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before o rnot, i tisimportant thatyoubecome
familiar with your n ew plasma c utter. We
strongly recommend
that y oupractice with
your n ew plasma c utter onscrap metal trying
different base metals, base metal thicknesses,
and cutting p ositions. Bydoing this youwilt
gain afeel f orhow changes inthese variables
affect thecutting p rocess.
Ofcourse, ifyouhave notused a plasma
cutter b efore, youwiltneed todevelop p rop-
ercutting s kills andtechniques aswell.
The self-taught operator learns t hrough a
process oftrial a nderror. The best w ayto
teach yourself how toplasma c utiswith
short p eriods ofpractice atregular intervals.
Allpractice cuts should b edone onscrap
metal thatcanbediscarded. Donotattempt
tomake anycuts onvaluable equipment
until y ouhave satisfied yourself thatyour
practice cuts areofgood appearance
and
freefrom major f aults.
ELECTRICAL
CHARGE
(-)
CUTTING
TORCH
GAS --
ELECTRODE
-- SHIELDING
GAS
PLASMA
LEARNING
TO PLASMA
CUT
Holding
the Torch
The best way to hold the cutting torch is the
way that feels most comfortable to you. The
torch can be comfortably held in one hand,
or steadied using two hands. Choose the
technique that feels most comfortable and
allows good control and movement.
Position the Torch to the Workpiece
The plasma torch nozzle should be perpendi-
cular to the workpiece. Excessive angling of
the torch can cause the plasma arc to cut
into the side wall of the nozzle, resulting in
damage to the torch components.
It is impor-
tant to keep the cutting torch at the proper
distance from the material being cut. This
distance may vary slightly, depending upon
the type of material and thickness of material
being cut, but a general rule of thumb is to
keep the nozzle approximately
1/16 to 1/8
inch from the material being cut.
See Figure 8 for proper torch position.
I
I
t
I
I
t
/I
Figure 8. Torch Position
CUTTING
A "cutting" operation is generally defined as
one where the penetration begins at an
existing edge of the workpiece. Whether this
edge is an outer edge or a previously made
hole somewhere
in the workpiece is irrele-
vant. Cutting operations require a slightly dif-
ferent technique than Piercing operations
(described in next section).
1. Position your index finger on the trigger.
2. Hold the torch with the nozzle orifice
directly over the edge of the workpiece.
Note: Arc stretching can occur at the begin-
ning and end of the cut if the arc has to
"stretch" (deviate from a straight, perpendicu-
lar path) to find metal. Arc stretching can
cause the arc to cut into the side wall of the
nozzle.
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