Is it possible to use nitrogen as the plasma gas instead of oxygen for cutting mild steel? We have a Hypertherm HPR260XD system.
Thanks
Is it possible to use nitrogen as the plasma gas instead of oxygen for cutting mild steel? We have a Hypertherm HPR260XD system.
Thanks
You certainly could.....just use the consumables and cut charts that are designated for cutting stainless steel.....instead of the mild steel cut charts. The consumables are different....the electrode is a tungsten electrode as opposed to the hafnium electrode for oxygen cutting.
Expect about 25% slower speeds, a lot of dross, more edge angularity and a nitride case hardening on the edge. There is not a single advantage to using nitrogen for cutting carbon based steel!
Jim Colt Hypertherm
Thanks Jim. That was the answer I was expecting.