Q. What is the rate of argon gas usage when using the plasma marking feature? How long should a 300 cubic foot bottle of argon gas last when marking parts?

A. Argon is used as the plasma gas when marking with our HyPerformance HPR systems. This is because argon is far less aggressive as compared to the normal cutting gases (oxygen, nitrogen, air, etc.) and produces a finer mark without damaging the material.

With the 130 amp cutting nozzle in the HyPerformance HPR130, the marking process will consume 150 standard cubic feet per hour when the marking process is active. Argon flows as pre-flow for about 1.5 seconds before each mark, and for as long as 10 seconds post flow after each mark. If you mark continuously for 1 hour, you would use 150 cubic feet of argon or 1/2 of a 300 cubic foot cylinder.

Generally marking is a small part of the day’s plasma usage. Most marking operations last for just a few seconds so it is not uncommon for a single cylinder to last for several weeks of production work. It is impossible for me to figure out how many marks you will get without knowing exactly the duration in seconds of your marks, but the above information should help you arrive at a number.

Jim Colt