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A Look at the Plasma Cutter

To gain a better understanding of what a plasma cutter does, let’s first get a brief summary of the history of welding. It will help you to see better how the profession of the plasma cutter evolved as a line of work.

A Brief History of Welding

Welding is a procedure by which definite materials – usually thermoplastics and metals – are merged together. This is most often accomplished by melting the materials together. Then, some type of filler compound is used to make what’s known as a weld puddle around the fused parts. Once this cools, it becomes a resistant joint of sorts.

It wasn’t until the finish of the 19th century that welding began to experience changes. This was the beginning of the need for the plasma cutter. Until this time period, the only type of welding done was forge welding. It had been used by blacksmiths for hundreds of years to join metals. As seen in many westerns, this was done by simply pounding them.

Plasma and oxyfuel welding were the first new welding processes to come on the profession. After World Wars I and II, these and other types of welding became popular because they were not only dependable, they were low-cost also.

The Rise of the plasma cutter

As welding technology continued to expand in the first part of the 20th century, the need for the professional plasma cutter grew.

There are two very common types of advanced plasma cutting– MIG welding and TIG welding. Each requires a different type of plasma cutter, i.e., a MIG welder and a TIG welder. The difference is in how they do their job.

A TIG arc welder fuses their sheets together by grasping a welding rod in one hand and an electric torch in the other hand. A MIG arc welder uses a semi-automatic procedure to join their materials together, eg, a wire feeder as an alternative to a rod.

An arc welder is a highly trained expert, and works in many different sectors – from manufacturing to automotive.

Tags: Plasma Cutter