Press Brake Machines: Types, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Initially the press breaks were made from custom cast iron, oak and a manually operated leaf that would force a clamped piece of sheet metal to be bent. Fast forwarding to today, the making of press brakes has highly evolved with advanced computer technology and hydraulic systems. That is why press brakes these days can easily, efficiently, and safely bend the sheets.

Press brakes work with a die and punch that are set at a particular angle to bend or cut the metal in various shapes and forms. The total pressure that can be applied during the bend is known as tonnage. The higher the tonnage, the thicker the material can be bent.

So for proper fabrication the material size and thickness, tonnage and bending length are required. These factors will determine the load limit of the press brake and it is calculated in tons per inch.

Now, let us understand the types of press brake machines and later on some advantages and disadvantages of it.

Types of Press Brake Machines

A lot of things have changed in the press brakes mechanism over time. Modern press brakes require less effort and are much safer compared to earlier models. Also, modern brakes have improved speed, efficiency, and quality of bending metals. There are three types of modern brakes namely manual, hydraulic, and CNC press brakes. 

Manual Press Brake

Manual press brake is the most common type of press brake and is also called sheet metal brake. They require manual adjustment of bending dimensions and angles. The manual break consists of a worktable, supporters and a clamping plate. Supporters consist of a base, pressure plate and the worktable is mounted on it.

However, manual press brakes are more complex to operate compared to other press brakes as all the adjustments in it are done manually. So, once the bending size and angles are confirmed then only you can start mass production. And then, after completing the first batch you can do new adjustments and start the production again. 

Hydraulic Press Brake

These brakes utilize two hydraulic cylinders and it provides consistent strokes and more control. 

They can be classified based on the types of movement:

• Up Acting

• Down Acting

These are also classified based on synchronization:

• Electro-Hydraulic Synchro

• Torsion Synchro

• Hybrid

CNC Press Brake

These brakes have the highest precision and customization ability. It utilizes computer technology to increase the efficiency and also control the accuracy. The adjustments like bending angle, width, plate thickness, and number of pieces are inserted on a controller by an operator. 

Once the machine starts it does the rest of the things. CNC press brakes generally adopt a hydro-electric servo system and a grating ruler. It consists of a machine frame, workbench, oil cylinder, CNC controller, and hydraulic proportional servo system.

Some parts of the press brakes require replacements after it is worn-out. It is wise to replace such used press brake parts on time or else it will affect the performance of the machine. You can easily find trumpf press brake parts, amada press brake parts, accurpress press brake parts, etc. online.

Advantages

• The press brakes are suitable for small batch and multi variety production. One die set is used to complete the production of some parts and materials that possess strong applicability.

• The shelf life of each set of die is long and the manufacturing cost of bending the die is low.

• It can do the production of S and U shapes.

• It is easily adaptable to new products, without increasing cost.

• It can complete the multibend production of shapes like polygon.

• It adjusts deflection compensation value so that bent is in a straight line that too without manual adjustments. Thus it is simple to handle even a long workpiece.

Disadvantages

• The thickness of the material required to be formed must not be more than 50 mm.

• It can fracture or crack material during bending due to the oxide layer formed at the edges and corner during cutting.

• It can produce large indentation while bending due to inappropriate die and can increase cost.

• Sometimes the materials slip or do not move as they should while bending resulting in material failing to meet the process standards.

 

Conclusion

Press brakes serve a wide range of industries like auto, aviation, energy, agriculture, transportation, military and many more. The production needs and material defines the type of brakes required for proper forming. You can choose one that we discussed above as per your needs. Also, you will require to change used press brake parts that need replacement. Ensure to buy those from the respective brands only. You will easily find amada press brake parts, trumpf press brake parts, etc. online.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/press-brake-machines-types-advantages-and-disadvantages

How Does CO2 Laser Cutter Work?

Laser cutting is used everyday by the manufacturing industry for cutting metals. CO2 laser cutters changed the game. These lasers are not only useful for the manufacturing industry but also for the medical field and artists. 

The manufacturing industry uses it for cutting and engraving. The medical industry uses it for skincare, whereas the artist uses it for making art. All these industries have different machines but a common laser, i.e., a CO2 laser.

Here we will learn why industries prefer CO2 laser cutters and how it works. 

