Welding Tips and Tricks

To all Welders and Jody


Using a plasma cutter for portable use, what kind of compressed gasses can be used out of a tank in place of a compressor? O2, CO2, Argon Nitrogen? …
Which ones would you definitly not use? And why? How long do you think an 80 or 125cf tank would last,say at 100psi Thank you. Ed Oh.

My experience with this is: Nitrogen work well and so does an air compressor if you have an effective method of drying the air. Some welding shops may have a small portable dessicant filter that will get the air dry enuff for a portable plaz. Looks kinda like a large oil filter. Happy cutting!

Plasma Cutting - Recommended Gases

Compressed Air is the most commonly used gas for lower current plasma cutting and works well for most metals from gauge thickness to 1 inch. It leaves an oxidized cut surface. Compressed air can also be used for plasma gouging on carbon steel.

Nitrogen is often used for higher current plasma systems and for cutting materials up to 3 inches thick. It produces excellent quality cuts on most materials.

Oxygen is used when the highest quality mechanized cuts are desired on carbon steel up to 1 -1/4 inch thick. The cut face is smooth, and dross is easy to remove. Oxygen can also be used on stainless steel and aluminum, but it produces a rougher cut face.

Argon-Hydrogen Mixtures are generally used for cutting stainless steel and aluminum. They produce a clean, high quality cut face. Argon-Hydrogen is required for mechanized cutting of any material more than 3 inches thick. This mixture also provides an excellent gas for plasma gouging on all materials.

I appreciate your reply, thank you, Ed

This is one of the better explanations of Plasma gas selections. As for the question of how long a bottle will last, that will depend on the material being cut. You could range from 40 psi to 90 psi depending on the material and thickness. Hope this helps

http://www.centricut.com/New_Lessons/lessons_9.html

Thank you Jim, your info pointing to Centricut.Com is just what I was looking for. Ed