On 1/4' through about 5/8'.if you use the available 40 Amp and 60 Amp consumables you will get excellent cut qualitythat is similar to the Powermax45. The larger Hypertherm units have FineCut consumables for cutting materials 3/16' and thinner.that will produce the same cut quality as the Powermax45 in this range.FineCut is a take of of the high definition technology that Hypertherm uses on its big industrial plasmas.not quite the same, but it allows for excellent cuts with minimal bevel on thinner materials. I do 1/2' with my 45 with no issues.and have done a bit of 5/8' with it as well. The 1250 blows the doors off both the 45 and the 1000.but is a bit pricier!Īll of Hypertherms specifications are on the conservative side.if Hypertherm says you can production pierce 3/8'.you can rest assured that it will be able to pierce a little ing good pierce technique. If I was cutting more 1/2' than 1/4'.I would choose the 1000, if I was occasionally cutting 1/2'.but spending most of my time on thinner materials.then the 45 would be my choice hands down. While the 1000 has a little more speed and power.I prefer the cut quality and consumable life that the newer generation Powermax45 provides. I own both the Powermax1000 and the Powermax45.both have been used on my PlasmaCam machine extensively. The Hypertherm lineup is: Powermax45, 45 Amps, 3/8' recommended pierce.Powermax1000, 60 Amps, 1/2' recomended pierce.Powermax1250, 80 Amps, 5/8' recomended pierce.Powermax1650, 100 Amps (3 phase power only), 3/4' recomended pierce. It sounds as though the Hypertherm Powermax45 will meet your needs.assuming that the 1/2' material is 'occasional' cutting. This site has been very helpful for a cnc newbie. My machine is supposed to be ready around the first of October, but if I need to make a change on my order, I would like to figure it out as soon as possible. I build race cars mostly, but also do alot of lowriders and street rods. Is it just because they make more money on them or what? If anyone with a Thermal Dynamics machine could post some pics of their work and experience, I would greatly appreciate it. But, when I spoke with several different companys about buying the cnc plasma table, everyone told me to go with the Thermal Dynamics machine.

I have a Hypertherm machine now that I use for my hand work in the shop and I have been very happy with it.

Did I make the right choice on the plasma machine? It seems most people on here use Hypertherm. I will be cutting mostly 1/8' and 1/4' steel, but occasionally I will cut 1/2' stuff. I ordered it with the Theramal Dynamics A80 plasma machine. Hey guys, I just ordered a new Plasmaroute CNC ZR4800 machine.

Thermal dynamics torch on hyperterm