I need to cut thin stainless steel (<1mm) with a plasma cutter on a CNC machine. I have a CNCRouterParts Pro machine that I plan to upgrade with a Hypertherm 45XP, a water table, and height control. The stainless is cosmetic so I can't have any discoloration, and I'd like to avoid a secondary grinding or buffing operation. My local Hypertherm rep has no information to help me. A bit of searching has turned up a couple of useful articles:

https://www.thefabricator.com/articl...tainless-steel
https://www.thefabricator.com/articl...heet-and-plate

which point towards the right gas combination as a major factor. The first article references plasma gas and shield gas. What is the difference and is the 45XP capable of this?

Does anyone have experience resolving this specific problem? I have zero experience with plasma cutting and don't want to spend several grand on a system only to find out the process is not capable. Thanks!