50 amp plasma confusion

[nonhog]

So I bought a Lotos 50 amp plasma.
The cord says 30 amp and I'm getting questions about that cord for a 50 amp tool. Does the plasma generate amps?
I went to gather wire and receptacle for a 50 amp tool and showed the guy at the hardware store the cord which clearly states 30 amps. He suggested I go with wiring and breaker for 30 amps, yet the plasma is a 50 amp.

What am I missing?

Wire for 30 amp? Or wire for 50 amp?

My buddy is a certified electrician but not a welder so he is confused too.

Thoughts?

 

[nine4gmc]

The plasma pulls about 25A from the wall but the transformer inside bumps the output to 50A output. Buy the 30A cord and breaker.

 

[Speedy Petey]

As with welders, the "amp" rating of the tool is almost meaningless. The circuit is based on the input amps.

 

[Stuart in MN]

According to the user manual, the input current is 20 amps. http://www.uwelding.com/Articles.asp?ID=259

 

[nonhog]

The plasma pulls about 25A from the wall but the transformer inside bumps the output to 50A output. Buy the 30A cord and breaker.

As with welders, the "amp" rating of the tool is almost meaningless. The circuit is based on the input amps.

According to the user manual, the input current is 20 amps. http://www.uwelding.com/Articles.asp?ID=259

Thanks guys, make sense, however why the 30 amp cord with a 20 amp input? Still confused as to what breaker and wires I should run?
Go with 30 amp?

 

[nine4gmc]

You want a little bigger than what it actually pulls for safety factor. If you put a 20a it would get hot running max, the 30a is what you need. I have a cheap Chinese 50a running on a 30a with no problems.

Get a 30a cord and breaker. Make sure the wire running to the outlet is good for at least 30a at the required length.

 

[Mustang51js]

If it comes with 30 amp plug then do 30 amps.

 

[LXCam]

Two things. You never want to run a circuit at it's maximum rated load. Example, for a given 20 amp circuit you really don't want a load of more then 16 (or 80% of the rating of the circuit) amps for a extended period of time. So the unit probably uses 20 amps and because of that needs a 30 amp circuit to operate properly.

For your other question when it comes to the actual connected load it's truly a function of the total amount of watts. Simply put watts is the multiplication of the applied voltage and the current rating. So for the input you have a 120 volts supply and a rated load of up to 20 amps or a total of 2400 watts. Your plasma torch output is probably 48 volts. So once again using the same math, you have the capability of utilizing a total of 2400 watts. SO, 2400 watts divided by 50 amps equals 48 volts.

It's actually a lot more complicated then that. But for general knowledge this is exactly how it works. But with this place being this place, some yah-who is gonna step in and point out the flaws with that statement.

But anyhow, congrats on the new toy!!

 

[sberry]

I am not clear either, did it come with cord and plug?

 

[sberry]

Thanks guys, make sense, however why the 30 amp cord with a 20 amp input? Still confused as to what breaker and wires I should run?

We don't know about this machine but many come with a 12 cord allowed to be connected to 50A circuits.
If it didn't come cord and plug supplied would look at 30A service.
If it comes with a 14 cord needs to be limited to 30A

 

[jimcolt]

The Lotos 50 produces 50 amps of Plasma cutting power. The power supply draws AC power from your shop power system then converts it into DC (direct current) that runs at up to 50 amps (cutting power) at between 75 and 160 volts (lower voltage on thin materials, higher load voltage on thick materials, the voltage varies depending on the physical length of the plasma arc.).

The power requirement needed from your shop AC power has little to do with the cut power rating. You will find the AC amperage specifications on the electrical data tag on the unit...or in the included operators manual.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

So I bought a Lotos 50 amp plasma.
The cord says 30 amp and I'm getting questions about that cord for a 50 amp tool. Does the plasma generate amps?
I went to gather wire and receptacle for a 50 amp tool and showed the guy at the hardware store the cord which clearly states 30 amps. He suggested I go with wiring and breaker for 30 amps, yet the plasma is a 50 amp.

What am I missing?

Wire for 30 amp? Or wire for 50 amp?

My buddy is a certified electrician but not a welder so he is confused too.

Thoughts?

 

[nonhog]

I am not clear either, did it come with cord and plug?

Yep, see pic.

 

[nonhog]

Thanks all for the reply's! Electrician made short work of adding 220. Fun to watch him work. I need to get proper breaker (got wrong brand) then I'll be cutting "everything"!

 

[bggrnchvy]

P=E*I

Input power and output power can have vastly different amperage's, including higher output amperage than input. It just depends on the voltage at the amperage as one without the other is almost meaningless.

A '50a plasma' doesn't need 50a of 220v 60hz 1ph power to run, hence the 30a cord.