Advantages of CO2 Laser

Here are some benefits of a CO2 laser cutter.

1. Lower Power Consumption: These machines have a low maintenance cost. Also, the replacement required is inexpensive.  Fanuc CO2 lasers are popular, and you can easily find the Fanuc replacement parts online.
   
   

2. Contactless Process: The laser beam does not physically touch the material. Instead, it causes the material to melt through the intense heat produced by the beam.
   
   

3. Safe: Laser cutting is safer than other forms of cutting as the whole process is bladeless. The beam is sealed in a tight lightbox, which makes it safer.
   
   

4. Precise Cuts: The cuts produced by the lasers are highly accurate, precise, clean, and smooth. It is unlikely to see this in other cuts.
   
   

5. Applications: Laser cutters have many applications from the manufacturing industry to the medical sector. Artists also use it for engraving purposes.

How does a CO2 Laser Work?

The electricity runs via a gas-filled tube to produce light for CO2 laser cutters. The light produced by the CO2 laser is powerful compared to the usual light.

This light passes through the tube that has mirrors at both ends. One of the mirrors in the tube is highly reflective, while the other mirror allows some light to pass through it. These mirrors usually reflect most of the light when traveling through the tube. Thus, it causes the light wave to build intensity. So when the light becomes bright enough it then passes through the partially reflective mirror.

These mirrors emit the light or laser beam to the material that is to be cut. When the intense heat travels to the material, the light vaporizes the material that is to be cut. Hence, it leaves an accurate and smooth cut.

The gas produced during formation of laser and cutting process is a combination of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, and helium. 

Also, the light produced from the laser is infrared and thus, it is visible to the human eye. The wavelength of these beams is long so it can cut cloth, wood, glass, metal, and paper. 

While forming the cut, the laser somewhat damages the machine as well. And that is why some parts like the focus lens, battery, mirrors, etc need replacement. You can find Fanuc replacement parts online. 

Verify the Settings

There are three important settings that need attention when it comes to laser cutting.

1. Focus: There is a focus lens inside the laser head that is responsible for clean and smooth cuts. The lens needs to be changed at regular intervals. You can buy Fanuc parts online. They are easy to find and are of premium quality.
   
   

2. Speed: The speed determines how fast the laser head will move. Ensure to maximize the speed while engraving or cutting the thinner material.
   
   

3. Power: High power is used for thicker materials, and low power is suitable for engraving or thin materials. Adjust it according to the material. 

Conclusion

Now that you know how the CO2 laser beam works, consider some important points discussed above. The speed, focus, and power of the laser depend on the material. These factors will further decide how smooth and clean the cut will turn out. Also, make sure to replace the parts that need replacement. Choose brand products such as Fanuc.  Search “Fanuc parts online”, and you can easily find it from authorized dealers.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/how-does-co2-laser-cutter-work

8 Core Components of Laser Cutting Machine

Laser cutting machine outputs high density and high energy laser beams that concentrate on the workpiece. Thus the spot where it concentrates melts while the workpiece moves forward on the track making the cut. 

Laser cutting has replaced the traditional mechanical knife with an invisible beam. It has become popular because of high precision, faster and smoother cutting, unlimited patterns at low cost, and more. 

Thus, a laser cutter needs three things to complete the task namely machine, light and electricity. The machine is composed of the different mechanical parts, generator, CNC, lenses, etc. 

Let us discuss some of the essential components of the laser cutting machine.

Laser Cutting Head

The cutting head in the laser cutting machine is the output for the laser. It consists of a nozzle, lens, and a tracking system. The cutting head will travel on the cutting track to make the cut. You can adjust the height of the head and control it depending on the material, thickness, and various other parameters. 

The shelf life of the nozzle will also depend on whether it is properly placed and is cleaned on a regular basis. A good quality nozzle will last long. The trumpf nozzles, amada nozzles, prima nozzles, etc. are of good quality. Trumpf eco nozzle is also a good option to go with. 

Lenses

Laser lenses are the most used component in the laser cutting machine. The lenses used are of different types like full reflex lenses, focusing lenses and semi reverse lenses. They all have distinct functions.

As lenses work as one of the most important parts of the laser machine, the quality of the laser directly affects the performance of the machine.

These lenses are usually made domestically or they are imported. But the quality of the domestic lenses are not as good as the imported ones. But then when we compare the prices, domestic lenses are cheaper.

