Plasma Cutting Tips
Basic Plasma Cutting Tips a Beginner Should Remember
When you are working in the plasma cutting field, then you should know how to take advantage of your plasma cutter. The best plasma cutter can provide high quality cuts. However, it will also require the skills of the worker to be able to produce high quality work. If you want to make the most out of the plasma cutter you have, then improving your skills is a must. Here are some basic tips to take note of when you want to do well as a beginner.
First of all, you must choose the right cutting speed. You must travel at a correct speed so that you can make a consistent and beautiful cut. Moving at the appropriate speed allows the molten metal to be blown away from the bottom of the plate. If you use a slow speed for cutting, then you will just be creating a slow speed dross. This is the accumulation of the molten metal at the cut's bottom edge. On the other hand, if you are moving way too fast, the high speed dross will be found at the top surface. Going too fast or too slow will lower the quality of the cut.
When you are beginning the work, set the current to the maximum output. This way, you will know how strong the current is right from the start. Once you have started, you can turn down the current as needed. When plasma cutting, the more power, the better. However, there are cases when you are required to keep a smaller kerf or you need to do precision cutting. Powerful current will not be helpful in such tasks.
The pilot arc time should then be minimized. As much as possible, you should lessen the time you spend on pilot arc mode. This is due to the fact that the consumables get worn faster when you set the plasma cutter to pilot arc mode. That would mean additional expenses for you since you need to replace the consumables frequently.
The work distance should also be maintained. In plasma cutting, maintaining a work distance of 3/16 inches or 1/8 inches from the nozzle to your work piece is ideal. It is not recommended to move the torch up and down since that can end up becoming an obstruction to your work.
Decide what direction you will be traveling for plasma cutting. You must travel in that direction which gives you the best quality of finished work. If the cut you plan to make is a circular one, then moving in a clockwise direction is the best move for you. By deciding on this beforehand, you will have an easier time moving during plasma cutting.
Ending the cut means you should do a push angle, especially when you are working on a tick material. This is actually a trick that you must always use on the thicker material. Push angle means you have to rotate your torch slighting to increase the orientation to a push instead of going for a drag angle when cutting the last section of metal.