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Emission of fume when plasma cutting mild and stainless steelĬutting under water keeps the entire plate cooler, which reduces warping of the cut parts and the skeleton, or scrap plate. Instead of billowing clouds of smoke that have to be captured by an expensive dust collector, a water table will usually emit an occasion little puff that quickly dissipates. When plasma cutting under water, the water will absorb the vast majority of the plasma smoke. Operators should still wear eye protection, but dark shades are no longer needed, making the entire working area safer and more pleasant. But when that same arc is under a few inches of water, all you see is a bubbling reddish-purple glow. Looking at the plasma arc, either directly or at an angle, can cause serious eye damage. When cutting on a dry table, the arc is so bright that anyone in the area should be wearing dark safety glasses of an appropriate shade, or a welding helmet. Next, you will notice that under water plasma cutting significantly reduces the brightness of the arc.

In a small shop this can affect the working environment in the entire building, and make for a much nicer working environment. By submerging the plate, the noise level can be reduced by as much as 40 dB, and for most cutting will be well below the 85 dB level allowable for continuous exposure.

Noise levels from dry plasma cutting can be as high as 120 decibels, requiring hearing protection for the operator and anyone else working near the machine. The first thing you notice when cutting under water is that it dramatically reduces the noise emitted by the plasma arc.

So here’s a quick run-down of the benefits, and disadvantages, of plasma cutting while completely submerged. It’s nothing new, we’ve been cutting under water for 40 years, which is why I’m always a little shocked when someone has never even heard of it, let alone doesn’t understand the reasons why. Under water CNC plasma cutting actually submerges the plate below 2 to 4” of water, so the torch tip and the entire arc are submerged, just like we were doing at IMTS. At the 2012 IMTS show I was again surprised to hear so many people as this question: “That’s plasma? So what’s the reason for cutting under water?” And we’re not talking about just cutting on a table that has water below the plate.