Motor

Motor is one of the core components of the laser machine. So, the performance of the motor directly affects the production efficiency of the machine.

Presently stepping motor and servo motor are the two types of motors configured in the laser machine according to the product and industry of the object. 

Stepper motor has fast starting speed as well as sensitive response to engraving and cutting processes. They are low priced. Whereas, the servo motor is for smooth movement, high load, and fast cutting speed. These are suitable for products and industries with high processing requirements.

Water Chiller

As the name suggests, water chillers are used for cooling laser generators. Basically, a laser generator is a device used to convert electrical energy into light energy. For instance, the CO2 laser has a conversion rate of 20% and the remaining energy is converted into heat. So the cooling water will take the excess heat away to make sure that the laser generator is working properly. 

The chiller also cools the external optical path reflector and the focus lens. This way, you will have stable beam transmission quality and prevent the lens from getting excessively hot, leading to deformation or crack.

Laser Cutting Frame

The frame makes sure of the movement across the X, Y, Z-axis during the cutting process. The only requirement here is that they must be highly stable. This high stability of the tools help you in improving the cut precision. 

There are three types of tools in the market namely gantry type, beam type and cantilever type. These tools have different functions like beam type is used for material cutting of large manufacturers. Automotive industry highly uses this tool.

CNC System

Computer Numeric Control (CNC) system is a leading OS of the fiber laser cutting machine. It mainly controls the tool to detect the movement of the X, Y and Z axis. It also controls the output power of the laser machine.

The quality of the system determines the stability of the laser machine. By controlling this software wisely, you can achieve accurate cuts. 

Air Cutting System

This system is composed of an air compressor, air dryer and filter devices. There are two kinds of air sources namely bottled air and compressed air. When we talk about the cost, air cutting is more economical than gas cutting. The reason behind the low cost is that air cutting saves gas consumption cost when compared to Nitrogen. 

Dust Extractor

The smoke and dust released during the fabrication process will be filtered and treated to match the environmental protection standards. And this makes dust extractor a critical component of the laser machine.

Conclusion

So, while considering laser components, do not only consider the properties of product material, but also make sure to consider the performance of the laser components. The quality of these components must be high so that it can deliver best performance for a prolonged period. Also, ensure to buy excellent quality consumables. For this, you can consider trumpf nozzles, trumpf eco nozzle, trumpf lens, amada nozzle, prima lenses,  etc.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/8-core-components-of-laser-cutting-machine

Fiber Laser Optics and Its Importance

Fiber laser cutting is used for a wide range of applications to process and produce laser quickly and efficiently with lasers. So the question is, how does fiber laser cutting machine use laser to cut? Talking about laser, how is laser produced and what is its principle?

Optics plays a huge role in the quality of cuts. You can find consumables from Prima Optics, lvd strippit parts, trumpf, etc. We have divided fiber laser cutting machines into two types: inner optics and outer optics.

Inner or Internal Optics

Let us find out what inner optics do in the laser machine.

Cutting

The laser generator releases a super-density laser beam. It is irradiated on the metal plate by a light spot. Then the cutting material is melted or vaporized at high temperature. After that, the high-pressure gas is used to blow off the melted metal and the residue.

Laser Production

Laser is converted from electrical energy to light energy. It is obvious that the conversion between the two energy cannot be 100%. Some part of it gets converted to light energy and the other is converted to heat energy. Currently, the electro-optical conversion rate of fiber lasers is 25%-35%. So better the performance of laser, the higher is the ratio of electro-optical conversion rate. So you will have lower energy consumption.

Outer Optics

Here is what outer optics do in the laser cutting machine.

Light Transmission

When the laser generates light and transmits it through optical fiber, a certain amount of energy is lost. Because the optical fiber is connected to the laser head. Also, when they are released from the fiber-optic head, they take a wavy shape. 

Waveform Light

Waveform light cannot collect or concentrate energy. With a collimator, you can process the wave light close to parallel light. 

Focusing Lens

The main function of this lens is to collect and concentrate the parallel light and form a super density light spot. 

