Hey everyone. I'm a new member. My first visit was yesterday.

I'm a software engineer, so I know many programming languages. I am pretty handy but sadly know little about electronics.

I plan to bring my MIG welder in and my plasma cutter and an air compressor to run the plasma cutter. Both the MIG and the plasma cutter are dangerous and can be easily damaged so you need to be checked out on them, especially the plasma cutter, where you essentially cut metal with a lightning bolt.

I need to plan a class to teach people how to use the plasma cutter.

Welcome Nick,

Before you trek the equipment down, we should talk power. If you can make next Wednesday nights meeting we could get a discussion started but I will guess that you need to have 220v and unless something has changed in the current shop, we are still in need of having one set up. Plus we may be moving the metal working area, but we are still waiting on the Board to announce what if anything is happening there.

I hope to see you down there soon.

Booka

For my curiosity, are we talking about a hand held plasma cutter, or a (gasp) cnc plasma cutter? I'm expecting the former, but hoping for the latter. =)

I for one, will want to be checked out on that bad boy.

Welcome aboard, Nick!

-Riley-

Thanks guys.

Only Handheld. But it can cut underwater! (apparently, according to the manual ... why??? I have no clue.)

It has dual auto-sensing voltage. If it's hooked up to 110, you can't crank more than 20 amps. If it's hooked up to 220, it can crank 40 and cut thicker metal. It also likes to consume copious amounts of compressed air: 4.0 scfm @ 80 psi. I have a compressor that is on its last legs that I use right now. I'm looking to upgrade this at some point. Right now if I have the compressor and the cutter on the same 15 am circuit, and they are both running, they will blow the circuit in less than 5 seconds.

It's a Hypertherm model "Powermax 30".

http://www.hypermax.org/powermax_30_specifications.htm

industrial plasma cutting is done underwater so you don't have fumes. the water picks up most of the bad stuff.

i only know this from a mfg process standpoint, not a how to actually do it standpoint. no clue if you need de-ionized water, or just a dish pan and a hose.

That's interesting, Metis. The manual is very explicit that "CAUTION: cutting underwater will generate lots of hydrogen gas, which can detonate"

Hmmm, how can we capture that gas? Just asking, no real reason, really...

i'll wager it generates oxygen gas too (from a scientific accuracy standpoint) i'd assume that as the gas bubbles up it moves away from the arc, and won't ignite there, but that smoking a stogie while cutting steel in a dishpan may get exciting. if it's breaking the water bonds at the arc though, you'd think it'd combust immediately.

If I remember correctly, this is electrolysis, and it creates oxygen on either the anode or cathode, and hydrogen on the other. I'm not certain, but I think hydrogen forms on the cathode, which is negatively charged.

Not sure how to capture this in this setup, but it'd be interesting.

OK I'm heading over now with all my gear. See you!