Plasma cutters come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. What differentiates manufacturers and various models from one another is their construction and their components. Plasma cutters are well known for their efficiency, reliability and cut quality. These can only be accomplished with a stable, heavy-duty cutting system.

High quality cutting systems have solid, heavy-duty, fully welded unitized construction. They provide a solid, stable, platform that is the foundation for accurate, repeatable plasma cutting. The time invested in creating fully welding the platform results in higher initial cost.

Less expensive equipment is less stable and thus leads to less accurate plasma cutting. All together it will be a less efficient machine.

The Construction:

Does a CNC plasma cutter need a solid, heavy-duty platform? Does it really matter? You bet it does. When a cutting machine is designed from the ground up not to move during cutting, the results are accurate, repeatable cuts. A stable platform or base is key to the cutting process. The best torches available can't work to their maximum accuracy with any base movement.

OK, solid matters. But does it have to be heavy-duty? A plasma cutting table must able to handle heavy plate loads (2" and more) on a regular basis. If you buy a plasma cutter that is not capable of growing with you, you are limiting what you will be able to do in the future. You need a system that can handle tomorrow's as well as today's needs.

Solid, stable, heavy duty cutting tables don't arrive in pieces. They are not an item you build yourself. They are an integral part of a top-quality plasma cutter.

The Components:

A low cost plasma cutter very often equals low quality. A manufacturer can't sell high-end, precision cutting equipment at bargain prices. Better components simply cost more. Lesser components are simply that, lesser. They may work as advertised for the first few weeks, but they will not last under production workloads.

Building a CNC plasma cutter with the best, fastest components - precision cutting torches, sophisticated nesting software - can be short sighted when the cutting table is not a solid, stable, cutting surface. Precision cutting cannot be accomplished when the work piece moves during the cutting process.

Coupling top-quality components with a solid, heavy-duty cutting table gives you the ability to get the most out of your plasma system. The end result is high quality parts with superb edge quality.

The components and the cutting table need to be designed to work together. A CNC plasma cutting system must be designed to deliver years of quality service in order to maximize your return on investment . Choosing a cutting system that includes the highest quality components and is built on a tough, stable table will help you to increase profitability.

Even in slow economic times, it can be a mistake to be penny wise and pound foolish. Can you afford to buy cheap? Buying quality is never a mistake.