Introduction to Plasma Cutting

Plasma Arc Cutting (PAC) is a thermal cutting process that is commonly found in many welding and fabrication shops. These machines are so affordable now that even a lot of home hobbyists have started using them in their home garages.

Plasma arc cutting has many advantages over Oxy-fuel cutting and is usually my first choice in the shop when I need to do any metal cutting. For one, it cuts any metal that is electrically conductive; unlike Oxy-Fuel which is limited to ferrous materials only. It also cuts much faster than Oxy-Fuel on all materials, this in turn causes a much smaller heat effective zone (HAZ).

Now as with anything in life, we have to take some of the bad with the good. Plasma Cutters are not as portable as Oxy-Fuel systems. In order to run a Plasma cutter, we have to have electricity, whether it is a wall outlet or ran off an appropriately sized generator. The next item we will need is an air supply. We can get this by one of two ways, either high pressured cylinder or an air compressor. Either way, it limits our portability. There are units out there that generate their own air but they are rather expensive. Depending on the type of cutting you plan to do, you will have to make the decision which system is best for you and your budget. Consumables are another downside to this system. On average, consumables will last 1-2 hours for handheld operations and 3-4 for mechanized operations.

ALWAYS USE CAUTION WHEN UTILIZING ANY DISPLAYED TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, TECHNIQUES OR PROCESSES. IF EVER IN DOUBT, CONSULT A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL. ANY RELIANCE ON THE PRESENTED INFORMATION IS STRICTLY AT THE VIEWERS OWN RISK. EACH VIEWER EXPRESSLY AND VOLUNTARILY ASSUMES ANY AND ALL RISKS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DEATH, DISABILITY, AND/OR SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY RELATED TO THE USAGE OF ANY TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR TECHNIQUES OR PROCESSES IN THE PRESENTED CONTENT. IN THE EVENT OF AN INJURY IMMEDIATELY SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION.

[Welddotcom]

Make sure to hit that Subscribe and 🔔button!

[marksalamack]

No unnecessary talk...no "you know"?....one of the best to the point, well explained tutorials I have ever seen...great presentation

[captainron]

You, my friend, are an excellent teacher. You remind me of my shop teacher in 8th grade. Yes folks, there was a time when our schools taught the trades as early as 8th grade. You sir, would make fantastic shop teacher. Well presented and easy to follow. Thank thank you. CR

[dtice]

I’m 50 years old and y’all keep teaching me new things! Your awesome, keep it up

[Slowhand]

Man I don’t tell people what to do very often but you need to be a high school shop teacher! Your instructions are absolutely perfect clear and concise. Zero boring bill shit.
Bravo

[russelljohnson]

WQow, a ton of information for free! I feel like I have just taken a master class! Thank you so very much for posting this!

[sbwhddv]

This video is one of the BEST I've ever seen on this topic. Three weeks of trade-school didn't cover this material half as well, plus it was boring tedious and expensive as hell. THIS GUY, on the other hand, knows his shit and delivers all the crucial knowledge concisely. THANK YOU!

[RUSTICWLF]

Thank you for taking the time to make this my friend.
Much appreciated.👍🐺👍

[rockymountainfinishing]

Great vid...I'm new to welding and fabrication but watching your tutorials has taught me so much and given me the confidence to pull the trigger and build it...whatever it is...
I'm a finishing carpenter by trade but always loved metal work..thanks to you and others I'm now doing it.
God bless you and your family
All the best for 2023

[leosbampa]

I'm just getting into tearing down electrical transformer substations, and I have no doubt this tutorial will be very helpful to me. Thanks, brother!

[robertberthiaume]

Very very good explanation, you guys are sooo professional on all your video. Bravo! You are THE welding channel to watch and learn the right way from competency to security. Many thanks from Canada!

[MidnightMaker]

This was literally the most informative video I have ever watched.

[themotofixery]

Seen tons of crap videos about plasma cutters but this one is great!! Its refreshing to hear someone who knows what they are talking about and has useful information! Thank you!

[dandexinventor]

Oh man, thanks...just what I needed! Also, good on you to reference using a router. I've been a woodworker for over 45 years...I'll remember this stuff.

[vitale]

This is the best Intro to Plasma cutting I've watched. I didn't realize there was a difference in cutting side / direction. Great tip. Good safety advise as well.

[CmdrCobra]

I'm doing apprentice plumbing and just finished 1st year at technical college in Calgary, Canada. I like your videos because they explain everything I need to know about cutting/welding for class. Thanks.

[Mikey-ymok]

"even a welder cant mess it up" wow bro, you did us dirty lol

[lawman]

One way to judge your cut speed. Divide the recommended speed by 60 ( seconds per min.) . Multiply that by length of cut and do the “ one Mississippi” count. If you're a novice like me, it helped. And thanks for a great tutorial. I was not aware that torch parts were amp specific. Or I forgot.

[faelwolf]

Bought a cheap plasma cutter to learn on and do a couple small jobs I've been putting off, this was just the video to get me started. Thanks! I have a feeling I'm going to end up putting more time into this and moving up to a better cutter once I get the hang of it, this looks like it's going to actually be more fun than work!

[joejetson]

I like the video. You do a good job explaining the things we need to know and not dragging on things we don’t need to know. Seen a lot of fabricating videos, this is the first one I’ve subscribed to.