Nitrogen for plasma cutter

admin

Is anyone here using nitrogen with their plasma cutter?  I have been told this works well and your tips will last longer.  How long will a large bottle of nitrogen last with the regulator set for 60 psi?  I am looking for a way to cut with the plasma without having to have the air compressor on site too.
Reply:I too have thought about it. Haven't done it.  The nitrogen is nice and dry. Not sure on the price.A 250 cubic foot argon bottle would hold about 234 cubic feet of nitrogen. I'm guessing  your plasma is using about 5 cfm. Divide 234 by 5 and you get 46.8. You should get about 46.8 minutes per bottle... give or take, provided the bottles are similarly sized.Another option would be an 80 cf scuba tank. Compressed air but it's dry. More portable than a large bottle and may be cheaper to fill. 16 minutes of run time.
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireI too have thought about it. Haven't done it.  The nitrogen is nice and dry. Not sure on the price.A 250 cubic foot argon bottle would hold about 234 cubic feet of nitrogen. I'm guessing  your plasma is using about 5 cfm. Divide 234 by 5 and you get 46.8. You should get about 46.8 minutes per bottle... give or take, provided the bottles are similarly sized.Another option would be an 80 cf scuba tank. Compressed air but it's dry. More portable than a large bottle and may be cheaper to fill. 16 minutes of run time.
Reply:I tried it with my Thermal 101/151 (don't remember which machine? The techs at Thermal said it would cut into the electrode life a bit. (one torch) It improved the cut face a bit on Stainless, but not enough to justify the cost.Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:If you are cutting steel (and not stainless), it will cut slower.  The oxygen in air aids the cutting action somewhat.
Reply:If you are cutting steel....air is a much better gas to use due to its approx. 20% oxygen content. The oxygen gives an exothermic boost to the plasma process which minimizes dross formation, increases cut speed and improves edge angularity. The use of nitrogen on steel will slow the process and make for an uglier cut, as well as costing more for the gas. Contrary to what T-D told you...the electrode in the torch will last longer with nitrogen, the nozzle will not wear any differently (as compared to air)....but overall cutting costs will be higher than air due to additional grinding and gas costs as well as slower cut speeds.For stainless....cut edge oxidation will be reduced slightly....still some oixidation from ambient air. If you submerge stainless under water (an inch or more) and cut with nitrogen the edge oxidation will be gone, however you will have some bottom dross.Industrial plasma systems used to use nitrogen for almost all cutting up until about 25 years ago...when oxygen plasma cutting was popularized. Do not use oxygen in an air plasma torch that was not designed for oxygen use....an oxygen supported fire will ultimately eat your torch, leads, power supply components and possibly your shop...I have seen a couple of cases of this!If you want to do portable cutting using cylinder gas...use compressed air. Most gas supply companies are happy to sell you bottles of high pressure clean dry air!Jim Colt   Hypertherm
Reply:Thanks for the replies and information.  I will check into what my supplier has by the way of bottled, compressed air.
Reply:it works. ive had to use it once when the LP air went down on my ship and i was in need to make cuts for a project i was on. nitrogen is a recomended source n the manual for the machine we had. we were useing cutmastersIf you like my stuff you can find me on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/theangryanv...ngryanvilforge
Reply:We had a Wiedemann turret press with a plasma staion on it and used nitrogen for the shieldind gas. It worked very well.
Reply:As I said...N2 works well for plasma systems cutting non ferrous materials (aluminum and stainless), and if the plasma is designed to use it. For steel....oxygen is the best gas, air is second best (and most commonly used) nitrogen will work, but not as well.Jim
Reply:Here where I work we use it a lot. We order a 12 bottle bank, which is a rack with 12 bottles all connected together to a main line. It does make better cuts and consumables last longer. It is a little pricey thou.