Cutting Demo Pilot Arc vs Non-Pilot Arc - Which is Better?

You may be familiar with the non-touch plasma cutter that use pilot arc plasma torches. And if you do, you may also know about pilot arc plasma cutters and what you can do with them. In my years of plasma cutting, I have been using a drag tip plasma cutter. It’s a Cut40 plasma cutter so obviously, it has a maximum capacity of 40 amp. I had no problem with this and have been reliable to me for more than 10 years.
Nevertheless, I was hoping to update it. I thought of buying myself a new pilot arc plasma cutter because I need to upgrade my old unit and aside from that, it makes a difference if you have a pilot arc plasma cutter on hand to cut dirty or rusty metal. But what is a pilot arc plasma cutter and what advantage can it give you?
To explain to you about pilot arc vs non-pilot arc, I made this video. From what types of torch they run and what kinds of metals they can cut. The non-touch plasma cutters have only 3 connections to the machine - the torch cable, the torch switch and the ground clamp. The pilot arc plasma cutters have 4 connections - torch cable, pilot arc wire, torch switch and the ground clamp.
So what’s the difference between a non-pilot arc plasma cutter and a pilot arc plasma cutter ? To answer this, we have to use a pilot arc plasma cutter along with a pilot arc plasma torch that will cut metal of any type. It does not need to contact a bare metal to conduct a spark so whenever you pull the trigger, it will produce a spark. With this, you can cut metals even if they are painted, covered with dirt or rusty.
A drag tip or HF plasma cutter can also cut painted, dirty or rusty metal provided that you clean up the area with an angle grinder to get a good contact to start the arc. So if we see these units from different perspectives, both can do the same cutting job. However, a non-pilot arc plasma cutter will not be able to produce a spark and hot plasma if you’ll be cutting painted, dirty, or rusty metals, first you need to grind a clean spot where you want to begin cutting and can cut from there.
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Other Videos About This Machine
Plasma Cutter Assembly: A Beginner's Guide : • Plasma Cutter Assembly...
Unboxing an Amazon 50amp Pilot Arc Plasma Cutter - Under $200 : • Unboxing an Amazon 50a...

[@donaldhalls2189]

Thanks for the information again, as always, all the best to you and your loved ones

[@petestools]

Ta

[@itsallfabrication]

Thanks for the vid Pete, might invest in a pilot arc machine, just for those jobs that my non pilot arc machine can't manage.

[@petestools]

Nice one

[@tonyhddodge4282]

Pete, It looked like the non pilot arc machine made a better cut on the cleaner metal. What did you think? I have a pilot arc machine that uses an AG60P gun. Can I use a drag tip gun on this machine?

[@petestools]

I take the stand off guide off all my machines and use as a drag tip. But you cant with some machines.

[@markoheimburger9895]

👍😉Great Video Pete

[@petestools]

Thanks for the visit

[@jrperrotta]

Nice work Pete! Question: Can you use the pilot arc torch on a non pilot arc machine and just attach the lead wire from the pilot arc to ground?

[@petestools]

yea i have a video on that

[@AFFMotorsport]

Good Comparison.

[@petestools]

Thanks'

[@Nicecalgarian]

Thanks mate 💕🇨🇦

[@petestools]

Welcome

[@bobprice9244]

g'day mate. that I didn't know. had to give my hypertherm a whirl. i did know that if you're a bit off the plate it illuminated the line to be cut. another question I have for you is what do you do in your shop?

[@petestools]

Hi Bob I manufacture Dumpster bins