Hello forum friends!
I’m back with a question. Has anyone here used a Hobart plasma cutter on our tables? I got a individual who owns one and wants to know how it performs. Unfortunately I do not have a lot of data on this plasma cutter. I’m only going on information I find online and on Youtube. What do you all think about it?
Johnny, we need more data. What size is the cutter? Is it a high-frequency unit? What does he plan on cutting?
Model: AirForce 500i. Base on what conversation we had, he will be cutting small programs. He owns a Crossfire pro if that helps. I can get more information if needed.
It is a pilot arc, so that’s good. I would not run it on 120v; it would need to be run on 240v only. It would need to be hooked up to the table via RAW voltage, with an additional connection for the torch on and off. I would contact @mechanic416 George, who is the plasma guru. He is the man.
Thank you @Bigdaddy2166!
The reason for the 240 v only is that the duty cycle at 100 v is only 35%. To me, that’s almost unusable.
Not looking good.
From the manual:
Gas Inlet Pressure and Flow 3.0 SCFM (85 L/min) 90 PSI (621 kPa)
Min 120 PSI (827 kPa) Max
Duty Cycle at 104 F (40 C) at rated conditions (U1, I1,
U2, I2) based on a 10 minute period
Duty Cycle % Amps DC − (I2) Volts AC RMS − (U1)
35% at 27 A 240 Volts
20% at 27 A 120 Volts (20 A)
35% at 20 A 120 Volts (15 A)
If this person runs the 500i on 240 volts, hooked to raw voltage, can give it a constant 90psi, at 25/27 amps it should be fine for small projects up to 3/16" or even some 1/4" thick metal.