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What is plasma cutting? This is a cutting system utilizing heat generated by arc discharge between the cutting object material and the electrode inside the torch. Arc discharge heat forms working gas into the plasma state of high temperature; the plasma jet of high temperature and high-speed is blown out from the nozzle; and the cutting object material is fused to be cut. What is plasma? Heating a gas to a high temperature makes kinetic energy of its molecule or atom large, such particles vigorously collide each other; electron inside the atom is taken away resulting in positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons being mixed up; as a whole, each charge offsets one another, producing a state of electrically neutral, which state is called plasma. This plasma appears when a gas is heated to 5 to 7 thousand degrees or higher at the atmospheric pressure. What is thermal pinch effect? A state where kinetic energy of positively charged ions and that of negatively charged electrons are equal is called thermal equilibrium plasma. Under such a plasma state, lower the temperature gets, lower the easiness in current flow (electric conductivity) gets. In arc discharge, a current is flown at the plasma part formed between electrodes to generate resistant heat there to hold a high temperature. If the plasma at the circumference of the discharge part is cooled, electricity gets hard to flow there, and the current concentrates into the core part. This phenomenon is called thermal pinch. In the plasma torch, an intensively cooled nozzle is used to squeeze the plasma generation into a narrow range to draw out this effect.
A complete plasma cutter consists of a power supply, a ground clamp, and a hand torch. The main function of the power supply is to convert the AC line voltage into a user-adjustable regulated (continuous) DC current. The hand torch contains a trigger for controlling the cutting, and a nozzle through which the compressed air blows. An electrode is also mounted inside the hand torch, behind the nozzle. Operation 1. Initially, the electrode is in contact with (touches) the nozzle.
2. When the trigger is squeezed, DC current flows through this contact. 3. Next, compressed air starts trying to force its way through the joint and out the nozzle. 4. Air moves the electrode back and establishes a fixed gap between it and the tip. (The power supply automatically increases the voltage in order to maintain a constant current through the joint - a current that is now going through the air gap and turning the air into plasma.) 5. Finally, the regulated DC current is switched so that it no longer flows through the nozzle but instead flows between the electrode and the work piece. This current and airflow continues until cutting is halted. Notes Plasma cutters are only useful for cutting metal. Non-conductive materials like wood and plastic prevent the plasma cutter from doing step 5 above. The above steps describe the operation of a contact-type arc starting plasma torch (the lastest technology). Old plasma torch designs use high voltage sparks to bridge the gap between a fixed electrode and tip when starting the arc. These old designs are not recommended for several reasons (see link below). The only parts of the plasma cutter needing frequent replacement are the nozzle and the electrode. For this reason, these parts are called "consumables." Plasma cutting is a process that is used to cut steel and other metals of different thicknesses (or sometimes other materials) using a plasma torch. In this process, an inert gas (in some units, compressed air) is blown at high speed out of a nozzle; at the same time an electrical arc is formed through that gas from the nozzle to the surface being cut, turning some of that gas to plasma.
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The plasma is sufficiently hot to melt the metal being cut and moves sufficiently