One cut is often all it takes. Fabricators, contractors, maintenance personnel, artists and do-it-yourselfers who experience the benefits of a hand-held air plasma arc cutting machine rarely want to return to oxy-acetylene cutting or mechanical cutting processes such as saws, cut-off wheels, shears and snips.
Plasma cutting can improve productivity and lower the cost of cutting. Benefits of plasma cutting include:
- Faster cuts
- No pre-heat cycle required.
- Cuts any metal that conducts electricity (unlike oxyfuel, which cannot cut stainless steel or aluminum)
- Offers portability around job sites.
- Minimizes the heat-affected zone and yields a cut with a small kerf (cut width).
- Plasma units can also gouge, pierce, bevel, cut holes and trace shapes.
The actual process of operating a hand-held air plasma cutter is relatively simple. In fact, the hardest part comes before ever striking an arc selecting a machine that best matches your application and choosing the right accessories.
