CNC Plasma Cutter

The history of the plasma cutter started during World War II when aircraft production was in high demand. To speed up the manufacturing process, engineers invented plasma welding and they used it to facilitate the creation of aircraft body parts. Compared to previous welding techniques, plasma welding was not only faster, it was even stronger as well.

In the 1960’s, the technique behind plasma welding improved to a point that when the temperature of compressed gas increased and when the gas stream narrowed, the cuts became more accurate.

A few decades later, more improvements brought us what we have today: the CNC plasma cutter. The CNC plasma cutter is completely automatic. To operate one requires a few simple entries into the machine’s user-friendly keyboard, and voila! You’ve got a perfectly cut piece of metal each and every time. CNC plasma cutting technology is becoming more advanced each day.

You’ll find CNC plasma cutters in a variety of sizes but they all work the same: (1) send pressurized nitrogen, oxygen or argon through a channel, (2) apply electricity to a negatively charged electrode, (3) touch the metal and create a full circuit. The minute the circuit is created, a high powered spark travels though the channel and then heats the gas to 15,000 Celsius – creating plasma.

Plasma generates electric current and it’s what keeps the power supply running. That is until the circuit is broken. As long as a circuit is maintained, you can cut to your heart’s content. Its nozzle continues to create a flow of gas with different channels, all in an effort to make an even cut.

A lot of the CNC plasma cutters you’ll see come equipped with robotic arms. These arms do the work so you don’t have to. It’s what makes the CNC cutter ‘automatic.’ Other CNC plasma cutters you’ll see are portable and some of those may come equipped with a built in air compressor for even more portability.