Kerf is the term used in plasma cutting to describe the width of the cut made by the plasma arc -- in other words, the amount of material removed as the plasma cutter passes through the metal.
Plasma cutting works by directing a high-velocity jet of ionized gas (plasma) at the workpiece. An electrical discharge ionizes the gas and produces a high-temperature stream that melts and vaporizes a narrow path of material as it moves across the metal.
The width of that path depends on several factors: the power level of the plasma cutter, the travel speed across the metal, and the thickness and composition of the material being cut. In practice, plasma kerf typically falls somewhere between about 0.1mm and 1.5mm, depending on those variables.
Kerf matters when designing parts for plasma cutting, since it affects the fit and accuracy of the finished piece. Many modern CNC plasma systems include kerf compensation settings in software, which adjust the toolpath to account for the width of material the arc will remove -- keeping final dimensions on-spec rather than under-sized by the kerf width.
Choosing a CNC Plasma Table
There's no single "best" CNC plasma table -- the right choice depends on your material sizes, throughput needs, and budget. A few things worth weighing:
- Table size -- match it to the largest sheets you regularly process, not just your average job.
- Cutting capacity -- check the machine can handle the full range of thicknesses and metal types you work with, not just the thinnest.
- Precision -- both the torch height control hardware and the CAM/nesting software affect real-world accuracy.
- Ease of use -- an intuitive interface shortens operator training time, which matters if you have staff turnover.
- Total cost -- weigh the machine price against consumable costs, support, and expected uptime.
PCL GROUP's gantry and desktop plasma tables (including the P1325 and P1530 series) are built around this same set of priorities -- talk to our team about which configuration fits your material range and throughput target.