Our Tables don’t include a Water Pan by default, however, all of our Tables are designed to have a Water Pan added at anytime without modifying the Table at all. We’re happy to provide the Water Pan, but we can also provide the dimensions so you can build the Water Pan yourself or have it outsourced locally to save costs. It’s a very basic design.
If we provide a Water Pan, it’s an additional:
Please keep in mind that if we’re Shipping your Table to you, adding the Water Pan to your order increases the Freight Charge as it increases both the Size and Weight of the Shipping Crate.
Plasma Cutting creates large amounts of smoke. There are several ways to combat this. The most popular approach is with a Water Pan as it traps most of the Smoke and Sparks caused from the cutting process.
Water Pans also help cool the metal being cut from the heat generated by the Plasma cutting process.
Excessive heat can cause thinner metals to warp while being cut and some metals recommend a Water Pan if being cut with a Plasma Cutter - such as AR500.
Most metals do not require a Water Pan.
Water Pans do require Maintenance.
The cutting process creates fine metal dust that’ll turn to rust almost instantly in the Water Pan. An anti-rusting agent must be added to the Water and the pH levels need to be monitored.
The cutting process creates fine metal dust that’ll turn to rust almost instantly in the Water Pan. An anti-rusting agent must be added to the Water and the pH levels need to be monitored.
(Please visit the Water Pan section of our Forum to see what other Owners have done to prevent rusting)
At some point you’ll need to clean the captured soot from the Water Pan and this can be an involved process.
Cleaning is not frequent, but when it’s done, disposing of the toxic water can be challenging.
Most Table Owners with Water Pans incorporate a Water Holding system that filters out the soot as it transfers the Water. This allows you to clean out the Water Pan and avoid disposing of the toxic Water. When you’re finished cleaning the Water Pan, you can pump the old Water back in to the Water Pan and adjust the amount of anti-rusting agent to return to the appropriate pH level.
(Please visit the Water Pan section of our Forum to see what other Owners have done to make cleaning easier)
About 10% of Go Fab CNC Plasma Table Owners use a Water Pan. The majority of those Owners built the Water Pans themselves while we supplied the others.
Every Owner we’ve talked to that uses a Water Pan enjoys having one.
We don’t use a Water Pan on our Shop Table that we run daily.
The room our Table is in also has Welders, Grinders and other Metal Working equipment that all create smoke and dust.
We keep our Shop doors open and large fans ventilate the room the Table is in.
The thinnest Metal we typically cut is 14 Gauge, but we never have issues with warping.
Cleanup is as easy as sweeping under the Table at the end of every week. (Keep in mind it’s a dusty room in general!)
We recommend trying your Table without a Water Pan initially to see if it’ll work for you without a Water Pan. It’ll keep your initial investment price low and save you the additional Freight Charge.
If you decide you need one, you can always add it at anytime.
And of course, please visit the Water Pan section of our Forum to discuss the Pro’s and Con’s with Go Fab CNC Plasma Table Owners to get a better idea from people actually using one!
