[GalaticDan]

Hi,

Reading more into plasma cutting and I've hit a bump. I have 1.5mm 304 and 316 (SS) sheet which I want to cut. I just read about possible problems with thin material - could someone more knowledgeable elaborate please?

Thanks,

Dan

[jcc3inc]

Sir,

We had a customer in Oregon who made SS weathervanes. He used a very shallow water table with his workpiece just barely submerged. When the plasma gas preflow started, it blew away the water on the top surface just under the torch. The cuts were excellent, warping due to heat was non-existent. I thought it worked very well.

Regards,
Jack C.

[Redline]

I think 1.5mm is about the same as 16 gauge. I cut 16 gauge every day with no problems.I have the Campbell Designs THC, it works great for the cost.I don't see it being any problem to cut that. You might not be able to cut anything real intricate.

[Torchhead]

We have customers cutting 24 ga steel. Stainless presents a little more challenge in that it tends to warp more. For thin material smaller tips and lower currents help bring the feedrates down to usable levels. In the Hypertherm world the Fine Cut Consummables do a really good job but the higher speeds and smaller gaps call for gap control (THC) that is tight (+ - 1volt).

The water bath with the material actually setting on or slightly below the water is used by several commercial shops that cut a lot of SS. It has a lot of advantages.