Plasma Cutting T1 Steel -Torchmate/Thermal Dynamics

[pdjcutandfab]

I have a customer that wants me to cut something out of some T1 Steel. I have a Torchmate 3 Table and a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster A120 Plasma cutter. The part that I would need to cut is 1" thick and the capacity of my plasma table is 1.50", But anything over 1" looks like it needs to be cut using a "edge" start. I've never utilized this type of cut, especially on T1 steel (which i've never even tried to cut). Can anyone help me with this project. The part is pretty simple but i've never cut anything this thick.

Thanks

Pat @ PDJ Cutting and Fabricating

[plasmajoe]

When ever I have to cut steel that meets or is near maximum capacity of my cutter, and edge start is the way to get the peice going nice, I predrill the pierce point first then edge start the cut from the drilled hole. Works great with me a little time cunsumming but saves of consumables and the quality is great. Also keeps the part squarer than having an edge start and having to much movement due to the heat. Hope you understand what I am writing here. LOL.

Have fun cutting,

Plasma Joe

[pdjcutandfab]

Thanks for the info, I'm a little leary to try this because the thickness is 3-4 times as thick as anything i've ever cut, i know my plasma cutter can handle it but this material is going to be awful expensive and i don't want to "eat" any materail cost if i don't have to. But I don't want to have this potential customer go somewhere else for this project and forget about me on future projects. Plus i'm pretty busy now (which is great) and to stop everything for 1 part seems a little foolish to me?

Thanks

Pat @ PDJ Cutting and Fabricating

[jimcolt]

As long as you do not damage the nozzle with the edge start on thick material, most plasmas (although I speak for Hypertherm) will cut with better quality on thick material, with the exception of dross. The dross however will knock of easily in big chunks. Here are a couple of pics of heavy parts I cut with my little Powermax45. The first picks are of the wedge on my logsplitter that was cut from 1" plate. On the 1" I had to knock off the dross, and yes, the bevel was also cut with the plasma, then 1/2" plate, almost perfect 1/2" diameter holes. The 1/2" was mostly clean, except a little dross around the holes.

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