To understand the working of a plasma cutter, it is better to start with the understanding of the characteristics of plasma. Plasma is called the fourth state of matter. We all know that there are three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Sometimes matters transfers from one state to the other when energy is introduced. A good example to understand this phenomenon is ice changing to water when heat is supplied to ice. If more heat energy is supplied, the ice is converted to water vapor. If the heat is further increased, the water vapor gets ionized and conductive electrically and becomes the 4th form called plasma. A typical plasma cutter uses a gas to transfer energy from a power supply to the electrically conducive material. This results in a faster, efficient, and cleaner cutting finish when compared to the cutting with the help of an oxyfuel.
A plasma arc can be formed with the help of a gas like oxygen, argon, nitrogen, or sometimes shop air is passed through a tiny nozzle in a torch. The arc generated from an external source is then induced into a high-pressure gas flow, which results in the form of a highly-pressurized plasma jet. The temperature of the plasma jet can reach to temperatures close to 40,000° F and can pierce through any kind of work pieces and blows away all the molten material.
The different components of a plasma cutting system are-
The initial questions to ask when choosing a plasma cutter depends on the overall cutting capacity:
Very similar to a welding machine, the amperage and the voltage capacities determine the size of the plasma cutter. One important point to remember here is that the process of plasma cutting requires high voltage and low ampere levels. These parameters are just the opposite of the parameters that are required for welding. Some users judge a plasma cutter incorrectly based only on the amperage. These people need to understand that the total power output is the product of amperage and voltage. Hence, both these parameters should be considered while selecting the right kind of plasma cutter.
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