Industrial vs. Nonindustrial Plasma machines
Plasma-cutting technology is a widely used process that has gained widespread popularity for its ability to cut most metal forms and is quite favored for its simplicity. Its versatility, range of capabilities, and applications have made it a universally accepted metal-cutting process.
Nonindustrial Plasma
Nonindustrial plasmas are best suited for garage users of steel fabrication who require plasma cutting, perhaps 2-3 hours per day, 3-4 days per week. A plasma in this class is best suited to small operations that work on mostly customized jobs. Nonindustrial plasma units are much cheaper to purchase than industrial Plasma but cannot tolerate the ongoing high volume that industrial Plasma is designed for. Air plasmas and lower-end conventional mechanized plasmas generally fall into nonindustrial plasmas Pressography.
Industrial Plasma
Industrial plasmas refer to plasma units geared towards high-volume large production facilities with enough work to elicit a machine to operate a full eight-hour shift five days per week. Plasmas in this class usually can use up to three eight-hour changes per day, seven days per week, if necessary. An industrial plasma is preferable and necessary if your operation fits this category.
Higher-end Conventional plasmas and high-definition plasmas fall into the industrial plasma category. With modern-day advances, however, high-definition plasmas are generally the Plasma of choice due to the higher levels of automation they provide and the higher level of cutting proficiency they can achieve.
Advantages of Industrial Plasma (high definition plasma)
• Lower Operating Costs
• Oxygen and multi-gas capability for improved
• Faster Cut speeds
• Improved weldability
• Significantly longer consumable life
• Thicker cutting capability
• Quick disconnect torch
• 100% duty cycle
• Hi-Definition technology
• Best cut quality, including squarer edges and rounder holes
• Mark, cut, and angle with the same consumables
• More process options for optimizing the cut quality
• Remote (CNC) gas switching capability
• Patent TruHole technology for best Plasma cut holes – unique to Hypertherm high-definition plasmas
• Hdi thin stainless technology
• Optimal gas mixing for mid-range stainless steel
• Higher pierce capability
• Much higher automation
• Higher resale value
• Much longer life on a machine
• Significantly higher production capability
• Significantly higher computer-aided design capability
Essential components of an industrial Plasma cutting machine
The’ Controllers’ of a plasma unit are essential to a plasma machine’s ability to provide continuous quality cutting. A well-engineered, well-constructed control unit is critical to delivering consistent high-level cutting precision and quality at high speeds over long hours. A poor to the average control unit cannot achieve consistent accuracy, especially over long production intervals where it is likely to overheat or break down.
Controllers have five main components: A power source, a controller, a lifter, drives, and servo motors.
Power Source
Get a renowned plasma source for your machine to achieve high performance and reliability, deliver consistent cut quality, increased productivity, and lowest operating costs, and last a long time for your business.
Lifter
The lifter is an essential component providing precise plasma torch height control. A quality THC height sensor will reduce the cut-to-cut cycle time (up to 60%). It provides better-cut quality due to proper assembly of torch height, savings on power, and longer consumable life.
Also, the quality torch height controllers automatically adjust the voltage for proper torch height to optimize cut quality and consumable life. Traditional torch height controls require an operator to adjust arc voltage periodically to ensure an appropriate cut height.
Control
The controller must have built-in process expertise, resulting in flexibility and ease of use. A quality controller has a serious digital I/O system that will deliver reliable motion system quality and improve cut quality and productivity.
The software should allow the end-user flexibility and ease of use, so a person with little or no experience with the controller can cut like a seasoned professional in as little as a day.
High-end servo Drives and motors
High-end drives like Bosch help ensure high stiffness for accuracy, minimal backlash, and easy adjustment. The servo drives receive command signals that amplify and transmit electric current to the servo motor to produce motion proportional to command signals.
Their main advantage over DC and AC motors used in nonindustrial plasmas is the addition of motor feedback, which can detect unwanted motion or ensure command motion accuracy. Servos in constant speed-changing use typically have a better lifecycle than DC/AC motors. They can also act as a brake by shutting off the motor’s electricity.
Bosch Servo motors
Bosch servo motors allow for precise control of angular position, velocity, and acceleration. It consists of a sophisticated engine coupled to a sensor for position feedback.
Stepper motors typically used in low-end CNC machines provide no feedback encoder as the drive signal specifies the number of movement steps to rotate. This lack of feedback limits performance as the stepper motor can only drive a load well within its capacity; otherwise, missed steps under load may lead to positioning errors.
Low rails
Industrial Plasma usually features low rails secured to the ground to ensure the highest level of stability driven by helical drives and to provide optimal accuracy during the rapid fast movement of the plasma beam during long production intervals.
Table design rails usually seen on nonindustrial plasmas won’t have the same rigidity level and are thus less suited to high-volume pace production. Besides, with fences built onto the cutting table and so close to the Plasma, with constant long-duration cutting, the rails risk distorting in shape (over time) due to continuous exposure to heat.
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