new equiptment

[WillietheWelder]

We just ordered a new service truck and was discussing what to put where with management...well we got a new Trailblazer for it and got a Spectrum? 2050 to go with it...NOW...we wanted to mount a compresser for the plasma but management ended up just sayin were gonna put a compressed air bottle on it...now 90% of our work is stainless and we will be doing most of the cutting on site and was wondering how long this bottle might last...or if anybody else had and experience running a plasma with a air bottle...thanks for any info!!
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Mazda G Platform Specifications

[davedarragh]

If you're lucky, 45 minutes.

They should have bought the new Trailblazer AirPac, if it's not too late, have them change the order. Otherwise, they'll be buying a lot of bottles, especially with a plasma the size of the 2050.

If they can't get the TB A/P gonna have to get a BIG Quincy with a 11 hp Kohler, 19.6 cfm comoressor & 30 gal tank.

Dave

[WillietheWelder]

Dave,

Thanks for the info...its too late for the welder and they are now considering a rotarty compressor for the plasma...but we went and look at the truck today where its having the crane and everything installed and seen the cabnit made for are bottles and a seprate bracket for a 300 cubic ft bottle said to be for plasma so i guess we"ll have to wait and see....

Thank for the insite!!
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Baking

[cruizer]

Use Nitrogen, It'll last alot longer.

[JTMcC]

Several years ago I did quite a bit of stainless work in food plants and we used compressed air quite a bit, it's dirt cheap.
I can't really remember how long bottles lasted us but it was quite a while considering the plasma was generally in intermittant use, not cutting 100% of the day very often. I'm not much help, but I don't remember going thru more than a bottle per day but I spent a large part of my day welding.

JTMcC

[kcstott]

It's easy to figure out though. The bottle is rated at a Cubic foot volume and the plasma has a minimum CFM rate 300CF bottle @ 6CFM = 50 minutes of cut time.
So 45 minutes was a darn good guess

[WillietheWelder]

Everyone-

Thanks for all the info, and more is always welcome...one of my beefs with this is that our new truck is a big chevy 5500 and its a 4x4 and the cabinet they want us to store this bottle in is up off the ground a good bit and they said just use the crane to lift the bottle and get it in the cabinet...well that sux period and the more often we have to do it the more it will suck!
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VOLCANO DIGITAL REVIEW

[bwldng]

One shop I worked in ran the plasma on air bottles because the owner was to cheap to fix the leaking air piping.You might as well pull a trailer full of bottles to run that thing .It's a real pain.

[WillietheWelder]

thank everyone again, and keep the comments and ideas comming!!!...when the truck arrives i will be sure to post some pics!!
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Buy Vaporizer

[SundownIII]

Willie,

Sounds like "management" didn't think this thing through very well. As was mentioned, the new Trailblazer Air Pac was probably the way to go.

Not sure about the 2050 plasma, but my Hypertherm 1250 has a post flow of about 5-8 sec. That's even if I just made a 2" cut. Cut time plus post flow will eat a nitrogen bottle in short order.

I'd find a nice spot on the truck for a gas air compressor.