Protect your eyes from welding light by wearing a welder’s helmet fitted with a filter shade that is suitable for the type of welding you are doing. ALWAYS wear safety glasses with side shields or goggles when chipping or grinding a work piece if you are not wearing a welding helmet.

Shades come numbered as high as 14, and the shade necessary depends on the specific task being performed. For example, shielded metal arc welding requires at least a Shade 7 and up to a Shade 14 depending on the electrode size and arc current.

The equipment used in oxyacetylene welding is low in cost, usually portable, and versatile enough to be used for a variety of related operations such as bending and straightening, preheating, post-heating, surfacing, brazing, and braze welding.

When full-face protection is needed, such as when working overhead or during cutting, use of a full-face shield or helmet over safety glasses of the correct filter shade is recommended. goggles meet the impact, heat, and filtering requirements specified in ANSI Z87.

It’s recommended that you use between a shade 10 to a shade 13 welding lens to prevent flash burn on your eyes. The higher the number the darker the shade will be. However, the more amperage you are using the darker the shade you will want to have to avoid burning your eyes.

A shade level of 5 is a comfortable setting for using a plasma cutter on 40 amps or less. Miller Welds has an article explaining that a shade as low as 3 can be used in certain situations, but we recommend you use the highest shade you can tolerate. The darker the better.

Do you need a welding mask for plasma cutting? Technically, no, you do not. Many people tend to wear goggles when it comes to plasma cutting or even safety glasses that darken. However, if the torch you are using has enough amps to it, then a welding mask would be ideal for safety reasons.

One of the many purposes of wearing safety glasses or goggles when plasma cutting is to protect your eyes from radiation and UV rays. Proper plasma safety requires protecting your eyes, face, and your exposed skin. You need to shield your eyes and face with proper plasma cutting glasses, goggles, and/or helmet.

Argon gas

Compressed Air is the most commonly used gas for lower current plasma cutting and works well for most metals from gauge thickness to 1 inch. It leaves an oxidized cut surface. Compressed air can also be used for plasma gouging on carbon steel.

Laser cutting is a precise thermal cutting process, utilizing a focused beam of light. Plasma cutting, on the other hand, uses a mixture of gases in order to form a cut. With our high definition plasma cutting equipment, we are able to perform bevel cuts on parts as required.

A MIG welder can be used as a plasma cutter. You’ll need an air compressor and carbon electrode in place of wire along with a number of small items.

As you can see, TIG welding with a plasma cutter is completely do able as long as you have access to a multi-process machine.

Plasma cutters are becoming the tool of choice for cutting metal. However, if you don’t make tons of cuts and don’t want to invest in a plasma or oxy setup, you can adapt your arc welder to make plasma-like cuts. It’s not technically a plasma cut, but the air arc cut it produces mimics the plasma cut.

about 1 inch

One of the most important requirements for a quality cut when using a plasma cutter is sufficient air pressure to blast the plasma out of the cut. That means you need a quality air compressor as well as a quality plasma cutter, both inside the same cabinet.

7/8″

1.0″

Plasma cutting is an effective way of cutting thin and thick materials alike. Hand-held torches can usually cut up to 38 mm (1.5 in) thick steel plate, and stronger computer-controlled torches can cut steel up to 150 mm (6 in) thick.

Why do plasma cuts have little or no distortion? Because the high temperature allows for a higher travel rate which results in a lower heat input area. Standoff distance, orifice diameter, power setting, travel speed, gas, electrode and nozzle tip, swirling of the plasma gas, water injection.

Although plasma can cut through painted metal, it does require a solid connection on a clean part of the workpiece as close as practical to the work area. 11. It is difficult to cleanly stop and continue a long cut.

One of the things that plasma cutters need is compressed air. So how much air does a plasma cutter need? Air requirements for a plasma cutter will require about 4-8 SCFM delivered at 90-120 PSI. This will cover units that are intended for up to 3/8″ thick steel to large units that can handle 7/8″ this steel.

They also can be used to cut nearly anything that is metal, including steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. You can even use them to cut rusty nuts and bolts just like you would use a gas torch, only much faster and with cleaner results. Treat plasma cutting like welding and gas torch cutting, and you will be OK.

The plasma cut cleanly and quickly through 1/8 inch metal, just as simple as drawing a line. Plasma can cut any electrically conductive metal including stainless steel, mild steel, aluminum and more, without pre-heating. Plasma is also great at cutting painted, dirty or even rusted metal.

The plasma cutting process may be used to cut any conductive material, including carbon steels, stainless steels, aluminum, copper, brass, cast metals, and exotic alloys.

40,000° F

20,000 feet per second

The way a plasma cutter works means it most likely won’t melt your finger off if you torched the plasma over it. However, it would do severe damage if your finger was underneath the metal you were cutting, due to the extreme heat that passes below the metal being cut. It has some serious heat.

Fire Hazards The plasma cutting arc blows out hot metal and sparks, especially during the initial piercing of the metal. It also heats the workpiece and cutting torch, all of which can cause fire and burns. To protect your eyes while plasma cutting, wear approved safety glasses with side shield.