Plasma cutting aluminium??
Turbo Mini Forums

Anyone had any experience of plasma cutting aluminium?

I was about to start cutting 2mm plate for my intercooler end tanks with a jigsaw when I suddenly had a brain wave.

Various results from a google suggest that it can be done but with varying degrees of success.

Some suggest using inert gas instead of air. I've got argon and argon mixes so could give it a try.

Just wondered if anyone had tried it?

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

stick to the jigsaw, less messy,

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Or get a bandsaw......

You won't get a clean edge with plasma on alloy, plus it will be oxidised and you will spend more time cleaning it up suitable for welding than if you had spent the time sawing it in the first place......

If you use shield gas instead of compressed air to avoid oxidation, it will be VERY expensive on gas.

We had a big plasma cutter at work and my mate bought a small Clarke one and both are really only any use on stainless (IMO of course).

For anything else we had a big hydraulic guillotine at work - I really miss that.......

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

will work fine, but as said willl leave pretty nasty edges.... bandsaw or jigsaw would be best imo

And on the 7th day........... God created turbochargers!

Or a huge pair of tin snips

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

Paul, by the time you'd gone a couple of google searches & typed all that you could have cut out the two end plates with a jig saw.

As above....just dont use a very fine blade, and use plenty of lubricant to stop it clogging ( WD40 etc works fine for that )

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I often use a 1mm cutting disk in my angle grinder. I always get good results this way.

Team Racing

Thanks.

I'll stick with the jigsaw then.

I think that given the need to have the minimum oxidation and dross on the edges to be welded, what time I save on cutting will be spent on cleaning up.

Just need to find my old jigsaw. I might treat myself to a new one as the old one is past its best at around 20 years old!

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."