Plasma kerf and template questions.

admin

He guys, I am really glad I found this place.I just got a Cutmaster 38 and do not know alot about plasma. I am cutting OK. I am cutting 14 ga sheet steel.Can I get different tips, or is there any way to widen the kerf being cut? I am getting a nice clean very narrow cut, about .030 I would guess. I would like it a little wider and just as clean. I have played with current settings with no real change. If I go a little slower it does get a bit wider, but it gets messy if I go to slow.I can not eliminate the dross. It is small and even, but very hard and needs grinding. DOes that sound right?Also, I couls use a clever idea for how to make a template. Imagine cutting shapes on a sphere. So it's curved in all directions. About the size of a fitness medicine ball. I have used sheet magnets, they work OK, but can get very hot. They are a bit thin also and the tip can ride up on the template pretty easy. I glued on some vinyl sheet on top of the magnet templates to make it thicker, but the glue softened and the vinyl started slipping. Any ideas ?Thanks so much.
Reply:In no particular order:- plasma is HOT.  So things next to it get hot as well.- part of the general idea of plasma is to have a HOT, (did I mention hot yet?  ) intense, narrow jet that cuts (actually melts through) through the metal.  One aspect of that is the generally narrow kerf.  Changing the current settings does not really affect the kerf width.  Holding the torch farther away from the work -may- widen the kerf if the plasma jet starts to widen and degrade, but that will also impact the cutting action of the plasma jet.  IIRC, some of the higher-powered plasma machines have some nozzles to be used for lower-powered cutting and a thinner kerf on thinner workpieces because the high-powered nozzles have a wider kerf when used at 'full' power.  So no, there really isn't any way to have a wider kerf.- dross should mostly be able to just be knocked off. If  you have hard-hard dross on the bottom of the cut, it is from cutting too fast for the material thickness.  Then IIRC you need to lower the cutting amperage and then go slower with the torch travel speed.  On 14 gauge material and at 'full' power, I think the listed/recommended travel speed on those class of units is around 2 inches per second (120 ipm) give-or-take.- templates need to be thick enough that the torch doesn't ride up, as you discovered.  Thin (relatively) wood can be used, but it will scorch after a bit.  Plastics will soften and melt,  Thick enough metal usually lasts (until the plasma jet rides up and cuts right through the template! ).  Maybe you need a 3-D CNC plasma machine.    The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Can I ask why do U want a wide kerf pattern?The thin kerf is a plus for plasma cutters.