Re: plasma torch water table or dust collector

The first question to ask is what you are going to cut on the table.
I would NOT reccomend a water tabled if you cut a lot of aluminum.
The molten aluminum passing through the water oxidizes very rapidly
leaving aluminum oxide and hydrogen. The hydrogen will raise out of
the water and collect under large plates which can (and has)lead to
an explosion. A local company I used to do service work for blew the
cross beam off their machine, it landed about 20' away. They were
lucky noboby was hurt.

A water table is great for steel. The tank needs to be easy to drain
so that the water can be changed to prevent sludge build up or
biological growth in the tank. There also needs to be a method of
raising a lowering the water level to facilitate changing sheets.
Normally this is done with a large air bladder in teh bottom of the
tank. Also if you must cut aluminum on a water table you should add
oxygen to the water by blowing air through it (think fish tank). The
torch you use must be able to be used on a water table as water can
cause starting problems.

In contrast to the other advise you recieved some contries require
plasma cutting to be done underwater to shiled the operators from the
UV created while cutting.

For a ventilated table you need to make sure your drawing enough air
through the table (draw from table bottom) to prevent smoking the
room out. Some places just vent the exaust outside but your locality
might require a filtering system. When choosing a filtering system
by one for the intended purpose or it will not work properly.

Jeff Birt

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Denis Casserly <denisc@a...>
wrote:

> Hello,
> would anyone have any experience or information about any possible

side

> effects of using a water table as opposed to an dust collection

system using

> air? An equipment salesman told me that the drift in the industry

was away

> from using water tables under a plasma torch because there is the

possibility

> of producing noxious gases.
> Season's Greetings,
> Denis Casserly