Technical Arc captain Plasma cutter

Looking at buying one of these, hard to ignore the price of $189!
Question; are they worth it? I've used plasma cutters, but never owned one. Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

I’ve never heard of the brand before. Are consumables readily accessible?
Warranty?
Look at the duty cycles as well.
Many have had good luck with the inexpensive ones. I’d just want to know if I smoked my last tip, I could get one quickly and not wait for a week or two.

 

Deboss garage just tested this one and they were impressed (CAN$200) on Amazon.

 

Look up CUT-50 platform plasma cutters and you will see they are like riding mowers. Insides are all built by one or two companies with different outer shells labeled for different sellers. Some may have more bells and whistles.
I'm thinking of buying one myself but a horizontal bandsaw is next on the tool list.

 

I have one, Anybody offer tips HOW to use it

I haven't mastered it... still trying, won't give up.....

 

@verde742 Only seen them in shops, haven't run one, so no personal experience.
I'd suggest going by a shop that has one Friday afternoon with some cold ones and strike up a conversation. Also, I haven't looked, but there has got to be dozens of videos from manufacturers and newbies to help guide you. Hope to hear about how you made some neat stuff soon!

 

We have the princess auto “ pro point “ plasma cutter in the shop got it for $600 some odd bucks 3 years ago. Duel voltage ( 110/220)
Cuts 3/8 “ plate easily
Consumables are always available and cheap .

we don’t use it a ton but we use it, and it’s fine us well .

im sure it’s made by the same off shore company as all the other knock off brands .

as long as consumables are readily available to you , buy one . Great tool to have in the kit when required .

 

I watched the video. The one thing I really want to point out is how important the duty cycle of the unit is.
The duty cycle is based on a 10 minute operation cycle. If it is rated at a 30%, like most light duty machines (welders or plasma cutters), that means that for every 10 minutes of operation, the machine is suppose to be used for 3 minutes, and left running to cool off the 7 minutes. If the machine is rated at 60%, that is 6 minutes of operation and 4 minutes of idle time to cool off, for every 10 minutes of use.

Exceeding that duty cycle WILL reduce the life of the machine. That guy didn't care how long the cutter lasted, once he was done with his project. If you pay attention, after he did the 13 minute cut and he switched over to the 110 volts and it didn't work, he was concerned that maybe he had already gotten it too hot and killed the machine. He was lucky and didn't kill it, but he also commented that if you bought it, to expect it to be dead after the first use. Exceeding the duty cycle has consequences. If you use a 30% duty cycle machine at 100%, it is going to be dead in a year or maybe less.

For a plasma cutter to work, a clean ground connection for the ground clamp is as important as a good clean ground is for welding. I have always ground a clean place to connect the ground clamp onto anything I am cutting or welding on, and that ground clamp is as close to the cut/weld as I can get, directly on to the piece being cut or welded.

The next thing I want to point out is that the new machine didn't work well on 110 volts. Expecting a plasma cutter to cut anything more then 18 gauge sheet metal on 110 volts is probably a pipe dream.

Just one more thing: What ever your plasma cutter is rated at, expect a clean fast cut up to about 1/2 its rated capacity. It probably will cut up to the max cut if the tip and nozzle are new, the ground is clean, and the machine has been fully rested, but as you get closer to that max, the slower the cut will be.

Consumables:
The nozzle (the tip end with the hole in it) has a cutting life expectancy of about an hour of cutting time, if its not sitting directly on the material you are cutting. If the nozzle is in contact with the material you are cutting, its life is considerable shorter. As it cuts, the hole enlarges, the larger the hole, the less efficient the cut is.

The solid tip is what starts the spark to start the cut. There is an insert that is part of the cutting end that burns away each time the trigger is first pulled. Once the insert is burned up, you will not have a spark to begin the cutting process. If the metal you are cutting is not clean and shiny, it will consume the insert faster.

Anytime the material doesn't cut completely through the thickness, it will mess up both the nozzle and the tip insert. In my 20 years of plasma cutter use, I find I can generally get 2x the cutting time from the tip with the insert as I do with the nozzle, but I always have a back up of each piece on hand.

