Which Plasma Cutter?

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Militant83
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Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by Militant83 »

I'm doing my research on what plasma cutter to choose for my upcoming table build. My budget for a machine would be in the $2500 range max. After looking in that price range it looks like the Hypertherm 45xp and the Victor A60 Cutmaster fit the bill. Both machines with machine torches. What are everyone's thoughts on these two options? I don't really see myself needing to cut anything larger than 1/2" Thanks in advance for the advice.
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little blue choo
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by little blue choo »

Hypertherm all the way!

Rick
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Militant83
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by Militant83 »

little blue choo wrote:Hypertherm all the way!

Rick
That is kind of where I was leaning they are pretty comparable aside from the victor having a better duty cycle and the Hypertherm is slightly cheaper. I just wanted to get some more qualified opinions since I'm new to the plasma cutter game.
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by motoguy »

I have a PM85. The Hypertherm cut charts seem to be more fleshed out than the Victors. Jim Colt's online presence (here, forums, etc) is a great help, so another Hypertherm bonus. All the table manufacturers seem to have HT integration down pat.

That being said, I'd sometimes like to have the .15 cut height of the Victor, vs .06 cut height of the Hypertherm. More "safe room" to prevent torch crashes.
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Brand X
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by Brand X »

Stick with a Hypertherm for your first machine.. Victors are a long term learning curve. The 45XP is a more modern power supply then the A-60, and with a much more modern torch/consumables.. This is not to say the Victor's don't work excellent for what they are.. The A-60 really is more of a Hypertherm 65 machine in output.. I had a 65, and a A-60, and a 45XP along side the A-60. I also had a 52 (A-40 specs), and a A-120. 101-151 along the way.. Few other ones too.

Now all that said, I will be putting a 60i on my table soon.. Keeping the 45XP .. Why you ask? I have all the stuff like the SL-100SV torch, consumables,CandCnc voltage card, and digital probe.. No real cnc stuff for the 60i is out yet, and this will work well instead.. I worked a few deals to get the price for a Cutmaster 60i down to $1320.00 Little bit back on bonus points from my credit card, Zoro tools, 25% off, and the $100.00 Esab rebate..
That's a modern power supply like 45XP is,, and really is a beast of one. Just stuck with the older torch tech for now. Works great for my application though.. Thermacut does have a retro one torch, and there patented stuff works great in my Powermax 45XP.. Others here know that around here, but generally don't talk about it too much.. :) lot of Thermal dynamics consumables cut at .1900 best.. The 40 amps, and below a bit less.
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by SegoMan DeSigns »

I was going to buy a 45 then bumped it up to a 65 as the shop is three phase, I figured the electrical savings would more than pay out the difference.
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by abmetal »

Hypertherm. And having Jim Colt on this forum makes it a no brainer for me.

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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by jimcolt »

If you have specific questions about any of the Hypertherm units I'd be happy to help. Good luck with the choices! Jim Colt Hypertherm
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steel 35
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by steel 35 »

Find a brochure for each machine, the 45xp and 65, Just get the package with both torches & 25', its so nice to have!
Specs should answer it for you.
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by whiskeymike »

Hypertherm is great. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another.
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by tnbndr »

Hypertherm with both machine and hand torch. Use the hand torch for odd jobs and to cut up skeletons on the table. Quick switch out and very convenient.
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by rbmgf7 »

I run my HT PM45 in a light industrial environment when I grew from hobby stuff. Every couple weeks I cut 3-5 sheets of parts from 1/4" HR. It's about 8-12 straight hours of cutting. Doesn't skip a beat.
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ETCWeld
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by ETCWeld »

little blue choo wrote:Hypertherm all the way!

Rick
we love our Hyperthem 105! Can't say the same about our ESAB anymore.
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SegoMan DeSigns
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by SegoMan DeSigns »

ETCWeld wrote:
little blue choo wrote:Hypertherm all the way!

Rick
we love our Hyperthem 105! Can't say the same about our ESAB anymore.
How does the consumable hold up to production pierces on 1" plate? Technically the 105 is rated to 7/8 on a production pierce.
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ETCWeld
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by ETCWeld »

I haven't done production cuts on 1" but we cut a lot of 3/8 sheets with a couple hundred cuts on a sheet and we only replaced it because we needed to switch to a fine cut tip. I know when we first got it we cut 3 sheets of three quarter and went through a lot of tips, but it was brand new, we knew nothing about it, we had lots of moisture in our lines with poor air volume. Sorry I'm not much help. I am eager to get back on it and give it a try, but with today's prices... lol

We have a duel head, plasma or oxy-fuel. We have had it for a few years but we've never used the oxy-fuel option.
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SegoMan DeSigns
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by SegoMan DeSigns »

I hear ya on the prices now that I got tooled up to do big sheets they got an even bigger price tag.
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Re: Which Plasma Cutter?

Post by jimcolt »

Consumable life is all about height control and material thickness. If you are within the factory spec'd pierce thickness range...the follow the cut chart suggestions for pierce height and pierce delay times....if you are diligent about this you will get great consumable life.

If you need to cut thicker than factory specs (and want good consumable life) then edge start and follow the specs in the manual. To edge start center the shield orifice on the edge of the material (or edge of a drilled hole), set pierce height, use the pierce delay time from the thickest allowable pierce from the cut chart...and go for it....as long as the height control maintains the correct physical height you will get nice cut quality. Jim Colt
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