Use your plasma cutter safely and efficiently with the help of Cyrious Metal Works. Call 903-345-1841 today!
We’re always looking for new ways to make the metalworking process increasingly efficient. With that in mind, many welders take stock of current technology, like plasma cutters, and consider how to use them. For example, can you weld with a plasma cutter instead of other methods?
Cyrious Metal Works sells top-quality Hypertherm plasma cutters, CNC tables, and more while answering pertinent welding questions. Don’t hesitate to call when you have plasma and CNC questions!
Can You Join Things Together With a Tool Used To Cut?
To put it bluntly, you cannot weld with a plasma cutter. Trying to do so would be similar to gluing paper together with scissors. You cannot use a plasma cutter to weld metals because of how welding and plasma cutting work.
A Welding Process
For example, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding fuzes two or more metals using a non-consumable tungsten electrode. The electrical arc from the welding tool superheats the pieces of metal into a molten state to enable welder manipulation. The conductive metals fuse, resulting in a solid TIG weld joint after cooling.
What Plasma Cutting Does
Plasma cutting takes advantage of a different process entirely. Plasma comes from a gas that some process ionizes into electrical conductivity, usually through high amounts of energy like heat.
Using an electrical arc to energize compressed air, the cutter turns the pressurized gas into plasma that cleanly separates ions. The answer to “Can you weld with a plasma cutter” is “No” because of this ion separation.
How a Multi-Process Machine Improves Welding Processes
Welders use several tips and tricks to improve the condition and quality of their welds. As it stands, none of these tricks involve using a plasma cutter to weld the metal together. However, they can use a multi-process machine to use a plasma cutter to their advantage while welding.
A multi-process machine can accommodate many processes at once. With a simple tool head change, you switch from cutting metal to fusing them without altering the power source. You can save a lot of time, money, and energy with a multi-process machine.
Multi-Process Machines in Cutting and Welding
When asking, “Can you weld with a plasma cutter,” some welders may refer you to this appliance. You can make swift changes between cutting and welding.
A plasma cut produces high-quality results, enabling you to make accurate cuts with minimal dross (metal impurities). You can switch from a plasma cutting tool to a TIG or other welding tool with a multi-process machine. Then, you can use the materials you just cut in a weld in mere minutes.
Weld Better With Our Tools
Can you weld with a plasma cutter? No, but you can improve the welding process with industry-leading tools like our CNC tables and accessories. After all, even the gas used by plasma cutters can affect the outcome.
With Cyrious Metal Works, you can improve your results quickly to produce more secure weld joints and precise cuts. Call 903-345-1841 to see what we have to offer!