 

Are you cutting with 110v or 220 volts?
How thick is the material you are cutting?
How clean is the cut line?
Are your tip and nozzle good?
Do you have enough air pressure to operate the machine?

Be sure you have a good ground for the ground clamp, directly on the piece you are cutting.
Make sure the nozzle hole isn't too big (it burns away as you cut).
Ideally you don't want to put the tip against the material you are cutting, there should be a small gap (maybe .030) between the end of the tip and the material until it blows through the material.

The plasma cutters cuts by the electronic spark supper heating the air and the air is doing the cutting. If the spark can't happen, or isn't hot enough, or the air can't flow, it won't cut very well.

 

Great info @gene-koning ! Experience shared is useful to those starting out.

 

Great information. Thanks. I have a large amount of old farm equipment and commercial air conditioning compressors to cut apart. Have done 95 with a angle grinder and am pretty good at cutting but go through disc’s at a good clip. My though is to a old junk 4x4 I have and bolt in a 5500 generator, a &0 gallon air compressor I revived and a plasma cutter in the bed. Haven’t done the math to decide if it’s cheaper than my torch but acetylene is getting pricey

 

propane ..litlle slower-lot cheaper

 

A plasma cutter will cut anything that conducts electricity, and it will at least burn (as in catch on fire) anything within its cutting range from the tip. A plasma cutter will cut through the metal very fast, much faster then a cut off wheel or a torch (until you start getting past 1/4" -3/8" thick steel). I have a big, expensive, Hypo Therm 250 plasma cutter rated at 5/8" thick metal, 100% duty cycle, that can cleanly cut 3/8" plate at 17" a minute, about the same speed my torch cuts 3/8" plate, but I don't have to wait for the torch to heat up the steel. Hook up the ground, turn on the machine, pull the trigger, start cutting metal immediately. The cost of the nozzles and tips will add up pretty fast, figuring an average cutting time of about an hour for each pair (thinner clean metal is easier on the tips & nozzles). You will still need to get a clean ground and at least a clean place to start the cut, once cutting it usually does OK. The rusty (and thicker) metal may prove to be harder on the tip and nozzle. Clean, dry air, at 90 psi is a must. The amount of air used is about equivalent to an open spray gun. I would suggest you get a 220 v plasma cutter with the thickest cutting range you can afford with at least a 60% duty cycle.

If you are working outside, you would need to clear the snow off the part you are cutting, a plasma will not preheat the metal in front of the cut, for the most part. I would also have some concerns about plasma cutting in the rain or while its snowing (that water and electric thing, you know).

Where a Plasma cutter doesn't work well, is where two pieces of metal that need cutting are spaced apart. As an example, if you need to cut a 1/2" pipe, that plasma cutter will have to go all the way (or most of the way) around the tube, or you need to cut a chunk out of the tube to be able to cut through the back side. You need to be able to get the cutter head almost against the surface that needs to be cut.

 

Most likely no cutting until Spring. Cutting stuff up to get the most prepared although I hauled a load in yesterday and the price was just $100 a ton so it might not even be worth it. Time and expense over unprepared iron. My generator can do either 110 or 220 but not sure what the pace would be on that. Thought abour propane for te torch but the answer I've been getting is it's a lower temp burn and uses more for the cut so propane vs acetylene ends up a wash.

 

Don't waste your money if its not rated to cut a minimum of 3/8 and You should look for 1/2. Also, get a 220 Volt, and not a 110 volt. You will regret getting only 110 volts. They struggle and don't do the job when they are cheap and working anywhere near capacity.....and 110 volts handicaps them even more.

Edit Add: Notice one thing that's missing so far from this thread.........I didn't see one person on here that was lauding the merits of their personal 110 volt plasma cutter. You know there are people on here who bought one, so where are their testimonials about how great they work?

 

I love my plasma cutter. Don't remember the brand but it has a snake on the side of it. 220, makes easy work of 3/8" plate. I made a 45 degree nozzle for it when I was building foundation vent covers a few years ago (the damn feral cats were having babies in the wells). Using the nozzle I made I could slice the steel on an angle, wire brush it, fit it up to the next piece and MIG it back up. Fast and easy.

