What makes a plasma cutter so expensive?

[jerseyzuks]

I'm still confused on this one. Since the basic principal of plasma cutter is just blowing a compressed gas past a spark, why are they so expensive? They seem to be simpler than a standard MIG welder, and not much more complicated than a stick welder with a hookup for compressed air. I could see $300-$400, but what makes them $1200 or more? What am I overlooking?

[jeeplord]

I opened my Miller up to see... holy shit there are so many parts in there, it has it's own air compressor, plus the arcing equipment, I got a small plasma cutter (little Miller Spectrum) the parts easily add up. It's a little more complex that you're thinking it is.

[jerseyzuks]

But what about the one's that use an external compressor?

[jeeplord]

Once you buy one and realize how nice they are, I think you'll be happy with every penny you spent.

I'm not sure what capacitors and voltage regulators and warp drive engines cost, I just know they're nice to have. I hardly even use my tube notcher anymore, the plasma gets me done faster and at any angle I could imagine.

[DVST8R]

demand / people willing to pay the price they are asking :flipoff2:

[DRM]

demand / people willing to pay the price they are asking :flipoff2:

Exactly. I think we will see the prices on plasma cutters drop are water jet and laser machines are becoming more prevalent.

[ZJim]

The cheapest I've seen is like 600 bucks for a cheap ass one :rolleyes:

[Slowzuki]

What you desribe is arc gouging, the equipment to do that is cheap. Plasma cutting is a bit different.

The computer in there controls getting an arc started in the torch then firing the air through it then cutting the power to the internal arc and having it jump from the torch to the metal you're cutting. All while ramping up voltages and ramping down so you don't destroy tips all the time.

Ken

[jerseyzuks]

Slowzuki,

So the expense is because of the computer controls? At least that makes a little more sense.

Jeeplord,

I have used a plasma cutter at the shop, and absolutely love it. It is so easy to use, requires little or no set up time, and cuts so nice.

DVST8R

Some people are willing to pay the price, but it seems that if everyone could buy a decent plasma cutter for around $400, everyone would own one.

[jerseyzuks]

Found a cool little article on plasma cutters...

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,588403,00.html

[chadl]

From the research I've done, (see the on-board plasma cutter thread in General 4x4). The electrical system is completely different from a typical welder, they run at much higher voltages, than welders do. I would imagine this requires a lot more sophisticated parts than a welder. Secondly, they normally have a high frequency circuit to start the arc, like a tig, which also adds significant cost, same reason tigs are higher than a standard DC welder. Then there is the torch, granted they basically blow air past an arc, but that "air" is at several thousand degrees, and the torch is designed to keep that "air" stream away from the actually material in the torch, and spit it out in a very tight stream to keep the kerf to a minimium. Computer controls also add some, and finally, like was said above, they are worth it. The are also new (at least compared to welders), which means the development costs are probably still reflected in the cost, something that will probably come down in the future.

Chad