Plasma cutting
Common plasma cutting mistakes and how to fix them
Quick answer
The most common plasma cutting mistakes: piercing too close to the plate; 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. Each traces to setup or technique basics — fix those first and the process behaves.
The usual suspects
- 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
Diagnose from the bead
Your weld bead is a data readout: undercut says too hot or too fast, humpy ropey beads say too slow or too cold, spatter says voltage mismatch or stick-out, porosity says shielding. Chisel, brush and read every practice bead before you blame the machine — 90% of 'machine problems' are settings problems.