Plasma cutter info

[rvk355]

OK, so i ended up buying one of those chinese EBay plasma cutter, i know i know you get what you pay for

its a 40amp unit max 12mm cut, came with instructions but with very bad english and not much cutting info.

what i wana know, is with the settings on the machine, AMPs and Air pressure, obviously it would be the more amps the thicker it can cut the machine can do,but what about air pressure, is there a set air pressure to run or different air pressure require for the size of the material to be cut.

also, is the plasma tourch allowed to touch the job while cutting or do i have to hold it off the job a certain distance.

any info and help would be appreciated

Regards RVK 355

[dobre]

Hi rvk,
yes you are right sometimes you do get what you pay for but not always. In the case of your recently purchased plasma Ebay chinese special they are not as bad as some people make them out to be. They may not be as good as the brand name units but they will do a fair and reasonable job. This is taking in account what you will be using it for and how often. Even in factory conditions with frequent usage they will generally go the distance.

You dont always have to spend fortune to get a half decent product. The place where i am doing some work at the moment have a chinese plasma cutter ( jasic ) and it works pretty good. It has been knocked around a bit and still performs as good as it did from new. It is not brilliant but it can do a fairly good job.

The air pressure running to the machine will obviously vary depending on your supply but i believe in the plasma there is a preset air pressure valve. This controls the air so that it is not too much or too little. In other words self regulating. The minimum distance that the torch should be from the material being cut is about 2-3 mm. Resting the torch on the material will glog the tip at the very least, or even doing more damage to the head.

Also keep in mind that they operate simili to an oxy/acytelyne torch by that i mean sparks will fly in the direction it is pointed in. Be wary of any flammable material or liquid should obviously at a very safe distance. All in all they are handy units to have and a good alternative to the oxy set for cutting purposes. The only other thing to keep in mind is to ALWAYS wear a breathing mask because the fumes it expells are very dangerous to your respitatory system. Like any tool treat it with respect and you will be around till your an old grumpy man.

I hope that this info helps, Dobre.......................................

[rvk355]

I will mainly be using it to cut thinner stuff like car panels etc, im currently helping a mate to tub his car so it will deffinatly come in handy.

il try have a play with it on the weekend and see how it goes.

this one is pretty much identical to the BOC smooth CUT 40, wouldnt suprise me if they came from the same factory

[rvk355]

i set it up today and had ago using it just cutting some mounts off a diff housing, was pretty self explaintory really. worked quite well, my super cheap air compressor works flat out.

[dobre]

Hi rvk,
the boc smooth cut 40 is the jasic unit rebranded for boc, weldmaster and a couple of others. They do originate from china and they are good unit for the for the price. Its a mid range in quality and it will do the job for the average user and purpose of use. If you look after it it will generally go the distance and as all plasma's are they need a good air supply to operate at their best.

Dobre

[rvk355]

Yea like i said, its pretty much identical to it, but the BOC comes with a better quality tourch.
I did look into buying the BOC unit, but i thought i would give the Ebay one ago.

[dobre]

Hi rvk,
the important thing as long as you are happy with it and got it for a good price thats all that matters.

Dobre