I work on a competitive design team and one of the biggest factors in our design considerations is weight. As such, using magnesium in place of aluminum is very enticing to us. I’ve already been working on getting ready to mill it, but we were recently donated a plasma cutter. It’s nothing special, with no air-tight enclosure and a standard water bed underneath. I already understand the risks if/when something goes up in flames. We’ll have buckets of sand and type D fire extinguishers ready, in addition to training, etc., etc.

That leads me to my question: is it even possible to cut magnesium over a water bed in normal atmospheric conditions? I’ve seen some people successfully plasma cut magnesium with handheld cutters, but I haven’t found any good resources for CNC cutting. My assumption is that the burning remains of the magnesium would fall into the water and create a runaway Hindenburg, but I’m wondering if anyone has any prior experience. Thank you.