Plasma cutting technology counts more than 50 years of history, starting as early as during the 2nd World War. Aeroplanes had to be made …quicker than possible, and this necessity accelerated the invention of Plasma Cutting, with a protective gas surrounding the plasma arc and minimising oxidation of the cut surface.

In the meantime, plasma technological research developed new solutions which optimised plasma cutting: By reducing the diametre of the nozzle opening both the temperature of the arc and the velocity of the ejected plasma increased, achieving narrower kerf (width of the channel created) and quicker advance of the cutting procedure.

During the second half of the 1960s Plasma Cutting started having a lot of commercial applications, due to the advantages it offered to anyone who could afford the high investments it called for; companies who did, enjoyed high profits on their ability to cut metal accurately and quickly. Eventually, as progress made it cheaper, all the more small workshops and hobbyists were attracted to it. We are proud to know that we, at IDA Control, have had our share in this development. Today, any workshop considers plasma cutters as must-have in-house equipment.

Heavy duty plasma cutters today are CNC driven and with dual voltage sources from 100 to 400 Amps, but there are also less powerful ones for lighter or hand-held applications. High Definition Plasma Cutting Technology has added to the advantages of Plasma cutting, making cutting possible for mild steel of thicknesses from 0.3 mm to 160 mm. There are reasons to believe that customers of Plasma Cutters will enjoy better and more reliable results in all foreseeable future, leaving the state-of-the-Art laser cutting technology to fill the gap of specialised functions.

No matter how and when the newer laser technology could replace plasma cutting, the latter could provide you with a touchstone, on which to test your supplier-to-be: Although there is a number of trustworthy exclusively Plasma manufacturers, the ones who also have the vertical know-how of the much more complicated Laser Cutting and its resonators are a guarantee for quality and technical perfection. IDA Control definitely belongs to the handful of these companies.