Cutting guide
Plasma Cutting: Clean Cuts on Any Metal
Plasma is the fastest clean way to cut any conductive metal — curves in plate, stainless sheet, scrapping. A 40 A unit on a standard power point happily eats 10 mm steel and runs on compressed air.
What is Plasma cutting welding?
Plasma cutting (plasma arc cutting) — a superheated, constricted arc blows molten metal through the cut — clean cuts on any conductive metal. It's easy to learn — drag-the-tip cutting works in minutes and its natural territory is cutting steel and stainless, sheet and plate, curved/precise cuts.
Plasma is the fastest clean way to cut any conductive metal — curves in plate, stainless sheet, scrapping. A 40 A unit on a standard power point happily eats 10 mm steel and runs on compressed air.
How the process works
An electric arc between the electrode and the work delivers intense, localized heat; the molten pool is protected by compressed air (most units) — without that shield, air makes the weld porous and brittle. Beyond the physics, the operator controls heat, travel speed and position; the process rewards consistency over talent.
Settings by thickness
| Output | Clean cut (steel) | Severance |
|---|---|---|
| 40 A | ~10 mm | 14 mm |
| 60 A | ~16 mm | 22 mm |
| 80 A | ~22 mm | 30 mm |
| 100 A+ | ~28 mm+ | 38 mm+ |
Equipment and consumables
What you need beyond the machine: compressed air (most units) where applicable, filler matched to your material, and the safety kit that never gets discounted — helmet, gloves, ventilation. In Australia: A 40–60 A air-plasma on a 10A circuit handles 10 mm steel cuts slowly, 6 mm happily in Australia; consumables (tips, electrodes, swirl rings) are the real running cost.
Running costs: consumables are the price
Tips, electrodes and swirl rings wear: budget $15–$40 per set with life measured in pierces and metres, not hours. Moist air murders consumables — a cheap airline drier pays for itself fast. Pierce thick plate at an angle or standoff, never straight down at the tip: blowback instantly kills tips.
Plasma vs the alternatives
- Oxy-acetylene: thicker steel, cheaper consumables, but heat distortion and no stainless/ally
- Angle grinder: cheap, everywhere, slow for curves and terrible for long straight cuts
- Plasma: clean, fast, any conductive metal, curves and plate — at consumable cost
Common mistakes
- Piercing too close to the plate — blowback destroys the tip instantly
- Dragging the tip on thick plate when it's rated for standoff cutting only
- Moisture in the air line eats consumables; a drier is cheap insurance
- Cutting speed too slow — wide, dragged kerfs full of dross
Frequently asked questions
How does plasma cutting work?
Plasma cutting (plasma arc cutting): a superheated, constricted arc blows molten metal through the cut — clean cuts on any conductive metal. It's a cutting process — the fastest clean way to slice conductive metal.
What is plasma cutting used for?
Plasma cutting is used for cutting steel and stainless, sheet and plate, curved/precise cuts and scrapping and demolition. In Australian terms: cutting plate and sheet cleanly for fabrication, art and scrapping.
How hard is plasma cutting to learn?
Plasma cutting is easy to learn — drag-the-tip cutting works in minutes. Expect same-day usable beads.
What gas does plasma cutting use?
Plasma cutting uses compressed air (most units).
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