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 can reduce the 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.

The Powermax 30 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). Both models will sever 16mm mild steel.

The Hypertherm Powermax 45, 65, 85 & 105 models have all adopted smartSYNC cutting technology at the business end of the torch, superceding Duramax torches. With severance capacities ranging from 29mm on the Powermax 45 SYNC model to 50mm on the Powermax SYNC 105, the cartridges allow the operator to view cutting data and view the remaining life of the consumable cartridge. Operator training and trouble shooting is better managed with fewer consumables to manage. Cartridges are colour coded for easy identification and interchangeable for applications such as flush cut & fine cut.

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.