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What are plasma cutter consumables?
Plasma cutting consumables are a set of components in your plasma cutter's torch that will gradually wear over time and will need to be replaced.
Consumables have a life cycle
The consumables are all found in the cutting torch itself, which is where most of the energy is focused. Keeping an eye on wear and tear is a very important part of maintaining an efficient machine that will cut well and last you a long time.
Consumables include: A swirl ring, electrode, nozzle, retaining cap and shield cup.
This is a small component inside the torch that swirls the gas that surrounds the plasma arc. This outer layer of gas helps to focus and direct the arc for greater cutting precision and swirling it helps to keep it cool.
It is this protective layer of gas surrounding the arc that makes contact with the nozzle, the lower temperatures prevent the nozzle from burning up and will slow down degradation.
The electrode is a narrow piece of copper containing hafnium, which is an excellent conductor of electricity. It's job is to receive the electrical currently from a cathode block inside of the torch to which it is connected and to focus the charge through its tip.
This is what causes it to arc onto the workpiece.
The nozzle focuses the plasma arc and the gas that surround it, to make a clean and precise cut.
A nozzle with a larger opening is used for gouging, whilst a nozzle with a smaller opening is netter able to direct the gas, so is used for fine and more detailed work.
Retaining cap / Retaining Nozzle / Housing
The retaining cap essentially holds all of the consumable parts of the torch together.
As temperatures at this end of the machine are extremely high, it is not just the parts creating and focusing the arc that are worn down; the component holding them together will also degrade over time.
The shield cap is there to protect the torch and it's other components from the sparks and molten metal that result from the plasma cutting process.
It takes the brunt of the fallout, so that the wear and tear to other components is minimized as much as possible.
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