for aluminum, as it can result in porosity. These include flux cored arc welding (FCAW), submerged arc welding and stick welding.

One of the most popular welding processes for aluminum is gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), otherwise known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. GTAW is a great process for aluminum because it does not require mechanical wire feeding, which can create feedability issues.

A high-strength alloy, 5XXX aluminums are easily welded. Components made with this material, such as auto parts and plates, are strong and durable. 6XXX is a close runner up. While the most common aluminum alloy used in welding, it can crack when exposed to extreme heat for too long.

Designed for portable repair work and small business project use, CUT-40 Plasma Cutter cuts a thickness of 1/2 in., and the max severance thickness is 3/4 in.

For example, a high-amperage plasma system can cut aluminum 1/4 in. thick in several ways, such as from 45 to 260 amps and mixtures of air/air or argon/helium.

If using an air plasma, make sure your air is clean and dry. We always suggest using an inline filter and dryer. Also, if your air pressure is too low, cut quality will suffer. The same applies to your gas when using an oxygen or multi-gas system.

The Spirit 200a is a full function 200 amp high current density plasma cutting and marking system with fully automated process control, piercing most metals up to 1.25 in. (32 mm) thick, and has a maximum capacity of 2 in. (50 mm). Automatic process parameter control provides exceptional ease of operation.

Nitrogen is often chosen as the plasma cutter gas for higher current systems and cutting materials up to 3" thick. It produces quality cuts on most materials, including stainless and mild steel and aluminum. For thicker metals, however, it's better to use nitrogen with air as a secondary gas.

What CFM do I need for a plasma cutter? ›

It varies depending on the equipment, however, most plasma cutters need between 30 and 60 CFM of air. If you're working with smaller equipment, you may be able to get away with a lower CFM air compressor. However, if you're working with a bigger machine, you'll need a greater CFM air compressor.

Rule # 7: Always light the acetylene before opening the oxygen line. Rule # 8: Never use oil or grease around oxy-acetylene equipment. Rule # 9: Never use oxygen as a substitute for compressed air.

The 1/7 rule simply means it is unsafe to flow more than 1/7th of an acetylene cylinder's total contents.

The rule of thumb assumes you need to achieve full strength. This means that exceeding the size specified would increase weld strength, but not the connection strength. Meaning welding anything bigger would be total waste with no added benefits. The weld is on both sides of the joint.

TIG welding produces the cleanest welds in routine applications because a larger amount of filler metal goes directly into the joint and produces less splatter. It is also ideal for thinner materials that require more precise welds.

What Type Of Weld Is The Strongest? TIG welding is often considered the strongest weld since it produces extreme heat, and the slow cooling rate results in high tensile strength and ductility. MIG is also an excellent candidate for the strongest type of weld because it can create a strong joint.

1. Best Overall Home Welder—Hobart Handler 140 MIG Welder. The Hobart Handler MIG welding machine is a versatile and compact welder ideal for homeowners. Capable of running either from a generator or a 115V AC power source, this home MIG welder can be used just about anywhere and is very easy to set up.

Welders in the nuclear industry might work on pipelines, underwater, or in the military. They must pass a demanding screening process, including FBI clearance, to become nuclear certified, making it one of the most difficult welding positions to obtain.

Can you use a plasma cutter on rusty metal? ›

Plasma can cut any electrically conductive metal including stainless steel, mild steel, aluminum and more, without pre-heating. Plasma is also great at cutting painted, dirty or even rusted metal.

But how thick can you cut with a plasma cutter? Handheld plasma torches can typically cut steel plates up to 38mm thick. Stronger automated machines, however, can cut up to an impressive 150mm in thickness.

Benefits of oxy-fuel cutting

For thicker steels of more than 1 inch, oxy-fuel torches are capable of greater cutting speeds when compared to typical 100-amp hand-held plasma cutting systems.

A typical price for a Plasma Cutter is $452 but can range from approximately $69 to $1,419.

Hypertherm Powermax 30XP vs Miller Spectrum 375 X-TREME. Both Hypertherm and Miller build highly regarded plasma cutters in the USA—Hypertherm out of New Hampshire, Miller out of Wisconsin. Hypertherm has been in the business over 40 years, Miller for more than 80 years.

