Buying a Plasma Cutter

1. Maximum material cut thickness: Check severance versus recommended cut & travel speed information on the specification. Piercing & mechanised cutting capacities should also be considered.
2. Duty cycle: Decide upon your maximum material thickness & choose a model that cuts it with ease.
3. What type of material are you cutting? Mild steel, stainless, aluminium, copper & Brass can all be cut, but cutting capacities may differ for each material.
4. Input power: 110, 240 or 415 volts? For 110 & 240 volt supplies do you have 16 or 32 amperage input? If amperage input is 16 amps, it will limit the amperage output of the machine.
5. Access to compressed air? Some smaller plasma cutters have an on board compressor, but will only have a small cutting capacity.
6. Consumable cost: What is the cost of electrodes, shields & tips and how long will they last.
7. Portability: Assess weight & dimensions of the cutter.
8. Flexibility of the consumable platform: Can you change your consumables to gouge, fine cut or mark metal
9. Warranty & After sales service

1. What is the cost & longevity of the cutting consumable platform? Cost versus life.
2. Data recording; Some products such as Hypertherm's smartSYNC range, allow the operator to view cutting data & the remaining life of the consumable.
3. Do you want to be able gouge metal? A gouging facility is available on larger amperage models and is activated by changing consumables.
4. Do you want to be able to flush cut or Fine Cut? Check what the consumable platform offers.
5. Do you need to access difficult to reach areas? Check if a high access consumable is available.

The Powermax 30 air has an internal compressor and weighs just south of 14 kilos, making it a highly portable maintenance tool. All you need to start cutting is some power, then plug & play! It has a flexible power input capability, connecting to 110 or 240 volt and you can even run it from a generator. Will sever 16mm steel.

The Powermax 33 XP is more affordable and still connects to all single phase power, but you will need compressed air capability of 113.3 l/min (4 scfm) at 5.5 bar (80 psi). The 33 XP boasts extended consumable life against other models up to ten times higher & will sever up to 20mm.

The Hypertherm Powermax smartSYNC cartridge system is designed for machines cutting over 16mm and engineered to improve cutting consistency & increase longevity. 

It holds key advantages over traditional technology:

• When the cartridge is at the end of it's life, Sync technology informs the operator the need for a cartridge change. This means you use the consumable to it's full.
• The smartSYNC cartridge system offers fine-cut, gouging, drag & mechanical cutting options with the Sync plasma cutting power source auto sensing which process is being undertaken.
• SmartSYNC simplifying your stock requirements and reduces the need for operator training, as cartridges are colour coded according to process, amperage & application.
• A card reador can analysis on the cartridge performance data around cut starts, arc on time & remaining consumable life. Data recording is viewed via the Hypertherm app.

Hypertherm's Powermax 125 cuts thick metal very fast & is an absolute beast for making light of the toughest cutting and gouging jobs. With a severance capability of 57 mm & maximum cut capacity of 44 mm, it also has the ability to pierce 25mm. It can drag, mechanical and fine cut, as well as gouge. It can cut 550% faster than oxy/fuel on 12 mm mild steel.