Protective Lenses

While using a laser cutting machine, a certain amount of metal dust and debris will be generated. If they enter the cutting head of the laser machine, then it is important to protect the lens. You can replace this lens whose average shelf life is one piece per month. Needless to say, the loss depends on the intensity of the equipment. You can invest in good-quality mirrors like the reflectors from Prima Optics, Trumpf, lvd strippit parts, etc. A good quality mirror will last long.

Copper Nozzle

After the laser crosses the protective lens, it is released through the copper nozzle. On average, you might need two pieces per month. Again, the amount of loss depends on the intensity of use of the equipment. You can buy good quality spare parts from the Trumpf, Prima, LVD, etc. for your laser machine.

How to Maintain Lens?

As discussed above, we know how the lens gets damaged when you use the laser for a period of time. But to reduce this cleaning is necessary. The correct procedure to clean the lens is to use a cotton swab and dip it in the alcohol. Alcohol evaporates if any access is left on the lens. Then gently wipe the lens with it. These lenses have a layer of coating on the lens, wipe gently so that you don’t scratch. 

Conclusion

The performance of laser cutting machines depends mainly on the condition of optics. So it is important to maintain the mirrors to get the best from them. It is advisable to change the worn-out parts on time because it will directly affect the performance of the laser. Buying good quality consumables and cleaning the spare parts at the regular interval will increase its shelf life.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/fiber-laser-optics-and-its-importance

Maintenance of a Laser Cutting Machine

Proper maintenance of laser cutting machine is essential and has many benefits like:

• It enhances the longevity of your laser machine
• It ensures that the laser can perform at an optimum level
• It saves your money with less need for replacements

Maintenance is important to keep the laser machine clean of fumes, debris, smoke, and other dirt. Because that accumulation will cause system failures someday, and maintenance is the key to preventing it. But investing in good quality laser parts like amada laser parts is equally important to prevent damage. So, in this article, we will have a look at some tips you can follow to maintain your laser machine regularly.

How to Maintain Your Laser Machine

General Maintenance

You need to carry out general maintenance tasks on your laser machine regularly. Dust with the debris is inevitably going to form in every laser machine. But you can minimize its effect on the machine's efficiency and final output by cleaning up your machine's cabinet, bed, and everywhere. This intense cleaning can only prevent the effect of debris on the final product. You need to ensure that you let the machine cool down completely before starting any cleaning process. You should also ensure that you have invested in all the necessary spare parts for each laser part. Here, choosing quality spare parts like amada spare parts is important to boost the performance of the machine.

Laser Cutter Cleaning

Some hard materials such as woods, acrylic, and MDF release more residue and flammable oils. This dirt can affect the machine's components and can potentially initiate fire if not taken care of. Cleaning the cutter is as important as the cleaning the whole machine. This dirt gets accumulated most on the cutter and the surface where the cutting is done.

So, ensure that you do regular cleaning of the laser cutter with suitable solutions to prevent the dirt from getting on the products and enhance the laser machine's efficiency. For laser cutter cleaning, you need some supplies like a suitable liquid solution, soft brushes, paint scraper, pipe cleaners, stiff bristle brushes, and napkins.

Air-assist Compressor

You need to check if the air-assist compressor is working correctly. For this, you need to check for any obstruction in elements of filtration that might be present in the delivery hose from the compressor. You need to ensure that there is no obstruction from the starting point to the nozzle. Reduced airflow towards the nozzle often increases the risk of the flame breaking out on materials of the laser cutting machine. So, you must check the airflow of the entire machine.

Maintaining Optics

Dirty optics has the potential to reduce the laser beam's strength. You can visually check if the optics need cleaning or not. You need to check the optics regularly, otherwise, you will notice poor results such as untidy cutting, blurry lines, etc. It is important to clean the optics because dirt can combust or burn into the optic's surface. This will permanently damage the optics. Cleaning them after every 10 hours is ideal, but it also depends on what type of material you are using. You can take an IPA solution or acetone solution on gentle cotton buds for cleaning the optics by yourself.

Winter Maintenance

Did you know that the drop-in temperature during the winter months in your area can change the results of your laser machine? In extra-cold weather or surrounding, your machine will require extra attention and proper regulations. You can ensure that the room where the laser machine is kept is between 0°C-5°C. You can even use a good antifreeze to maintain the temperature of your machine. Here, you will need to avoid using any colored automotive colane as it can rust the coils and damage the seals of your machine's chiller. Here, using quality parts like amada laser parts can prevent damage from weather.

