Welding is considered to be more hazardous to the eyes than plasma cutting. However, plasma cutting can also be harmful to the human eyes depending on various conditions, including the type of torch they’re using. But here the main question is do you need a welding helmet for plasma cutting? The simple answer is No, which means you don’t necessarily need a welding helmet. You can do this job by wearing welding goggles.
Plasma cutters often use goggles or safety glasses that darken when cutting. But if your torch has enough amps, you should use a welding mask for safety’s sake. As a result, while a welding mask isn’t always required, it can come in handy in some situations. Welding masks, various plasma cutting safety precautions, and more are all on the agenda for today.
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Importance of Welding Helmet for Plasma Cutting?
Welding helmets have a great role in protecting the eyes, face as well as the head. While it is not necessary to use a welding helmet for plasma cutting, you can use welding goggles for this job. The front glass of the welding helmet is a considerable factor while plasma cutting. You must select a helmet that is suitable for your project and comfortable to wear.
However, selecting a welding helmet is not so difficult as well. According to some experienced users, the helmet is better than any other piece of equipment. Now the decision is on you whether to use welding goggles or a welding helmet for plasma cutting.
Safety Precautions for Plasma Cutting
You have to wear a welding helmet to protect your eyes from radiation and UV rays. Another option is to wear safety glasses or goggles during plasma cutting. Plasma cutting is a method of cutting through electrically conductive materials using an accelerating hot plasma stream. Steel, brass, copper, aluminum, and stainless steel can all be cut with it. As a result of using electricity, UV light and gas in the procedure, precautions must be taken.
Plasma cutting must be done with extreme care to ensure user safety. To ensure your safety while handling plasma, you must wear eye, face, and exposed skin protection. Plasma cutting glasses, goggles, or a helmet must be worn to protect your eyes and face. Wearing flame-resistant clothing, such as a denim jacket or welding gloves, is also a need.
Why Eye Protection is Must for a Plasma Cutter?
Yet wondering whether you to use welding goggles or a welding helmet for plasma cutting, you can use both to protect your eyes from radiation and UV rays. These safety gears are essential to protect your eyes, face, and skin from the harmful effects of plasma. It would be best to use high-quality plasma-cutting goggles, glasses, or a helmet to protect your eyes and face. The safest approach to secure your eyesight when operating a plasma cutter is always to wear safety goggles.
Choosing Plasma Cutting Helmets and Goggles
If you don’t use sufficient eye protection while plasma cutting, there are chances of damaging your eyes because of arcs. Numerous plasma cutting glasses and goggles are available. Still, the right one must be carefully selected to maximize productivity, job quality, and user comfort in order to help you make the appropriate choice.
In order to ensure that welding helmet, glass, or goggle meets the ANSI standards, it must have passed extensive experiments to ensure that it can deliver 100% safety from ultraviolet light and infrared, survive the basic and high-velocity impact from flying objects, are durable to corrosion and flammables, protect the eyes from non-ionizing radiation and chemicals, and meet darkness shades and switching speeds in a variety of situations.
It is important to check the amperage capacity of your plasma cutting machine and choose the shade number of the welding helmet according to your plasma cutting machine’s amperage. If you can’t clearly see the working object. There may be a reason that you are using a shade that’s too dark. So use a lighter shade helmet or goggles until you can see the working object clearly.
Risks of Not Using a Welding Helmet for Plasma Cutting
It’s imperative to know the risks if you don’t use a welding helmet or goggles for plasma cutting. But there comes a question in many people’s minds do they necessarily need a welding helmet for plasma cutting. If you don’t use eye protection, you are in danger of harming your cornea, which might result in permanent damage to your eyes and loss of eyesight. To prevent your eyes from being damaged during welding, you should wear the best welding helmet or use other safety gear.
How to Choose the Right Safety Gear for Plasma Cutting
Your eyes are at risk if you don’t use the proper safety gear while plasma cutting. So it is mandatory to use safety gear to protect your eyes from arcs. But many workers don’t know how to choose the right safety gear, here we discuss some factors that you should keep in mind while choosing a welding helmet or goggles for plasma cutting.
There are a variety of goggles on the market. Goggles vary widely in terms of features, capabilities, and advantages. So, choose the ideal option that’s comfortable, long-lasting, and protective of your needs. When selecting goggles, keep in mind that plasma cutting amps is an important consideration. Therefore you must know the machine’s amperage before choosing the goggles.
Choose such kind of goggles by which you can see in the dark. Take your project and metal into consideration when determining the appropriate level of goggle darkness. Your eyes will be protected if you choose the right goggles. Therefore, while choosing goggles keep the preceding points in mind.
Safety & Comfort During Plasma Cutting
It’s essential to pick a welding helmet or goggles during plasma cutting that’s suitable for you to put on during work. You can know the importance of it by knowing how hot a plasma cutter. If you’re going to be working for several hours at a time, the comfort level of the safety gear is crucial. Most modern welding helmets provide various viewing options to meet the needs of all kinds of working conditions. It’s vital to remember that having a larger viewing area gives a welder superior peripheral vision, which comes in handy while working on large-scale projects.
Final Thoughts
Are you still looking for the answer do you need a welding helmet for plasma cutting or not and what kind of eye protection is required for safety? Although Plasma cutting is less harmful to the eyes than welding. In some cases, a welding mask is a great choice while plasma cutting. But if you use high-quality welding glasses, it will be very effective in terms of safety.
Always give priority to your safety, especially to your eyes and face. Otherwise, you could lose your sight if you don’t use enough eye protection while plasma cutting. Only choose welding goggles and glasses that meet ANSI standards for UV (ultraviolet) and IR (infrared) radiations. There are a wide variety of plasma cutting glasses and welding helmets but choose one that meets all the criteria.
James is a welding expert, accomplished author, and trusted guide with over 8 years of experience in the industry. With his in-depth knowledge and engaging writing style, James has become a true authority in the field, offering readers and clients invaluable expertise and insights to take their welding skills to new heights.