CNC Plasma Cutter

With a CNC plasma cutter, you can cut extremely precise and detailed pieces out of almost any thickness of conductive sheet metals. You input your design via a CAD program on the computer and can then easily cut any number of pieces from sheet metal. The movement of the plasma cutter is almost completely under computer control so you can perform very detailed cuts which would be difficult and tiring for any human to do for hours on end. You can buy your own CNC plasma cutter for the shop by searching online or by visiting industrial supply shops in your city.

Much like a laser cutter, a CNC plasma cutter specializes in cutting detailed and precise shapes out of sheets of material. Unlike a laser cutter which can have problems with conductive metals, the CNC plasma cutting process requires a conductive metal like steel or copper because the electric arc must be able to pass through the metal.

Depending on the power of your CNC plasma cutter, you may be able to cut through up to 2 inches of metal. With thinner workpieces, the cut will be nearly perpendicular to the surface of the metal which is ideal for keeping finish work to a minimum. For larger thicknesses of metal, the angle of the cut will deviate slightly which can result in additional finish work.

One of the great things about using a CNC plasma cutter is that doesn't add much heat to the workpiece so you can cut relatively delicate assembled pieces without much fear of melting or otherwise altering the piece. Unlike a handheld plasma cutter, the computer will never get tired so you can create detailed workpieces almost constantly. These plasma cutters are often used in industry for creating detailed pieces out of sheetmetal, and also find many artistic uses among sculptors working with steel and other metals.

A CNC plasma cutter will be quite expensive to buy for yourself and there is really not a home version. You should probably budget more than $10,000 for a basic version, and you will also need a large amount of space to set it up. You can also look around for facilities that you have CNC plasma cutter you can rent or who will accept your design electronically and cut your pieces for you.

If you found this useful, please see my other related articles about welder/generators, plasma cutting machines, and inverter welders.