Miller machines ARE NOT manufactured by Hypertherm. Hypertherm is THE ONLY plasma cutting machine company left that manufactures machines in the United States. In the past, Hypertherm used to supply Miller with torches for the Miller machines but that has changed as of late. Check out the You Tube Channel for Hypertherm-you will see some automotive restoration videos that will enlighten you on what plasma machines can do related especially to the automotive field, specifically "our kind of cars here on the HAMB"-I know because I work for Hypertherm and did the videos for them on my 51' Mercury project. All here have given great advice-the best thing you can do is go to your local welding supplier and try the different machines out for your particular situation-Good luck
hyper therm is a nice product. with practice you should do some nice work.with one. a piece of one by two wood makes a nice straight edge and you can make templates out of plywood for curve cuts. it helps
We've had several Thermaldynamics units at work over the years and have had lots of problems with them. The best one we had used a water cooled torch and could cut 1 inch steel and sever 1 1/2" steel. We bought it to cut brass and stainless and it would cut 1/2" brass and 3/8 stainless cleanly. When a circuit board went out, no replacement part was available for the 5 year old machine. I have a Hypertherm Powermax 45 that I took in to work the last time our current Thermal Dynamics unit went down. It's rated at 1/2" for production and will sever up to 1". I probably could have gotten by with the Powermax 30 which is a production 1/4" machine.
I have a Everlast power plasma 50 and I am happy with it. I use it almost every day and it works great, plus the consumables are available at harbor freight. I'm all for buying good quality made in USA tools, but when it comes to electronics half the stuff comes from overseas anyway. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
both the thermal dynamics machines i use say made in the united states unless they have changed so i dont think hypertherm is the only one making made in usa machines
Actually to set the record straight: Thermal Dynamics, now known as Victor Technologies....used to manufacturer their plasma systems in West Lebanon NH. A few years ago they had a few layoffs, and moved the manufacturing of most of their torches to a plant in Mexico, moved some of their plasma's to a plant in Texas, and farmed a couple of their plasma systems out to a Chinese supplier. Laid off american workers, low cost foreign workers, we've all heard this story! Hypertherm used to manufacture torches for Miller, and Miller made a couple of low powered plasmas that were private labeled for Hypertherm (the Powermax190c, the Powermax350 and 380 models). Today Miller sources their torches off shore and produces their own plasma power supplies in Wisconsin. Hypertherm, located in Hanover and Lebanon NH, USA designs and builds all of its products at its New Hampshire facilities. From the 30 amp (120 or 240 volt) Powermax30 up through its industrial 800 amp HPR800Xd ....all of its products are built by its employees who own the company. Hypertherm exports as much as 60% of these plasma cutters worldwide (yes, even to China!), and is the largest plasma cutting equipment manufacturer in the world. One more thing, Hypertherm has never laid off a single employee. So, to answer the original question about what type of plasma cutter to buy, here are some things to consider: - Cutting capacity and amperage levels. For many automotive type hobbysists a 30 amp air plasma is adequate. The Hypertherm Powermax30 will operate on either a 20 amp 120 volt wall outlet or a 15 amp 230 volt outlet (same as many small welders) and can cut any sheet metal with speed and ease. It can cut very productively up through 1/4", and can also easily sever up through 1/2 " (although at relatively slow speeds) with ease. -The real cutting power is not just the amperage, rather it has to do with torch design and the ability of the power supply to provide its amperage at a high load voltage...amperage times voltage equals killoWatts....and that is what produces the cutting power. The reason I am saying this is...the major plasma manufacturers (Hypertherm, Miller, T-D) 30 amp plasma systems will cut circles around most 50 to 60 amp import systems. This is due to better (patented technology) torch and power supply designs....not simply copies of 30+ year old technology that you get with low cost imports. -Consumable parts life. Hypertherm with its over 100 plasma technology patents is the undisputed leader in cut quality and consumable life. The cost of operating a plasma is the consumable parts.....which wear out with use. A Powermax 30 or Powermax45 will use consumables at about 1/4 to 1/10th the rate of import units. Operating the major brand system over time will save you money. -Ease of use. All of the Hypertherm systems are designed to drag cut or template cut....resting the front end of the torch right on the material. Others use a clunky stand off device or require that you hold the torch at a standoff. -Major brand systems will have the peace of mind that there is factory support and service. You will have a great tool in your shop that your kids may inherit! There area lot of choices. Buy a low cost import, yes it will cut metal but will not cut as well, will cost more to operate, and if it breaks down can it be fixed? Buy a major brand and pay more, employ American workers, have an easy to use low operating cost system that is supported by a great company. Keep in mind that you can often buy a used Hypertherm for a great price and get all of the same benefits. If you see a used one, snatch it quick...they don't stay on the market long! Jim Colt
The Jalopy Journal
