Plasma vs waterjet?

[usmcmachinist]

I know the major factor is price, but if money were not a factor, what are your opinions? I currently have a Flow Flying Bridge 4800 waterjet that performs very well. Is there really any benefit to adding a CNC Plasma?

I do enjoy all of the DXF files that are avaialble here.

Thanks for your opinions!

Brad

[Bigrhamr]

Speed and cost per cut would be the advantages. I guess it just depends on what kind of work you do, if some of your jobs don't require waterjet quality cuts then plasma might be a good addition.

[Loyd]

Naturally h2o can cut much thicker stuff depending on the size of your machine, and it doesn't have to be electrically conductive. I have never used a h2o, but, when I was a plant manager I had several prototype parts cut with one. I watched them cutting aluminum 6 inches thick. I don't know about the speed. My Pcam will cut really fast (up to 200ipm) on thin metal and does a nice job if I have it set right. The Pcam will go up to 1000ipm but I have never used it that fast. I suppose that heat is not a problem with h2o. How thick can you start a cut on h20? Do you have to predrill? If you are cutting thicker than say, 5/8" on plasma it is best to predrill. Just thinking out loud here, I would say h20 is probably a better way to go from what I have seen.
Semper Fi
Loyd