Higher profitability

Plasma's lower cost per part has a direct effect on profitability. You save money on each part cut, increasing your profit margin every time. And you cut more parts per hour, increasing your total profits even further.

In our lower cost per part example, plasma had a cost of $0.72 per part compared to $4.08 for oxyfuel. That's $3.36 per part that falls directly to the bottom line.

When you factor in the greater number of parts per hour that can be produced with plasma, the profit potential increases. Based on the cut speeds of the two, the HPR260 can produce 52 more square parts measuring 3 feet per side (.9 m) per hour from 1/2" steel than oxyfuel can. This increased productivity creates the potential for additional profit.

To really complete the cost comparison picture, you will also want to consider the cost that secondary operations add to the part. The cost for secondary operations is usually the labor involved, so the amount time spent multiplied by the labor rate will show the savings.