Maintaining Chiller

The heat produced by laser machines needs regulation. You can choose water chillers as they are an effective method of keeping the temperature down. This will ensure that the tube does not overheat. It is important to keep a close eye on the chiller's temperature. You need to locate the filters in the chiller after every few weeks. You also need to check if the water has started contaminating, and if it has, then you need to change it. You can use distilled or deionized water. Avoid using regular water as it can encourage bacterial growth that can clog the piping area.

Sodium hypochlorite (also known as bleach) is corrosive to some metals like copper and stainless steel. Thus, this solution needs to be avoided while maintaining any laser machine accessories. There is a chloride ion present in the bleach, which is an oxidizing agent. It attacks the passive layer on the metal, which causes localized damage. Even the trace amounts of bleach can form rust as stainless steel gets corroded gradually. This disrupts the efficiency of the machine.

Conclusion

I would like to conclude this article by offering you a checklist to maintain your laser machine. This information may vary according to the material you use.

For weekly maintenance, you can:

• Check water level
• Clean lens with Acetone/Alcohol
• Oil runners with light oil
• Clean optics
• Remove debris from the machine base
• Clean machine bed

For monthly maintenance, you can:

• Clean mirrors
• Oil rise and fall of laser bed
• Clean impeller on the fan unit
• Change the water if contaminated
• Clean filter in chiller

You can get your machine to a service store for full machine/s service annually. Also, you must keep quality amada spare parts for each laser parts in case of any last minute requirements. Good quality parts ensure to give your output the same finishing as that of the original.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/maintenance-of-a-laser-cutting-machine

How to Manage Spare Parts Efficiently

It is important to manage spare parts efficiently as it acts as a foundation for dependable plant operations. It will make the crises less destructive and more manageable. As a plant manager, you need to know the tips to manage them. So, in the article, we will discuss some of the factors that you must consider to manage your spare parts and make the company more effective. Let us start with a pro tip: Always use quality spare parts like Trumpf parts to get the best quality out of them.

Tips to Manage Spare Parts Efficiently

The below tips will help you to enhance performance, increase productivity, and reduce the cost of the plant.

Strategize the Operation

Many businesses adopt the practice of creating an operational plan based on responsive events. One can strategize the business with either a reactive or predictive approach. In order to perform spare parts management, you will need a predictive approach to strategize your business efficiently. I don't mean that you need to completely abandon a reactive approach here, but the core approach needs to be a preventive one. This includes the ability to prevent any future problems before they occur.

You should always look out for failure patterns because they often reveal problems that are less visible or we forget to notice. The collection and analysis of data need to be relevant in order to improve your business management strategy. You need to use predictive management to use the resources efficiently, reduce costs, and save time.

Effective Parts Inventory Control

You need to store and organize spare parts in a chosen and secure space. This will help you to keep a check on spare inventories, save time in finding the needed part, and also save the parts from being damaged. Proper analysis and review of the storage and check-out system is necessary as it can reveal a lot about the quality control of your inventory. 

For better inventory quality management, you can develop precise standards to categorize and define spares. You can periodically review all the spare parts based on time, replacements, etc. You can also conduct a regular review of the spare parts to check if you are holding any excess stock for particular parts or if you are running out of any.

Adopt Better Security Measures

Limiting access to the inventory parts warehouse is a step you should consider applying. Giving everyone access to the inventory parts warehouse will only cause never-ending entries of inventory inaccuracies. You can adopt policies that can restrict some staff from accessing the inventory. You should also install security camera systems in your inventory warehouse. You can also keep security guards that allow only people who have a certain badge to walk into inventory.  

Stock Parts for New Equipment

The most common mistake every other plant manager does is storing no spare parts for new equipment. It often seems that there is no need to invest in spare parts for new equipment, but there is. Because you should not just assume that the vendor you bought the equipment from sells faultless equipment. 

It may be suitable for some time, but there will be a time when it will need repairing, and you never know how early the problems can arise. In such situations, investing in spare parts for new equipment is a smart thing to do. And while socking the spare parts for the new equipment, ensure that you choose the best quality parts like Trumpf spare parts for gaining its original-like performance.

