Hypertherm Plasma Cutter Is a Highly Efficient Piece of Equipment

Scientists have proved that apart from the three states of matter which are known to them, namely solid, liquid and gas, there is a fourth type known as plasma. It does not exist naturally on earth. When a gas is heated to very high temperature, tremendous amount of energy is transferred to the atoms which ionize into its basic components, nuclei and electrons. Plasma is known to be an excellent electric conductor.Plasma cutters work by passing a gas through a narrow opening and bringing this in contact with an electric arc. The gas used can be nitrogen, oxygen, argon or compressed air. This causes the temperature of the gas to rise astronomically resulting in the production of plasma. This high energy released is passed to the metal under operation by the electrical conductivity property of plasma. Since the plasma is basically a fluid, it has the capacity to clear the metal surface devoid of the residue produced from the cut.The main drawback of conventional gas cutters were that they were not able to cut metals with good conductivity. This disadvantage has been overcome with the new plasma cutter. The cutter can be used to cut mild steel, cast iron, aluminium, copper and stainless steel. Therefore they it is widely employed in industries where such operations are involved.The new plasma cutters are comparatively cheaper than conventional gas cutters which gives them preference over the older type of cutters.  They have the added benefit of being user friendly and ensure economic advantages like minimized energy consumption. Since they do not require flammable constituents, the risk factor involved is much lesser. They can be operated on electric power or gas. There are cases where Nitrogen or highly pressurized air can be used.Plasma cutters are considered to be more efficient than traditional oxy fuel cutters because they complete the work quickly and efficiently. Plasma cutters generate heat which is about 22000 degrees whereas the oxy fuels generate a mere 3150 degree Celsius. They can easily burn through most surface coatings such as paint and rust and still impart excellent cutting results.It is essential to have an idea how thick the metal is that you intend to cut with the equipment. The thickness of the metal will have a direct affect on the size of the equipment required. For operations where cutting thin metals are involved, a smaller machine will be sufficient whereas to cut thick metals, heavier equipment is required.There are various models that are available and are unique in design and performance. The well known brands include Miller, Esbab, Lincoln and CNC plasma cutters.A Hypertherm plasma cutter involves working with plasma at elevated temperatures, therefore all safety procedures should be strictly adhered to.