What consumables does a plasma cutter use?
For most manual plasma cutting systems, five different components comprise the torch consumables—the shield, retaining cap, nozzle, electrode, and swirl ring. The shield protects the rest of the consumables.
How long do plasma consumables last?
Typical life time of a set of consumable should last about 1 to 3 hours for about 120 A of mechanized cutting, it’s in function of the job. Cutting at lower current may gets longer consumable life.
What material is the plasma torch consumables made from?
Typically made from ceramic or volcanic ash, a swirl ring controls and swirls the plasma gas around the electrode and into the nozzle. This controls the point where the arc is attached to the emitter. It also controls the plasma flow through the nozzle affecting the edge angularity.
What wears out on a plasma cutter?
The nozzle and the electrode will wear out more quickly than other components, as they are most directly involved with the creation and focussing of the cutting arc. As the nozzle wears, the hole in the tip gets larger, which makes the plasma arc thicker and produces a wider cut (kerf) in your workpiece.
Why does my plasma cutter keep turning off?
The cutter nozzle has a second set of channels. These channels release a constant flow of shielding gas around the cutting area. The symptoms are often that the plasma cutter won’t initiate an arc on the metal, or the arc will start and stop erratically while you’re cutting.
Do plasma cutters wear out?
Plasma cutter consumables are a set of components in your plasma cutter that gradually wear over time until they need to be replaced: they have a life cycle. Plasma cutting torch consumables include: a swirl ring, electrode, nozzle, retaining cap, and shield cap.
Can a plasma cutter cut cast iron?
The more energy added via the plasma cutter, the hotter the plasma arc becomes, providing more cutting capacity and efficiency. One of plasma’s greatest advantages is its ability to cut non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, stainless steel and cast iron, materials that are becoming more common in many applications.
Why is my plasma cutter not working?
The compressor is short of air. The pressure adjustment of air conditioning valve of the plasma cutting machine is too low. There is oil pollution in the electromagnetic valve. The air channel is obstructed.