Tip 5: Use proper technique

Note that most people find it easier to pull a torch toward their body rather than push it away. Holding a 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch standoff increases the cutting capacity of smaller machines and extends the consumables life. Use a drag shield if your machine is equipped with one.

Plasma cutters also cannot cut through coated metals, such as galvanized steel or powder-coated metals. If you try to cut through these materials with a plasma cutter, the plasma will not be able to ionize and will not cut through the material.

A drag tip is used on the end of your plasma cutter to cut through thin metals easily. Drag tips are great for cutting sheet metal, even at low amp rates. You can draw straight lines or follow patterns easily while dragging along the surface of your metal while having total control over how fast things move.

Some examples of material combinations that cannot be fusion welded successfully are aluminum and steel (carbon or stainless steel), aluminum and copper, and titanium and steel. Nothing can be done to alter their metallurgical properties. That leaves changing your process.

Through the process of arc welding, aluminum would be in a liquefied state by the time the steel begins to melt. Arc welding the two metals together would also create a brittle compound and would not create a strong fusion.

Which welding joint is the weakest? ›

The fillet welds are subjected to tensile stress. The minimum cross-section of the fillet is at the throat. Therefore the failure due to tensile stress occurs at the throat section. Thus the weakest area of the weld is the throat.

DC is used for TIG welding Mild Steel/Stainless material and AC would be used for welding Aluminium.

MIG Welding Aluminum Wire Selection

The most commonly used MIG aluminum welding wires are ER4043 and ER5356. ER4043 is a general-purpose MIG welding wire used to weld 2014, 3003, 3004, 4043, 5052, 6061, 6062, and 6063 aluminum alloys. The welds provide high ductility and excellent resistance to cracking.

Using a propane torch and some aluminum brazing rods is a quick way to bonding aluminum without using a welder. It makes for a very strong bond and with a little practice can be done quickly with great looking results.

The rule of thumb for aluminum GTAW is to use 1 amp for every thousandth (0.001) of material thickness. In other words, welding a base material that is 1⁄8 in. (0.125) thick would require about 125 amps.

1. Aluminum 6061-T6. 6061-T6 is one of the most popular aluminum alloys on the market and most manufacturing companies offer it as the standard grade for CNC machining. It's versatile, easy to machine, and 6061 can even have different heat treatments.

MarineWeld™ is a specially formulated two-part epoxy cold weld system that provides for strong, lasting repairs for bonding different or similar surfaces, such as aluminum, metal, composites, fiberglass and others. MarineWeld™ sets in 4-6 hours at room temperature and is fully cured to a dark grey color in 15-24 hours.

Warfox Plasma Cutter 120/240V Dual Voltage Plasma Cutting Machine, Max Cutting Thickness 14mm, Clean Cutting Thickness 10mm in 65PSI.

Because the material must be electrically conductive to react to the ionized gas coming from the torch, non-conductive materials cannot be processed with plasma cutting. For instance, plasma cutters cannot cut wood, glass, and plastics, or poorly conductive metals like manganese, lead, tungsten, and tin.

It varies depending on the equipment, however, most plasma cutters need between 30 and 60 CFM of air. If you're working with smaller equipment, you may be able to get away with a lower CFM air compressor.

How close do you hold plasma cutter to metal? ›

The stand-off cutting technique is the process of holding the tip of the torch between 3 – 4mm from the work piece to achieve the optimum cut.

115-Volt 20 Amp P20 Single Phase Plasma Cutter for Cutting up to 1/4 in. Steel, 9-1/2 ft. Torch Reach and 8 ft. Ground.

You'll be able to quickly cut through metal up to 1/8-inch thick while plugging into a standard 110V wall outlet. It also has low air requirements so you can run it off a basic compressor.

Designed for portable repair work and small business project use, the CUT-45M Air Plasma Cutter cuts a thickness of 2/5 in. with the max severance thickness at 3/4 in.

Typical life time of a set of consumable should last about 1 to 3 hours for about 120 A of mechanized cutting, it's in function of the job. Cutting at lower current may gets longer consumable life.

But how thick can you cut with a plasma cutter? Handheld plasma torches can typically cut steel plates up to 38mm thick. Stronger automated machines, however, can cut up to an impressive 150mm in thickness.