Can This Under $240 Machine Cut 1 Inch Thick Steel Plate?

Описание: My BESTARC500DP is one of the newest pilot arc plasma cutters I have in my garage and this video is a quick review to show if it can cut metal thicker than what it was designed to cut. You see, this machine, according to the manufacturer, can be best used if you’ll be cutting metal not more than half an inch thick. But if this can cut more than that, then I should say this could be the best plasma cutter for the money because I bought it only for about U$D239 retail from Amazon.

But if we're talking about a cheap plasma cutter with only a 50-amp capacity but can cut about an inch thick metal, that’s also not an ordinary event I should say. The more expensive plasma cutters I know can pack up to 300 amps and cutting an inch-thick metal plate is quite easy for them. But with this cheap unit, a plasma cutter cutting thick steel at about an inch thick is an amazing feat.

However, as you see in this video when I cut metal an inch thick with this Bestarc, I produced an ugly cut and the cut was not complete. I have to turn it over to complete the cut. The cut time was about a minute for a 5-inch long, 24mm thick steel plate but the result was unacceptable. I was a bit frustrated as a matter of fact. So is this unit not up to cutting thicker steel? Not quite so, actually.

Because when I removed the standoff guide which is a piece of metal hugging the tip of the torch to keep the tip from touching the metal surface, what happened is a different story. The cutting of the same metal piece lasted also for a minute but the result was a smooth and complete cut. So what made a big improvement in the cutting that was caused by removing the standoff guide?

You see, plasma-cutting thick steel would be better off without a guide compared to when cutting thin steel. So in my conclusion the nearer the tip of the torch on the metal the hotter the plasma that comes blasting on the metal. Therefore, as a tip, if you’ll be cutting out a metal that is thicker than what the pilot arc machine was designed to cut.

If you would like to see where I’ve found this bestarc plasma cutter, check it out at Amazon through my affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3Vm7RbV Disclosure: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links.
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