From tuners to hot rods and everything in between, car enthusiasts could find it at the 2011 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association of the automobile aftermarket) Show held in Las Vegas.

Hypertherm was on the scene in the North Hall, promoting the benefits of our Powermax plasma cutting systems to the automotive enthusiasts in attendance. While a variety of fabricators and customizers took an interest in our product, it was the restorations specialists who were most enamored with the Powermax systems.

As you can imagine, restoration projects include the removal of a lot of rusty metal with numerous holes and gaps. Rusty metal can pose problems for most plasma systems because they require metal to attract the arch. When no metal exists (as is the case when cutting rusty material) the arc extinguishes, causing the user to have to re-fire the torch when the arc is back in contact with the metal. As you can imagine if you are cutting out a 4’ x 4’ rusty floor board, you will run into numerous situations where you would need to re-fire a plasma torch causing wear on your consumables and wasted time to re-fire the torch.

The Powermax system’s expanded metal cutting feature was a hit with restorations specialists, because it remedies the re-fire issue. By setting the Powermax system to the expanded metal mode and cutting through numerous rusty panels and expanded metal plates, Michael Vanvakaris (Hypertherm Distribution Sales Manager for Southern California) was able to show attendees with restorations products, how they could save time and consumables by using a Powermax to cut and remove rusty pieces without having to re-fire the torch each time they hit a gap.

You can learn more about how Powermax plasma systems can be used in the auto industry by watching our quick YouTube Video.