Calculating Risk for Every Equipment

Any equipment can cause failure at any time and you cannot control it most of the time. Instead, you can calculate the overall downtime risk and possible aids for every spare part. This way you can have a possible time when the spare part may need a replacement or polish. Additionally, you can use good quality spare parts like Trumpf spare parts to increase the lifespan of spare parts. 

Here the question is, how can you calculate risk for each equipment? Let me help you with some activities you can perform daily for this. You can calculate the exposure of a spare part by determining the total cost of one-hour downtime it gets for your firm. You also need to determine the cost and reasons for any part's damage for further precautions. You can create different sections of cost for purchasing such as "new vs. old" parts for replacement.

Final Words

With the above tips, you can make your inventory system efficient and responsive to meet your operational demands. With proper spare part management, you can save time, money and accelerate the overall performance of your equipment. But the first and foremost thing you need to start with is investing in good quality spare parts like Amada and Trumpf parts.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/how-to-manage-spare-parts-efficiently

What is Plasma Cutting and What are Plasma Cutter Consumables?

Plasma cutters have the capability to cut the metals in simple and complex shapes like holes, edges, markings, etc. Plasma cutters are cost-effective and practical compared to oxy-fuel, laser, and water jet cutting processes. Let us understand how plasma cutters work and what consumables you will need.

What is Plasma Cutter?

Plasma cutting is a cutting technique that uses an accelerated jet of hot plasma to cut through conductive metals like steel, aluminum, brass, titanium, copper, etc. It is widely used in manufacturing, automotive repair, industrial construction, restoring, scrapping, etc. Plasma cutting can be done using a handheld plasma torch also known as plasma arcs, guns, or cutters. For that, you will need hand held plasma cutter parts.

Due to high speed, precise cuts, and low cost, plasma cutting is widely used by small companies and industries using CNC. 

Why You Need Plasma Cutter Consumables?

Using plasma cutter over time, components start wearing off gradually. Worn consumables can ruin metal while cutting. Your operator can tell which consumables are worn by sound, color, etc. 

The best way to keep a check on the condition of your consumables is to periodically inspect consumables. If you see that the quality of the cut is deteriorating, you have an indication that it needs to be changed. 

It is a good practice to maintain a record of the average life of parts over time and prepare a guideline for consumables based on the thickness of the material, amperage, and material. So operator will know after what time he needs to check the components thoroughly to prevent catastrophic failure.

It is essential that you run all your parts at the correct amperage. High or low amperage can impact the cut quality. However, using incorrect consumables can also lead to shortened life and cut quality. 

List of Consumables With Their Purpose

You can choose from different consumables like Hypertherm powermax 45 consumables, Powermax 45 XP, Powermax 65, etc. Here is the list of the consumables you might need.

Electrode

The electrode provides power to the plasma arc. Electrode conducts high voltage or high-frequency energy while you start the cut. This adds energy to ionize the cuttings gas that creates plasma and allows the arc to start.

Swirl Ring

A swirl ring is made of ceramic or volcanic ash. It controls and swirls the plasma gas around the electrodes and inside nozzles. It basically controls the point where the arc is attached to the emitter and also the plasma flow through the nozzle that affects the edge angularity. It usually swirls in clockwise rotation but their counterclockwise swirls are to assist for mirror cutting.

Nozzle

Nozzle constricts the gas stream flowing through the orifice in the center of the nozzle. A nozzle that is worn out or improper will cause the part to have an improper size or edge. The orifice must be a circle and not oval or egg-shaped. 

Inner Retaining Cap

The purpose of the retaining cap is to hold all the internal stack components in proper alignment. A damaged or improper retainer will cause the rest of the consumables to fit improperly and it can cause a gas error, coolant leaks, or poor cut quality.

Shield Cap

As the name suggests, a shield protects all the consumables from sparks and molten metals. There are mostly made of copper and provide a proper distance between nozzle and workpiece.

Water Tube

It works as a coolant to the tips of the electrodes to prevent overheating. The size of the tube is important otherwise it will cause premature electrode failure due to overheating.

Conclusion

It is important to invest in a good-quality hand held plasma cutter parts. Because poor quality will have less shelf-life. You can find different Hypertherm consumables like Hypertherm powermax 45 consumables, powermax 45XP, powermax 65, etc. easily from certified suppliers.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/what-is-plasma-cutting-and-what-are-plasma-cutter-consumables