I paid 600 bucks for it 7 or so years back. Came with a ton of consumables. Word to your mother, use dry air and your consumables will last forever.

 

I have a small Hobart. One of the most fun tools I own, will cut 1/4 nice and 3/8 ugly. They like CLEAN DRY air. Make sure you can buy consumables. Make patterns out of 1/4 formica or plywood. Allow for head diameter in your measurements. And have FUN.

 

I've got a Forney P20 that I picked up on a Black Friday sale at Coastal Farm and Ranch a few years ago when they were new on the market. It's good on light stuff but doesn't handle anything over 3/16 very easily. Looking them up now they aren't in the price range of the Cut-50 though.
If that ArcCaptain will cut 1/2 inch I'd sell mine to someone who wants to do artsy fartsy stuff and get one of those. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5N7K2DJ?tag=highlightreviews-69176-20&th=1

 

Mr48chevy, I think I would hold off on that cheap plasma. He went through a lot of tips to cut the amount of steel he was cutting, and most of those 1/4" thick material cuts were not so clean. I believe the machine you already have may be a better machine. His comment about buying it as an expected "One project use tool and if it lasts longer then that is a bonus." would have me concerned.

Some how I have a problem with spending $200 for something that I hope will last for just one project.

 

Why would yo buy a cheap machine that potentially has ugly cuts for one use only. I had a cheap plasma and it was nasty. While using it when my big 3 phase air compressor turned on at the same time it would blow a circuit breaker and the cut was ugly. The first machine I sent back as the main circuit board had fallen out on delivery. I bought an xcel arc it wasn’t super expensive and cuts like a laser. Make sure you have a filter drier in the line to save your consumables.

 

I have two plasma cutters, forget the brands right now, neither gets much use these days.
I’ve a small one, works hard to get through 16gauge. No trigger, sorta touch, lift and pull.
The bigger one has 3 settings, up to 50 amps if I recall. I’ve only used it on steel when I was out of acetylene, but its primarily use is aluminum and SS.
If I need to cut metal, I use a torch, clean it up with the angle grinder and go.
I have cut 3/8ths with the plasma cutter, still takes some grinder work for a slick finish on the cut. Don’t expect a “sheared edge” look with a plasma cutter. If you can do that, you can run one way better than I ever could, or will.
Great machines, no doubt though.

 

Several people have mentioned that "clean and dry" air is a necessity. I'll second, errr third that. I bought an inexpensive HF weld cart and modified it to hold my plasma cutter. It has enough room behind it to permanently mount a filter/separator. Then when I use it, the air separator on the compressor filters the air somewhat and the second filter/separator on the cart gets any moisture thats left. The clear curled hose lets me see any moisture that might be getting thru. So any time the PC is plugged to air, it always gets filtered. It also provides a way to set the air pressure for what you need even if the compressor is still pumping at full pressure and you forgot to adjust the outlet pressure.

 

Nice looking setup, what brand water separator did you use?

 

I bought a new used Miller. It is a duel voltage and it really doesn't work very will on the 110 side. I gave a little over a grand for it but feel like I did good for the price with all the extras it cam with.

 

I bought my Miller 375 Spectrum new probably sixteen or more years ago.

It’s a pos for anything beyond sheet metal.. I paid over $1300 for it at the time. I can get an imported Primeweld Cut 60 today for $699, and it will cut rings around the Miller, I bet.

That Miller pretty much soured me on paying a premium for big name USA brand tools for use by a hobbiest. Big money for a name and you get technology that’s obsoleted by the imports in a few years and cost half the price.

 

I got a 625 x-treme works good on the 220 side.

 

I'll try to remember to check if I get out to the shop later, but I think it was just a Harbor Freight one since it was just a backup for the compressor air.

 

Thanks.

 

Sorry, but cannot locate a name on it. Might be on the backside toward the rear blue panel but just can't see any thing that identifies it. I know it wasn't too expensive tho.....