PlasmaCam

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 12-01-2010 04:07

There is nothing in plasma cam's price range... It's the one at the bottom.

We have one for training at a tech college. Works fine for what we do but is very light duty.

If you are thinking about daily production, in my opinion you might want to invest in something more robust.

By cmays

Date 12-01-2010 17:08 Edited 12-01-2010 17:27

Check out Dynatorch for a production unit. If youre just playing around, the plasmacam is fine but you will find out real quick that it wont do for fabshop production. I run a Dynatorch THC with dual head oxy/plasma and drilling with 6x12 capacity. Paid for it self in the first 3 months I had it. Make sure you go with a water table system too if you dont want to run a ventilation system because it will smoke you out for sure.

By aevald

Date 12-01-2010 17:44

Hello cmays, I used to believe in the water table route for fume/distortion control, yet, in some localities the hexavalent chromium issue is more closely monitored and you will end up with the water being classified as a "hazardous waste" and much more difficult to deal with from a disposal standpoint. One of the manufacturers in our area just put in a new plasma system and they went with the "old school" system of bag houses and cyclones from Torrit for that very reason. However, if you are not processing stainless steels this might not be an issue. Just a bit more for consideration. Best regards, Allan

By cmays

Date 12-01-2010 18:23 Edited 12-01-2010 18:27

We use a coolant mixed in ours that is supposed to remedy this ploblem, however we collect the water in containment when we clean out our table. Once the table is clear of all dry material we then add more water to what we collected and mix in our new coolant. The new mixture is then recirculated back into the table. The only thing that get disposed of is the dry material. I see your point though and it is a valid one. Things are never as easy as they seem these days. I do not suggest running it without some type of fume control though. You do not want to be breathing that smoke.