Plasma help?

admin

Ok everyone, I have a new cutmaster 42 that Iam taking on the road with me in my welding- fab trailer. I was told that they do not require as much air as other cutmaster plasmas. Was thinking of running the air for this off of a 3 gallon air compressor. Is the compressor big enough and is 3 gallon enough res.air? Not smart enough to figure this using math so any thoughts? Just do not want to run out of air,wont be making long heavy cuts just light fab work 1/8 material mainly. The SL40 torch specs are 85-125 psi input air and 193scfh   Thanx Dale
Reply:That small compressor will work for short intermittent cutting but forget about doing any continuous production cutting as it will not keep up and will get very warm resulting in lots of condensation in your air which will quickly ruin your cutting tips on the torch.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:193scfh sounds scary, but it isn't even 3.3 cfm.  The pressure is a bit higher than the cfm of a compressor is normally spec'd at, but still, it isn't much.3 Gallon only refers to the size of the tank and that would give how long you could run the the plasma without the compressor running.  The cfm rating of the compressor itself is the main issue.Here's how you see if the compressor has enough cfm capacity.Use a stopwatch to time these things.Let air out of the compressor until it starts, then time how long it takes to pump back up.Now run the plasma (in mid air), and time how long it takes for the compressor to start.If it takes longer for the plasma to cause the compressor to start than the compressor takes to pump up; the compressor will be able to keep up with the plasma."Great spirits have always encountered violent oppostion from mediocre minds."  --  Albert Einstein
Reply:Originally Posted by razer193scfh sounds scary, but it isn't even 3.3 cfm.  The pressure is a bit higher than the cfm of a compressor is normally spec'd at, but still, it isn't much.3 Gallon only refers to the size of the tank and that would give how long you could run the the plasma without the compressor running.  The cfm rating of the compressor itself is the main issue.Here's how you see if the compressor has enough cfm capacity.Use a stopwatch to time these things.Let air out of the compressor until it starts, then time how long it takes to pump back up.Now run the plasma (in mid air), and time how long it takes for the compressor to start.If it takes longer for the plasma to cause the compressor to start than the compressor takes to pump up; the compressor will be able to keep up with the plasma.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeThat small compressor will work for short intermittent cutting but forget about doing any continuous production cutting as it will not keep up and will get very warm resulting in lots of condensation in your air which will quickly ruin your cutting tips on the torch.