New, Used & Refurbished Plasma Cutters Available Now

Plasma cutting machines are suitable for small and large scale manufacturers, artists, and even DIY enthusiasts.

Used to cut precise metal shapes, plasma cutting machines can suit the needs of an individual wishing to cut custom metal plates, through to industrial scale business operations needing to quickly and accurately cut hundreds of identical shapes, via either handheld plasma cutting systems or mechanised plasma.

 

 

Why do we need plasma cutting machines?

Industry today relies upon the use of manipulated heavy metals and alloys; everything from cars, bridges and even robots cannot be manufactured without the ability to accurately form metal components.

However, while metal is incredibly strong, it’s also highly resistant to damage, meaning specialist machinery is required in order to accurately cut and manipulate the materials.

Along with ESAB, Hypertherm, Esprit Automation and Messer other brands of Plasma cutters and accessories we buy and sell are Thermal Dynamics, Kjellberg, Burny Kaliburn, Lincoln, TorchMate, Koike, Farley, Donaldson Torit, SAF-Fro, Thermal Arc

Plasma cutting machines:

• Simplest to use
• Hand Held Plasma cutters are simple and easy to use.
• Scanning systems are optical cutting machines that have photoelectric control and are designed to be extremely accurate. Instead of using metal templates, scanning systems can follow line drawings or template’s silhouettes.
• The Portal Gantry plasma cutter is suitable for either oxy – acetylene or plasma cutting applications and is available in numerous sizes.
  
  
• CNC Plasma Profile Cutting tables
• Fitted with a Burny Control system, CNC Plasma Profile Cutting Machines benefit from being reliable and relatively easy to use.
• Most mechanised CNC plasma cutters come with 50 standard shapes built into the memory, however additional shapes can be incorporated from a PC using Cad software.
• CNC Plasma is also a much more affordable option compared to other processes, such as laser cutting, and with a variety of new technologies offers a similar quality cut.

Components that make up a CNC Plasma Profile Cutter

Mechanical components:
There are many choices here. Each machine will have moving parts: the gantry or rail axis , the torch carriage or cross axis, and the Z axis (the up down axis used to control torch height). On large industrial machines that last for decades are under 3 shift, highly productive use, expect everything to be heavy, precise and overbuilt – read, expensive. On entry level, low-cost machines, expect all of these same components to be small, lightweight and of much lower construction cost. By using lightweight components on the smaller machines, money is saved in drive motor, electronics, gearing, etc., allowing the system to perform at plasma cutting speed ranges with reasonable accuracy.

The vast majority of lower priced machines use stepper motors as the drive systems, while larger and more costly industrial systems will use servo drives. Both drive-motor technologies have the ability to move the machines with very good precision, although modern, properly sized servo drives will generally have a wider speed and torque capability, which improves the ability of a plasma torch to cut very thin materials at speeds of over 400 in. per minute, as well as thick materials at speeds in the 10 ipm or less range.

Servos can be more intuitive for machine operators as they use encoder feedback to the CNC, providing less likelihood of lost positioning on the cutting table in the event of a collision with a tipped-up part, a power failure or other cutting anomalies that can occur.

Fume control:
Regardless of the power level or type of plasma cutter you install on a CNC cutting machine, there must be a fume control system. The two basic types used for plasma cutting are downdraft fume controls and water-table-based fume control systems.

A water tray fume control is typically just that: a tray (from 2 in. to any depth) that allows water to touch the bottom of the material being cut. The fine, hot particles of the material being cut are blown by the force of the plasma jet into the water. These particles are cooled and sink in the tray. Without the water, larger particles would fall and smaller particles would drift up when hot and rise in the form of smoke. Much of the smoke is a byproduct of mill scale or oil on the material; some of it is the material.

Downdraft tables require enough air flow so that the flow rate in the table is powerful enough to move the heavy and light particles through a duct. If your local situation allows blowing these fumes outside, then that is adequate to dissipate the fumes. Typically a 2 x 2 table needs about 1000 cfm, a 4 x 4 about 3500 cfm, and a 4 x 8 about 7000 cfm in order to remove all of the smoke and fumes. That means that during heating season you will be pulling that amount of heat out of your shop. Some better designs use a cold air makeup duct strategically placed near the table so that air flow of the table uses outside air instead of your shop air. Some larger downdraft tables use zoned sections with movable louvers so that the suction is only pulling on the area of the table that the torch is cutting on.

Of course, there are many downdraft tables like Donaldson Torit make that use a large self-cleaning filtration system inside the shop. These filter the fumes and smoke and keep all of the heat in the shop. The filter systems, zoned systems and air makeup systems add cost and complexity.

Bottom line on fume control: properly designed water tables and trays as well as downdraft systems, are very effective at controlling the fumes and smoke from the cutting process. Water in contact with most materials (steel) will affect the edge quality in terms of roughness and dross (resolidified metal on the bottom edge), yet often will help control warpage and camber that occurs from heat input on long, thin parts.

CAD and CAM software:
CAD — computer assisted drawing or drafting — lets you draw the exact parts that need to be cut. This electronic drawing of parts is then input to the CAM – computer assisted machining or manufacturing — software, which “post processes” the drawing, adjusting the size to compensate for the kerf width of the plasma cut, adding lead-ins and lead-outs to the drawing so the plasma piercing process has minimal effect on the finished part. The CAM file is then entered directly into the CNC control, where it is converted into electrical signals that control the entire cutting process.

Today, there are CAM software packages that do much more than simply “post process” CAD drawings. CAM for cutting applications is often called nesting software, which is used to post process and accurately position multiple different CAD files, in different quantities, to most efficiently utilize the plate of material being cut. Nesting will efficiently rotate and position parts, and often will generate reports involving costing, plate waste and utilization, and much more. CAM software in some systems today also can control and automatically set virtually every cutting parameter, such as arc current, voltages, gas preflow, cutflow settings, cut speeds, cut heights, pierce heights and more, simplifying the machine operators job, limiting scrap and increasing productivity.

On some low cost machines the CAD and CAM software are combined, allowing for a seamless transition from drawing to cutting. This is often seen as a way to allow everyone in the smaller shops to be able to draw and cut parts right at the machine on the shop floor, and effectively makes the learning curve to operate these machines much shorter.

We can supply a range of associated products for your plasma cutting projects. Fume extraction units - vital for H&S of employees, consumables and tips to help you gain the optimum cut and achieve good results cost effectively, recommend gas suppliers , supply cutting beds and rails, control units and software CAD CAM support

With such a lot to consider when purchasing a machine and then you maybe also have a restricted budget, why not look at buying a used cnc plasma cutter?

With nearly 60 years supplying used and refurbished machinery, we are unbiased over the make but more try to fit the right package to the customer. 

Give us a call if you want to chat over your options.

WANTED - Used CNC Plasma cutters

We are always searching to buy more CNC plasma cutting systems.  If you want to make space in your workshop or upgrading your current cutting processes to a Laser cutter, please get in touch with us immediately as we can offer you the best market price for any used CNC plasma or flame profile cutter. You will know then exactly how much you will have to invest in your next machine.