Air Compressor Question

Hello, newbie here. I just bought a new CrossFire. I know I need a air compressor that is 6 CFM @ 75 P.S.I.
Can anyone tell me what they are using or bought, results, opinions, etc. I will be cutting 1/8" aluminum mainly. Thanks in advance.

I have a kobalt 60 gallon with 3.5 hp 240v 135 psi max system

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I bought the same compressor!!!

I run a 29 gallon harbor freight compressor and use a hypertherm on my torch mate. The hypertherm uses more air than others and the compressor keeps up as long as I keep draining it

I would recommend getting a air compressor that is at least double the CFM that you actually need. My first compressor the specs made it look like it could keep up but for some reason my Hypertherm 45xp just had more of a air demand than it could deliver. Having to pause a program to let the compressor catch up was a pain and would not recommend it.

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I think hypertherm even recommends getting a compressor capable of providing 1.5 to 2x the air demands of the cutter

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I bought the CrossFire CNC Plasma Table Ă— 1
Core Components: CrossFire Personal CNC Plasma Table
Plasma Cutter: Razorweld Vipercut 30 (30A, 220V, ¼” cut capacity)
Water Table: Drop-In Water Table
Laptop Stand: None
Software: Mach3 Control Software – Full Version

I have been looking at these 2 air compressors locally:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-30-Gal-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-DXCMLA1983012/206796257?keyword=DXCMLA1983012&semanticToken=200300000+++>++++st%3A{dxcmla1983012}%3Ast++cnn%3A{0%3A0}+cnr%3A{8%3A1}+cnb%3A{9%3A1}++dxcmla1983012+{productkey}+qu%3A{dxcmla1983012}+oos%3A{0%3A1}

Anyone have this Crossfire setup? What compressor are you using?

Compressor? I had no idea I needed a compressor, where does it say u need one? Did I totally miss that part, a total newb here!

Hi! Yes, an air compressor is needed to supply air to your plasma cutter. Some plasma cutters have a built in compressor, but they are rare. Most folks use a 20-30 gallon 2 stage compressor that supplies at least 6cfm at 90psi. Lots of members on here can offer buying tips!

My personal compressor is a Campbell Hausfeld 26gal unit that i picked up for $100 on Craiglist. I use it to run my Hypertherm Powermax 1000.

What model is that, I was just on Craigslist looking
I got razorweld 30i coming

Not sure what the model name/number is, but it’s identical to the one in the picture.

It’s not particularly industrial, but i have done A LOT of cutting with it. Has worked great for the last 5 years.

At the Langmuir Systems shop we have a 220v 5hp unit with a 120 gallon tank. That one puts out about 14 CFM. Someone put the single phase motor on it, im sure it started life as a 3phase. I bought that for $350 bucks- its an industrial workhorse.

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You use the campell hausfeld to run yours? Does it do a good job? What are the CFM & PSI of this unit?

Those single stage oil free air compressors are very loud and have an annoying sound pitch to them. You will not want to be in the same room/garage with them for very long.

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I 100% agree with getting a larger compressor than the bare minimum, because the bare minimum provides that CFM at the compressor, but by the time you add hoses or line sets to them, all of those things slow the air down. Even if you use 1" black pipe, it may not add much restriction, but it can only add restriction… it can’t take it away. So when a plasma cutter says it needs 6 CFM, that is at the plasma cutter itself (and they might be saying it’ll just work okay at 6CFM, not that it will work optimally.) When the compressor says it can put out 6 CFM at 90PSI, that is at the compressor, but all your fittings and lines are going to slow that down, so in order to get 6CFM at the plasma cutter you should really have 8 or 10 CFM at the compressor. Doubling the CFM you need is a good rough way to make sure that you have more compressor than the bare minimum.

Tackling this topic from a different angle for a moment, let’s look at this (which may only apply to some people and not others):
If you have a large enough plasma cutter, it may have two or more amperage ranges of consumable materials. Higher amperage cutters seem to come with higher amperage consumables which in turn also use more air because their plasma stream needs it to cut thicker material / carry more energy. However, with the larger amperage cutters they usually have lower amperage consumables available as well (not always, but it is worth a look)

If you are cutting lighter material and can take the time to dial in lower amperage cutting settings, you can then also take advantage of the lower amperage consumables which then also use less air. The openings are smaller so they need less air flow.

Also, if you pay attention to your consumables and can spot when a tip has opened up but it hasn’t lost it’s round shape, you can swap that tip out and use it for higher amperage / higher flow cutting. As a tip gets used up, the opening gets larger. As it gets larger it will also start to lose its round shape. If you catch it when it gets larger but before it loses the round shape to the opening, then that cutter can still have some life left as a higher flow / higher amperage tip. This might not be worth your time to watch for it, but if you get in the habit of always checking your tips, then you’ll at least spot when the opening loses its round shape and can throw that tip out. By the time it is out of round, your cutting quality will suffer.

I hope this gives you some things to consider.

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Think I am going with this compressor from Harbor Freight:

Looks like it is a good compressor, has the CFM needed, and others are using it for plasma cutters…

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200612355_200612355

Same price but a brand name…just somthing to think about (and yes I’m very found of my QT5 so I have some bias, but I don’t diss HF, I have a few things from them that have worked very very well)

Could you verify?
Think your model number is: vt6271

Bought my air compressor today. I went with one at Harbor Freight. Should be plenty capable: https://m.harborfreight.com/5-hp-60-gallon-165-psi-two-stage-air-compressor-93274.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

What size air fittings are on this system?
I am getting the Razor Weld 30.
What is the recommended size air lines?
What all do I need to hook up a 60 gal -165psi compressor that is all new.
I have no lines or fittings and want to buy most of what I need before my CrossFire system arrives.

I got 3/8 air line with a triple female fitting on tank outlet, male on rear of plasma cutter and 1 male and 1 female fitting for air hose ends. Thats how i have mine hooked up

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