Posted: 9/28/2011 8:01:16 AM EDT
| I'm new to plasma cutting, only done MIG welding. I am looking at a cutter rated to 1/2" steel. With plasma cutters, can I make multiple passes to cut through, say, 3/4" steel, or is the 1/2" a max, and multiple passes won't cut any more? Thanks! |
| I suppose you could, but it'd be ugly & messy, not to mention hard on the consumables. You'd basically end up having to make multiple passes to make a 'v' then cut through the bottom of that. Not really recommended. Which cutter are you looking at? Is the 1/2" a cut or sever rating? |
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You get what you pay for in a plasma cutter. Get a Miller Spectrum 625 or better. It will cut in a single pass.
I bought mine on Craigs for 1/2 of what a new one goes for. Yes, you have to be very quick to catch a deal like that, and I camped out for a couple hours waiting for the meet, to insure I got the box. |
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Where plasma cutters really shine is cutting 3/8 stock or thinner with great precision and little to no dross. Even if a machine is "rated" for 1/2 or thicker, those kinds of jobs are usually better left to a oxy/acetylene and if precision is needed, then a bandsaw.
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Quoted: Where plasma cutters really shine is cutting 3/8 stock or thinner with great precision and little to no dross. Even if a machine is "rated" for 1/2 or thicker, those kinds of jobs are usually better left to a oxy/acetylene and if precision is needed, then a bandsaw. Good advice. |
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Quoted:
Where plasma cutters really shine is cutting 3/8 stock or thinner with great precision and little to no dross. Even if a machine is "rated" for 1/2 or thicker, those kinds of jobs are usually better left to a oxy/acetylene and if precision is needed, then a bandsaw. I was going to say something similar to this. |
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Quoted:
You get what you pay for in a plasma cutter. Get a Miller Spectrum 625 or better. It will cut in a single pass. I bought mine on Craigs for 1/2 of what a new one goes for. Yes, you have to be very quick to catch a deal like that, and I camped out for a couple hours waiting for the meet, to insure I got the box. Millers are definately nice machines, even nicer if you can find a deal on one. I have a Thermal Dynamics that does a nice job. |