14.2 PAC Equipment and Setup
Components
The main components of the plasma arc cutting system are discussed throughout this section.
![A plasma power source is hooked up to an aluminum box for grounding. The plasma power source is a rectangular shaped box with dials on the frog and slots for cables to be plugged in.](https://openwa.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/1430/2024/07/image1-18.png)
Power source, this will provide the direct current to produce the arc and the gas or compressed air will also flow through the power source.
![Plasma Torch for Handheld vs Mechanized Head](https://openwa.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/1430/2024/07/image2-20.png)
The next main component will be the hand held torch or straight torch for mechanized cutting. You can see the hand held plasma torch has a safety over the trigger and the straight torch everything is controlled by the operating table or mechanism.
![Exploded view of a plasma torch electrode with labeling and captions which are described in the Figure caption.](https://openwa.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/1430/2024/07/image3-23.png)