The market is now flooded with a world of machinery and it can be very confusing for you when you want to purchase the best plasma cutter that will be a perfect fit for your business. With so many features and specifications to consider, choosing the right plasma cutter that runs for long can be a very intimidating selection process.
Don’t take the stress; we have put together a list of reliable tips to follow when buying plasma cutters to ensure you make the right choice to enhance the productivity and skills of your welder. But before moving ahead, we would suggest you to visit this site if you have any questions regarding how to become a welder.
Tips To Purchase The Best Plasma Cutter For Your Business
Pay attention to your needs
There is no other better way to choose the right product unless you know what exactly you want out of the product. Knowing what you are looking for in actual will determine you can select a plasma cutter for your welder that can closely fit the business needs.
There are certain key questions you need to ask yourself to narrow down your priorities for the right plasma cutter.
- How often you will be using the plasma cutter?
- What kind of material do you want to cut with the cutter?
- Do you want the unit to be portable (lightweight and easy to move around the workspace)?
- How will you power your plasma cutter by using a generator or adapt power outlets?
- What’s your overall budget?
Consider the cutting speed
Knowing the cutting speeds to cut the thickness of the metal determines the production capacity of your shortlisted plasma cutter for your business. Many plasma cutter vendors provide cutting speed charts that allow you to compare the cutting speed performance of various plasma cutters and choose the one that suits your needs the best.
Aware of the duty cycle
The duty cycle of the plasma cutter describes the welder about the amount of use that a plasma cutter can render continuously. With a higher duty cycle, the best plasma cutter can be used for a longer period of time and the duty cycle of the plasma cutter will slowly decrease as you increase the voltage. However, long duty cycles are considered ideal for deep and long cuts, whereas a shorter duty cycle is best for regular small cuts. It’s essential to select the plasma cutter with a duty cycle that aligns with your requirements precisely.
Look at the plasma cutter’s output power
The output power of a plasma cutter determines what it can potentially cut. For instance, 12 amperages of output power from a 120V machine will be able to cut most 1/8 inch metal, while 60 amps of output power from a 230V machine will be able to cut most metal types that are almost 7/8 of an inch thick. There are also inverter-based plasma cutters available in the market that provide high metal cutting output power, yet weigh much less than regular cutting machines that offer the same cutting capacity.
Operating cost of the plasma cutter
The operating cost of the plasma cutter is closely associated with the consumables. Consumables are nothing else than the parts such as tips and electrodes that need to be replaced over time. Consumables are usually an ongoing cost, therefore, they make a detailed research on the consumption rate of your chosen plasma cutter to help save money over time.
As with any large piece of machinery, it’s important to make sure the vendor offers competitive pricings and quality-grade plasma cutters along with a good return policy, in case, it didn’t live up to its commitments. Additionally, a reliable warranty on the plasma cutter will ensure your investment worth its technology-advanced features and specifications.
